Crash looked up as Cole walked in and motioned the boys toward a table with a nod of his head. That meant there was business to discuss. Business Shannon didn’t need to hear. He turned to her, his arm going around her and his mouth at her ear. “I’ll be right over here talking to Cole for a minute, babe.”
She nodded glancing back at the table that Red Dog, Green and Wolf had already moved off to. With a kiss on her cheek, Crash walked over to the table as well. The men murmured low amongst themselves. Cole told them the situation and Dolly’s suspicions. Then he dropped the bomb that they were stuck there several more hours waiting for Louie to return.
Shannon waited at the bar. She struck up a conversation with the limo driver next to her. “You come here often?” she joked.
He gave her a half grin. “Actually, yeah. I bring ‘em all the business I can. I get commission on it.”
“Really?” she asked, fascinated.
“Yup. A third of whatever my passengers spend.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope.” He took a sip of his drink and nodded toward the parlor where he’d left his passengers. “The minimum’s two hundred a piece. I figure those three are good for twice that. So, yeah. Probably gonna be about four hundred dollar payoff for me.”
“That’s amazing. How many trips do you make out here a night?”
He shrugged. “Many as I can. This is my second tonight. Maybe I’ll have time for one more trip.”
“From Reno?”
“Yeah.”
“So, where do you find these guys?”
He grinned. “Everywhere. These guys were in town for a bachelor party.” He shrugged. “Sometimes they’re in town for a convention or event. The sporting events are always real big nights. Whether they win big and want to celebrate or lose big and want to drown their sorrows.”
“What types of sporting events?”
“Anything big they can bet on. Super Bowl. March Madness. The fights. Boxing. The MMA cage fights are really becoming big.”
She nodded.
“The annual car show and auction is when I do some of my best business, though. A bunch of old guys with lots of money hit town. Whether they buy or sell, they’re always up for a trip out here before they head home to their wives.” He winked.
She smiled. “I’ll bet.”
Dolly walked over and reached between Shannon and the driver with her back to Shannon. She laid a stack of money on the bar in front of the man and said, “Thanks, Karl. Keep ‘em coming.”
He grabbed up the money and laughed. “That’s your girls’ job, Doll.”
Dolly laughed and walked off. “You know it, Karl. You’re boys’ will be out soon.”
He got up, downed the remainder of his drink and said, “Nice to meet you, darlin’.”
“Goodbye,” Shannon replied and watched him move out the door to presumably wait in the car. She sipped her drink and glanced back at the table. Crash and his brothers were still deep in conversation. Hearing the doorbell ring again, she watched as Dolly seated another group of men. A moment later that bell chimed calling the next lineup. In a spur of the moment decision, she picked her drink up and moved toward the archway to get a better look.
Crash ran his hand over his face. “So, if he’s skimming, Cole, what’s the plan?”
“What do you mean?” Cole frowned back at him. “We get the fucking money back, and we beat the crap out of him, dumbass.”
Crash rolled his eyes. “Yeah, that’s a given. But if you cut him loose, you’re gonna need a replacement.”
“Yeah, who do you figure for that job?” Wolf asked, pulling the drink stirrer he was chewing on out of his mouth.
Crash was waiting for Cole’s answer when Dolly walked up and folded her arms over her chest. The look on her face spoke volumes. She was pissed. The frustrated breath she blew out before she spoke underlined that fact. Her gaze moved from Cole around the table until it landed on Crash. “You.”
Shit. What the fuck was she looking at him for?
“You putting a new girl in my lineup?” she asked, her brows raised.
Crash glanced around her to the bar where he’d left Shannon. Her barstool was empty. He searched the room, his eyes finding her leaning up against the frame of the archway into the parlor, sipping on her drink. There was a lineup of girls that basically ended where she was standing, so in effect she was in the goddamn lineup. She looked out of place in her tight fitting jeans and halter top in a sea of lingerie and cocktail dresses, but that didn’t make her any less appealing. Especially with that sexy as fuck pierced navel revealed in the bare skin that showed between her low riding jeans and short halter top. He stared, speechless for half a second as her luscious mouth opened, and her tongue came out to try to capture the tiny red drink straw. Christ! Didn’t she have a clue how seductive that was?
