“Seriously?” I fumed. “That’s your answer? I thought you were her friend, but you would toss her to the wolves like that?”
Lola shrugged. “I am her friend, at least I think I am. But I’m not an idiot. No one tells Blake ‘no’ and lives to tell the tale, so to speak. Hell, I remember back when he had me. You know, it’s not so bad. He does drug you after all, so it’s not like she’s gonna remember a whole lot.”
My mouth dropped open. I couldn’t believe what she was saying, even under the influence of alcohol. She made it sound so casual and that infuriated me. That was it then? Vegas was so accustomed to giving Blake whatever he wanted that we were all just numb to it? I grabbed her arm and glared at her.
“You are her friend, so either help me, or you will be the one to blame when something happens to her. Do you really want that on what little conscience you have left, Lola? Do you think she deserves the same fate as you and the rest of the girls?”
She sobered up a little bit and shook her head. “No. She doesn’t deserve it, but what can I do?”
“Just be a friend to her and call this number if she goes anywhere with him alone, got it?”
“You’ll be there with her though, won’t you?”
I flinched. “Not anymore. She’s pissed at me, and with good reason, but no matter what happens, I need you to promise me that you’re going to call if Blake makes a move on her.”
“Yeah, sure thing,” Lola said. She tucked the card into her bra and smiled at me. “So, you and her split up, huh? That’s a shame, but I would be happy to help with any heartbreak you might be going through.”
Rolling my eyes, I turned away from her. “No thanks.”
“I don’t get it. What’s she got that’s so special? What is it that makes you and Blake and all the other straight men fawn over her?”
“She’s special is all, and if you can’t see that, it’s not my problem. Just keep your word and call me if anything strange happens.”
“Sure thing, sweetness,” she muttered.
I left the club with the sleep deprivation starting to settle in. Lola wasn’t reliable. I still needed to be able to protect Anna, but there was no way she was going to give me another chance. Waiting for my car to be pulled around, I tried to call her one more time, but the line was busy. She was talking to her father, I could almost guarantee. Telling him about the bastard man from the big city who had crushed her heart in a matter of days. If he hunted me down, I wouldn’t stop him from putting a bullet between my eyes.
Tossing my phone onto the passenger seat, I set off for my house and let the music and wind take me away. Nothing would work to cure my broken heart, but at least a solid night of sleep and a few shots of whisky would clear my mind a little. As I pulled up to the house, I grabbed my phone again and glanced down at it absentmindedly. I had a missed call, and when the hotel’s number popped up on the call log, my heart started to race.
Anna had called me at some point while I was driving. I dialed the number and waited. “Anna?”
She sighed. “I can’t believe I’m even talking to you. You are the last person in the world I want to deal with.”
“Then why are you? I’m so sorry for what I did. Can I please come talk to you?”
“No,” she said. “I didn’t call you to talk about us. There will never be an ‘us’ again, and you need to get that through your thick skull. You betrayed me, you broke me, and for that, I will never forgive you. You are just a con. Scum.”
“Did you call me just to tell me I’m filth again?” I shot back. “Because you made your opinion of me pretty clear earlier, and nothing you say can make me feel any worse than I already do.”
“No, I didn’t call for that reason,” she said. “I want to help. I’m in.”
Chapter Fourteen
Anna
I rushed to my room, the tears spilling over before I reached the door. Everything had gone downhill so quickly that I didn’t even stop to think as I grabbed my bag and started to pack. I couldn’t stay in the show and keep dodging Blake. Quitting would be humiliating but not nearly as life shattering as becoming nothing more than a toy to him or any other man. My heart was tearing at the seams. The lights of Vegas didn’t seem as enchanting now that I’d been on the other side of them.
My phone rang and I answered it without thinking. After the phone call with Nate, I was devastated and even more enraged.
“I told you never to call me again!” I screamed into the phone.
“Excuse me?” came a different voice. “Is this Anna? This is Michael Blake.”
“Oh, oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. I thought you were someone else. Mr. Blake, what can I do for you? Was there a problem with practice?”
“No, my dear, of course there wasn’t, but you ran out of there so fast we didn’t have time for a little chat. I’ve become quite accustomed to talking with you now.”
“Right,” I muttered. “I’m sorry about that, sir, this hasn’t been a good day for me, and it really isn’t a good time. I’m sure we’ll have time to talk during my breaks tomorrow.”
“Anna,” he pressed.
I fought the urge to hang up. I was delaying the inevitable, and though I didn’t want to end the contract over the phone, it seemed safe. I took a deep breath and prepared to put the final nail in the coffin of my career. Once word got out that I left the show and defaulted on the contract, I wouldn’t get another gig in Vegas ever. My only other shot at becoming a singer would be Hollywood, and that was an industry that was virtually impossible to break into. My mind was made up though, and nothing was going to change that.
“Sir, I wanted to talk to you anyway,” I said.
“Oh good, I was starting to think you didn’t understand the details of your agreement with me.”
I paused. “Um, what are you talking about? I read the contract several times before signing it. I know I’ve held up my end of the agreement to this point.”