Cole, who had turned to look, burst out laughing.
Crash slammed his beer down and rose from his chair. Dolly stopped him with a hand on his chest. “You’re not going to yell at her, are you? It’ll upset my girls.”
“If I don’t yell at her, how’s she gonna know why I’m strangling her?”
Wolf and Red Dog chuckled.
Cole grinned and advised, “Take a breath, and count to ten, brother.”
“I can’t count to ten, my head’s gonna explode at five.” He stalked toward her, his brothers’ laughter following him. He grabbed her arm, jerking her attention from the show. “Babe, what the fuck are you doing?”
“What? I’m just standing here waiting, like you told me to.”
“Yeah. You’re standing in the goddamn lineup, Shannon!” He gestured to the girls.
“Huh?”
Dolly moved up next to him. He turned to her, his hand tight around Shannon’s upper arm. “You got someplace safe I can stash her?”
Dolly grinned. “There’s a small kitchen break-room combination down the hall. Last door on the left.
“Thanks.” He turned back to Shannon. “Come on, Troublemaker.” He hauled her off by the arm toward the hallway.
“Hey! Wait a minute. I was gonna pick that one!” Shannon heard some guy in the parlor complaining as Crash pulled her down the hall. She bit her lip. Damn, she’d done it again, caused trouble and pissed him off without even trying. His nickname for her was beginning to be proven right. Damn, how did she get into these situations?
The brothel’s hallway was narrow, and the walls must have been paper thin, because Shannon could hear a woman’s moans. Even to her ears, they sounded fake. As they moved along passing door after door, she heard more sounds. A woman’s soft giggling in one room, the sound of spanking in another, and a man’s rough grunting in still another. Shannon tried to imagine the life these girls lived, being under the man that was doing that grunting, having to act pleasured by a strange man on top of her making those awful animalistic sounds.
Crash pulled her down the hall, distracting her attention from the rooms. “Swear to God, you can push my buttons like no one else, Princess.”
“Crash!”
He ignored her as he found the break-room and tugged her inside. She looked around. It was basically an eat-in kitchen with a table and some chairs around it. A sliding glass door led outside to a small patio, where she imagined the girls could go to take a quick smoke break. The only thing odd about it was the couch pushed against the far wall. There was one girl sitting at the table, drinking a cola and flipping through a magazine. She looked up, startled by a strange man coming through the door, until she saw the cut. Obviously word of the club being the new owners had spread through the talent.
“What’s your name?” Crash asked her.
“Um, Stacy.”
“Stacy, this is Shannon. Can you do me a favor, honey, and keep her company?”
The girl smiled flirtatiously up at him. A little too eager to please for Shannon’s comfort. “Sure. Have a seat, doll.”
Crash spun her around to face him and ordered, �
��Stay here. Do not wander off. Got me?”
She couldn’t help but smile back at him, every bit as flirtatiously as that girl had been. Her hand reached up, and her finger trailed down his chest. His eyes dropped to follow it. “Got you.” He slid his hand to the back of her head and pulled her close, his mouth coming down on hers for a deep kiss. Pulling back, he kissed her on the forehead before his hand dropped away, and he disappeared down the hall. Shannon turned back to the girl named Stacy.
“That was one hot kiss, doll.”
“Sorry about that. He’s a little overprotective.”
“No problem. Pull up a seat. You want a cola or something, hon?” Stacy offered.
Shannon sat down. “No thanks.” She held up the drink she still had in her hand. “Still sipping on this.”
Stacy nodded. “So, these bikers, you’re with them?”
“Yes, sort of.”
Stacy grinned. “Sort of, huh? Sounds interesting. You with that guy?”
“Well, yes. I guess you could say that.”
“Lucky you. He’s good looking. All that muscle and leather. Hot as hell.”