He laughed menacingly. “Anna, you are a smart girl. You should know by now that there are certain”—he paused—“unwritten things, shall we say?”
Quitting was one thing, but being threatened was another. “I don’t think I understand.”
“I think you understand what I’m saying just fine. I want a private meeting with you before the show, or you will not be going on that stage.”
“Are you threatening me?” I hissed as my palms grew damp.
“Of course not!” he sang. “I just want you to understand that unless you are able to satisfy me as a paying client, then the contract will become void.”
I couldn’t believe his audacity and the implication of what he was saying. I had no problem going back to live with my father and leaving the show on pure moral principle. How could I work for a man I knew was going to steal everything? I had planned on tipping off the police before I left, but now I was starting to reconsider. What if they didn’t believe me, or worse, what if he had dirty cops working for him? Then I would be right back at square one, but some other helpless girl would be taking my place, both on the stage and in the clutches of Blake.
“Jesus, you pig. You’re saying if I don’t sleep with you, I’ll be cut? Who does that? What makes you think I won’t just expose you for the monster you are?”
He laughed over the phone. “Dear Anna, you are so young and naive, but please don’t think you could ever best me in my own town. I own you and everyone else that works for me.”
“You’re an asshole. Do you know that?” I seethed.
“Be that as it may, I own you. Let me make myself very clear; the show is the day after tomorrow, and I will have you before then. I will not mince words. You are young and perky. Your tits give me a raging hard on, and I plan on shooting a load all over them with or without your permission. Show up tomorrow or don’t, but if you don’t, you will never work for anyone in this town or any other ever again. I will make sure they know what a nasty little whore you are. No man will want you, and no woman will let her h
usband sign you to their label.”
I couldn’t breathe as his words settled in. How could I walk away after seeing his true colors? He wasn’t just a bad man or a lousy person, he was a monster with no soul.
“Is that all?” I said.
“Yes,” he replied, his tone as cheerful as it had been seconds before he threatened me. “So, will I be seeing you tomorrow?”
I held my breath and made a decision. “Yes.”
“Wonderful! I look forward to seeing your performance. Oh, and Anna? Wear your stage costume to our little meeting. I plan on shooting off a few loads to you while you sing beforehand. Let’s build up the fun for a little bit, shall we?”
“Sure,” I said quietly. “Whatever you want.”
“Then I will see you tomorrow. Mr. Grey will be thrilled to know you’re staying on, and who knows, this could be the start of a long working relationship.”
I hung up the phone, unable to stomach his voice any longer. I felt like I was going to be sick just thinking about him watching me on stage, and I ran to the bathroom. By the time I came out, I had a new plan in mind, but it wasn’t one that I liked. I dialed his number and waited, but when he didn’t answer, I quickly wondered if my plan was going to work at all. When Nate called me back, the fury inside me was barely concealed.
“So, what changed your mind?” he said as he sat across from me in his living room.
I shook my head and cradled my coffee. “Don’t think for a second it has anything to do with you. I couldn’t care less if you went to rot in jail for the rest of your life.”
“Then what was it? Why are you bothering to bring Blake down at all?”
“Because I don’t want to see some other girl ruined by that bastard. You don’t know the way he spoke to me. I had to shower, and the words are still ringing in my ears. I can’t imagine knowingly putting another woman in that position. If I can record him saying all that again, then maybe I can come up with a plan to expose him.”
“That’s very noble of you, but you know you’ll have to be alone with him. You’ll have to do everything he said.”
“I know,” I whispered softly. “I can take care of myself though.”
Nate shook his head and stood up. “I know you’re doing this for the right reasons, but I can’t help you if you won’t help me.”
“Surprise, surprise, the con man needs a favor before he’ll help anyone but himself,” I shot at him bitterly.
“Yeah, you know what?” he spat back. “I do need something in return. I’ll set you up with everything you need, but I get to go with you.”
I shook my head, fighting back a smile. He didn’t want anything for himself. At least not now. He just wanted to come with me to make sure I was safe. Either that, or he had yet another ulterior motive I hadn’t seen yet. Either way, it wasn’t going to happen.
“He’ll never believe you willingly let me go back there with him.”
“I know. I don’t want to be there when you go to meet him. Hell, I won’t even go inside if you don’t want, but I need to be close enough to get to you if something goes wrong. Plus, I need to be recording the conversation as it happens, right? That’s the only way it’s going to work. So, there’s my offer. Take it or leave it.”
“And if I refuse?” I asked defiantly. “What are you going to do then? Just let me go in there without any help or backup?”
“No, but I will expose Blake. I don’t have a horse in this race anymore, remember? If he’s exposed by me, I’ll still have some pull and the show won’t happen. He’ll skip town before he gets the chance to have your little meeting. He can’t handle any worse press without sinking.”
“That means you won’t have your shot at the money,” I said.
Nate looked at me and nodded. “No amount of money is worth your life. Like it or not, you mean something to me, and I won’t let any harm come to you.”
I swallowed hard, my breath catching in my throat as I struggled to keep myself upright. Nate cared about me, he really did, but I still couldn’t forgive him for what he had done. I set down the cup and straitened my shirt.