Shannon grinned. “Yeah, he is. So, you work here, huh?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Do you like it? I mean I guess it’s not my business.”
Stacy shrugged. “It pays really well. It’s easy work.”
“But, being with strange men you don’t know. Men you’re not even attracted to, I can’t imagine that.”
“Yeah. Most people can’t. It’s not so bad. The rules are pretty strict about what the men can and can’t do.” She shrugged. “I have a few regulars. And most of the men are pretty nice.”
“What kind of men come in here?” Shannon couldn’t help but ask.
“All kinds. I’ve seen it all. Doctors, lawyers, truckers, retirees, college boys. You name it. I even had a member of congress, once. One thing they all have in common, they want to get their rocks off. But really, there is no type, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Wow. It’s really fascinating.”
Stacy grinned like she had a big secret to share and whispered, “I’m not supposed to talk about it, confidentiality and all that, but I’ll tell you since you’re with the owners and all. I made some real good money last night. I won’t say what team, but we had a bunch of pro-ball players come in. The whole friggin’ team. I cleared almost five grand. And boy, were they built.” She fanned her face, smiling bright.
“That’s a lot of money.”
“You bet it is, sweetie.”
Shannon heard the tinkle of the bell calling the girls for another lineup. She looked over at Stacy, wondering why she wasn’t answering the call. “You’re not working tonight?”
“Nope. I’m the day shift. Just can’t sleep.” Her eyes strayed to a monitor high up in the corner that Shannon hadn’t noticed before.
“What’s that?” Shannon asked.
“Video feed of the parlor. See the guy on the right?”
Shannon looked and nodded.
“He’s gonna pick Cindy. Watch.”
“Which one is Cindy?”
“The one in the school-girl outfit.”
They watched, and sure enough, the guy on the right picked Cindy. Shannon turned back to Stacy. “How did you know? Is he a regular?”
“Nope. I could just tell.”
“How? How can you tell?” Shannon asked, all eager for the information.
Stacy giggled at her enthusiasm and shrugged. “Been doing this a long time, I guess. I can just read them. He was looking for a naughty girl in need of a spanking. It’s always the quiet nerdy ones that are the freakiest. She’ll make some good money, tonight. She always does when she wears that outfit. Of course her ass is going to be damn sore tomorrow.”
“Ewe.” Shannon made a face.
Stacy laughed.
Crash returned to the bar and sat down at the table with his brothers, snapping, “I’m off blondes for good!”
Cole snorted out a short laugh, not believing that joke for a second. “Right. She taken care of?”
“She’s fine.”
“You got your hands full with that one, brother,” Red Dog added with a laugh.
“She’s a hoot,” Green put in.
Just then they heard a ruckus coming from the parlor. Loud drunken voices coming in the door of men shouting for whores. The guys made a move to get up and take care of it, but Cole put his hand up, signaling them to stay seated. “Let’s see how they handle this.”
The men relaxed back into their seats, looking over their shoulders to watch. Dolly approached the men. “Hey, boys. We’ve got a special door on the side of the building just for you. All our best women are in that wing.”
“Yeah, those are the ones we want, ain’t it, boys?”
Dolly held the door open and pointed around to the back. They walked out, and she slammed the door. “Dumbasses! The only thing you’re gonna find around back is a couple of chained up Dobermans.” She turned back to see Jason, the bartender standing at the end of the bar.
He winked at her, and then brought his right hand up, laying the pistol in his hand on the bar top. “Cool as a cucumber, Doll. That’s what I love about you.”
She shook her ass as she walked away. “You love everything about me, honey.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He laughed and turned away, stowing the gun back under the bar.
Cole’s eyes slid from Jason back to the guys. “Nice to know, he’s got her back.”
“Yeah,” Crash agreed, turning back. “So, who we gonna get for the job?”
“Give me a minute.” Cole got up and headed toward Dolly’s office. Pausing in the doorway, he leaned against the jamb. She looked up. “Tell me about Jason.”