“Fine, you have a deal, but I don’t want you to get any ideas. The only reason I’m agreeing to this is to help others. There’s nothing between us, and I don’t want there to be anything ever again.”
“If that’s what you want, then I’ll respect that, but there is one more thing.”
“What?” I asked him suspiciously.
“If you want this plan to work, then we can’t take any chances. Blake might think you’ll get cold feet and act out his little fantasy beforehand. He did pay for the hotel, and I know he has strings there. One call is all it would take for him to slip into your room, put a little chloroform over your mouth, and do what he wants.”
“You don’t want me to go back to the hotel,” I whispered, glancing at the bedroom, where we’d made love just hours ago. I shook my head. “I can’t stay here. Not when everything between us has changed so much. Please don’t ask me to do that.”
“There isn’t another option, but I won’t be here, at least not most of the night. We’ll need some pretty expensive gear for this, and there’s only one person I trust to get it from. So, the house is all yours.”
I didn’t like the idea, but I could see his point of view. I knew Blake was looking forward to our disgusting rendezvous, but he also liked his girls to have a little spunk. Surprising me at the hotel would give him an advantage that I didn’t want him to have. I nodded, and Nate grabbed his jacket and keys before pausing at the door.
“Keep it locked. I’m the only one with a key.”
“Okay,” I whispered, tears starting to well in my eyes.
“Anna?” he said softly. “I’m sorry.”
Chapter Fifteen
Nate
It was the hardest thing I’d ever done, and considering my less than ideal past, that was saying a lot. The practice took hours but gave me some insight into Anna, which made me like her even more. I’d caught of glimpse of her outfit as she adjusted it in the mirror. The microphone and camera were disguised as a small locket that hung just above her cleavage. I’d have jumped at the opportunity to hang it there, but she’d snatched it away from me before I could.
“Hey, girl!” called Lola.
“Hi,” she said halfheartedly. “How was your night?”
Lola shrugged. “It was interesting. Your boyfriend stopped by the club I was at. He was pretty worried about you for some reason. Did you two lovebirds make up?”
“No,” Anna hissed. “You said he was cute, so he’s all yours. Just watch out, he’s a bottom feeder like the rest of them.”
I twitched as I watched the monitor. She was never going to forgive me for the lies I’d told. We just needed to get through the next few hours together though, then I would do everything I could to fix it.
“Wow, yesterday you were all rainbows and heart-shaped balloons. Anything you want to talk about?” Lola asked her.
Anna shook her head. I could see the movement in the necklace. She knew I was listening to her every word. “Just stay away from him. You don’t want that mess, okay?”
“Sure thing, honey. Ready to get this show on the road?” asked Lola.
Anna followed her out to the stage. I saw him. Blake was already there in the seats, waiting and watching. It was going to be a long day.
“Do you need a lift?” asked Lola.
For the last hour, I’d watched Blake slip away for a few minutes and come back. Each time, I knew what he was doing, and I had to fight the urge to puke. As the podium cleared out and the others headed for their cars, Anna stayed behind, running her fingers over the chain around her neck. Throughout the day, I hadn’t been able to look away from the monitor for even a second, though the practice was brutal. More than once as I watched Blake grab his cock through his pants, I wanted to run into the building and snap his neck.
“No thanks, I have someone else picking me up. You go on though. Maybe
I’ll meet up with you later. I could use a good drink and maybe a good lay,” Anna said to Lola.
“Ha! Now that’s what I like to hear. Call me later, girl,” Lola said as she bounced out of the building.
I hissed at Anna’s comment through my teeth. She was going to be the death of me. It didn’t take long before I saw Mr. Grey walking in her direction. The knowing smile on his lips made me shake with rage. He was a part of the lies and disgusting lifestyle that Blake kept. Anna grabbed her bag and met him in the middle of the stage. I knew my girl, she wasn’t going to cower in the corner and give either of them the satisfaction of knowing just how afraid she really was. Only I could see the slight tremble in her hands.
He silently led her to the back office and knocked on the door. When it opened, I could almost smell the stench of alcohol and stale sex through the monitor. Who knew how many women had passed through his door before? How many of them went in with high hopes and promises of stardom, only to come back out torn and terrified. I wouldn’t let him add another notch to his belt. If I failed at everything else in my life, I would at least get the chance to take him down.
“My little peach, I’m so happy you decided to join me. Can I offer you a drink?”
She shook her head. “I don’t drink.”
“Right, right. Well, I do, so I started a little early. You know you have one of the tightest asses I have ever seen. I can’t wait to get my hands on it.”
Stepping away from him, Anna quickly darted around the desk. “This isn’t right.”
“So what? Who the fuck cares what’s right anymore?” he slurred. “This is Vegas, baby, and I’m gonna taste that snatch of yours whether you like it or not.”
“I never agreed to that, you monster! This is rape!”
He laughed. “Not yet, but it’s gonna be. I’m going to do things to you that will scar you for life, sweet tits. If you’re lucky, I might leave that face untouched for the big show tomorrow.”
Triple Threat: A Dark Romance (Deadly Passion Series Book 3) Page 9