She smiled and leaned back in her chair. “I told you, he’s a good guy, why?”
“What do the girls think of him?”
“They like him. And what’s more they trust him. They know he’s always going to be there when they need him. He always has the girls’ backs. Always.”
“This manager position, are you interested in it?”
“Hell, no. Shit, I don’t want that job. Then I’d have to deal with the slimy county sheriff and the DA. Uh-uh, no way. I’m happy doing what I’m doing. I don’t want those headaches. Thank you very much.”
“If what you suspect is true, we’re gonna need a replacement for Louie. What do you think of Jason taking it on?”
She nodded, considering. “Like I said, he’s good with the girls. They trust him and like him. He understands the operation, and he’s not afraid to take my back when trouble walks through that door. More than once, I’ve turned to find him leaning on that doorframe, the hand behind his back holding a forty-four, just as cool as you please.”
“You think he’d take the job?”
She shrugged. “It’s a substantial bump in pay. He’d be crazy not to. He’d do a good job. That would be a good move. For him and for business. But…”
“But?”
“Not sure he wants the headache’s either, though.”
Cole grinned. “Let me worry about that. Thanks, Doll.” He headed back to the bar.
A couple of hours later, as dawn was breaking, Loser Louie had shown up, and the guys had taken him outside to ‘deal’ with him. He’d spilled his guts soon enough. Cole had sent Red Dog and Wolf to follow him to his house and get the money he’d skimmed, which he claimed was locked in a safe at his home. Dumb motherfucker, Crash thought as he walked back toward the kitchen to find Shannon.
Jason was all too happy to take the new position and the raise in pay that went with it. So, with that handled, they’d be leaving as soon as Red Dog and Wolf got back, which should be any minute now. Cole was just in the office, making sure Jason was comfortable with everything before they took off.
Crash walked into the kitchen and stopped, grinning at what he saw. Stacy had her head down on her arm, asleep on the table. Shannon was stretched out on th
e couch, lying on her side, her back to him. He strolled over to the table and gently shook Stacy’s shoulder. “Hey.”
She lifted her head and sat up, looking sleepily up at him.
“Got a couple questions for you.”
She yawned. “Okay.”
“Louie.”
Her lip curled up. “What about him?”
He chuckled. “I think that expression says it all, but tell me what you think of him.”
“He’s a slim-ball. Always wanting freebies. Thinks he’s entitled.”
Crash’s brows shot up. “You don’t give that shit away, not to anybody. Got me?”
She nodded. “Easy for you to say. You won’t be here later.”
“Darlin’, he won’t be here later, either.”
“So, who’s gonna run the place?”
“Jason.”
She made a power fist and pulled it to her waist. “Yes!”
Crash laughed outright. “Good to know you approve.”
“Thank you, Jesus! Hell, yes, I approve. Jason is great.”
He grinned and nodded toward the door. “Get some sleep, darlin’. And thanks for keepin’ an eye on her for me.”
Stacy stretched and got up. “You’re welcome. She’s hilarious. I haven’t laughed that much in a long time.”
“Yeah, she’s a riot,” he agreed with a grin and headed over to the couch. Squatting down at Shannon’s back, he shook her gently. “Princess.” She was out like a light. Damn, he hated to have to wake her. He moved to sit on the edge of the couch and leaned over her, his hand resting on the back cushion. With his free hand, he gently brushed back a strand of hair that had fallen in her face. “Shannon, babe, wake up.”
She took a deep breath, and then frowned and finally opened her eyes, squinting at the light.
He grinned down at her. “Rise and shine, baby.”
She blinked and looked toward the sliding glass door where the first streaks of sunrise were coming in. “Is it morning already?”
“Yeah, Shannon. It’s morning.” He stood up and took her hand, helping her to sit up. Then he pulled her to her feet and wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling her head. “We’re gonna hit the road in a few minutes. There’s a bathroom at the end of the hall. Go use it, and I’ll make you a cup of coffee.”
CRASH: An Evil Dead MC Story (The Outlaw Series) Page 37
