by Debra Kayn
Her last customer being Dawson Carver.
She hid the real meaning of him coming to see her from Tiff. The longer she held onto her job, the easier it'd be when she left. And, no thanks to Mother Nature, she wasn't leaving anytime soon, unless Dawson forced her.
The snow that started falling two days ago had yet to stop. Her plan to escape in the dead of night when nobody watched the building would have to wait. She'd never survive out in the cold without the proper clothing, and she had no idea if anyone kept the roads plowed outside of town. Screwed over by two feet of snow on the ground had deterred her from her original plan and as long as she stayed at the bordello, there was nothing to stop Dawson from contacting her.
She opened the side drawer of the dresser and removed a pair of panties. Slipping them on, she fastened her robe, covering her body to mid thighs. The added insurance of more coverage around Dawson boosted her resolve to keep pushing forward until she figured out her next step.
Tiff knocked. The door opened.
Roni peered behind the madam looking for Dawson. The door closed off her view, and she whipped her gaze to Tiff standing inside the bedroom.
"We need to talk." Tiff's soft voice warned her something was wrong.
Though she had no idea what would bring Tiff in the room to talk privately. Roni had kept the reasons behind Dawson's non-sexual visits to herself to keep from getting into trouble.
"This evening I found out that Dawson Carver has been visiting your room for other than sexual reasons, and he's connected to you." Tiff sat on the bed and patted the spot beside her. "Sit down. You look like you're about to faint."
Roni sat.
"Typically, I don’t allow men who've visited any Network employee at other bordellos to continue seeing you here." Tiff rested her hand on her swollen belly. "But the situation is different because Jeremy knows Dawson and has vouched for him. I've been told that I must allow the visitations to continue."
Roni dropped her gaze to her lap. "I never asked him to come here."
"I'm not blaming you. Jeremy is..." Tiff laughed softly. "Let's just say Jeremy believes he runs Red Light, and I believe differently. What I need to know is if you believe you've fallen in love with Dawson—"
"It's not like that," she blurted.
Tiff nodded. "Okay. Do you want to tell me what's going on?"
"I'm not breaking the rules." Roni half turned toward Tiff. "I swear. I have never met him before coming here."
"Relax, honey." Tiff grabbed Roni's hand and held it.
She clung to her madam, afraid she'd get fired.
"Does he use you?" asked Tiff.
She shook her head.
"Oh, boy," said Tiff on an exhale. "You're not making this easy to find out what is going on."
"I don't know what he wants," whispered Roni. "I've asked him to leave, and he won't listen."
"You're shaking." Tiff's mouth thinned. "Are you scared of him?"
To tell the truth meant she'd put herself in more danger. Vince had shown her what he'd do to traitors. All Sparrow members believed in the same loyalty. She sighed. Whether Tiff forbid Dawson from coming here or not, she knew deep down that Dawson would wait until her time was up and catch her leaving. She'd never get away from him. Her only hope was to keep up the appearance that she wanted to continue working at Red Light, and when the time was right, leave on her own accord.
"I'm...confused." Roni inhaled a shuddering breath. "He...Dawson hasn't hurt me."
"Then you're okay with him continuing to make appointments to see you?"
She nodded. There was nothing else she could do but agree.
"I'll let him in, then." Tiff heaved herself off the bed with a hand at her lower back. "You only have ten more weeks left of your contract."
"I want to keep working here, Tiff. I do," said Roni, getting up and moving to the far wall in the room.
Tiff turned at the door and raised her brows. "If you change your mind, and you want him gone, you only have to tell me. Okay? In the meantime, I'll let Jeremy have his way and watch you like a hawk."
Roni nodded, hating any reference to birds. "Thank you."
"Because of your special privileges, don't abuse them. It'd be best to keep Dawson Carver and whatever relationship you have with him from the other ladies."
"I understand," Roni mumbled, answering how Tiff expected her to.
Tiff opened the door, swept her arm out to the side, and let Dawson enter the room.
Carrying three large totes, Dawson gazed intently at Roni. She kept her mouth shut. He obviously knew Tiff talked with her. What she couldn’t figure out by his expression was if he was upset or angry at Roni allowing him into the room.
The door shut.
Dawson set the bags on the bed. She refused to look at what he'd brought and kept her gaze on his eyes. She could tell a lot about a man's next move by how he looked around or at her.
"Do you mind if I sit?" Dawson pointed at the chair by the sliding glass door.
Since letting him sit down kept him away from her and made him slower if he tried to hurt her, she nodded her permission.
He sat down and stretched his legs out in front of him. She raked her teeth over her bottom lip. The cut on his cheek from yesterday when she'd attacked him with the butter knife had scabbed over.
"I brought you some clothes. There's a heavy coat in there and some other things the lady at the store recommended for winter weather. Also, a pair of boots. You don't need to slip and slide when you're walking to the doctor's every week," he said.
Her vision blurred, and she remembered to blink. He'd bought her clothes?
"I wanted to keep our visits secret, but as you can see, Tiff knows I'm here to help you. I needed help knowing what size of clothes to buy you, so she helped." He ran his hand through his hair. "She's given me extra time with you, so, uh, if you want to talk, you can."
Had he paid off Tiff and Jeremy? She put her left foot on her right one and balanced on one leg. Red Light was supposed to keep her safe, and they'd let a monster inside the upstairs of the building.
"Did you get a chance to read my text?" He bent his legs, leaned forward, and put his elbows on his knees.
She stared without answering. His easy-going presence in her room, Tiff's conversation, the ease at which he manipulated the situation to his advantage, and the gifts confused her.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
He tilted his head. "Vince is dead. I want to make sure you're safe. If you have a family you'd like me to call, or you want help leaving Red Light, I'll be here to help you."
Her legs straightened, and she bit into her cuticle, caught herself, and lowered her hand to her side. She had no one to help her.
Red Light supported his purpose to get her away from the Network. Stuck in Federal, away from everything she knew, she only had herself to rely on.
"If Vince is really dead, I'm free." She forced her tongue onto her dry lips. "Leave me alone."
"That's right, sweetheart. You are free." Dawson rubbed his hands together. "That's what I want you to keep telling yourself until you believe it. You don't have to keep working here. Say the word, and I'll walk you out the door. I'll make sure you go wherever you want. If you want to go back to Seattle or if you have family in a different state, I'll put you on a plane myself and take you to their door."
For the first time since Dawson told her Vince was dead, she believed it. She folded her arms in front of her. Lost in the possibilities that lay in front of her. She no longer had to hide and fear that every new move within the Network would lead her back into Vince's hands.
She glanced at Dawson. "What's the catch?"
"No catch," he said.
"You're a member of Sparrows." A surge of strength traveled up her spine, and she faced him.
"Was a member," he muttered.
"Your tattoo..." She dropped her gaze to his hand. "You still wear it."
"Vince is dead, Roni." He stood. "Sparro
ws disbanded. The majority of the members are in prison. The others have stepped away."
She shrank back.
He approached her, trapping her on the side of the room. She bit her lip, ready to spring forward. Her head only came to his chest. He was twice as big as her. His broad shoulders blocked the room from view and forced her to look at him because he was the only thing she could see.
"Jacqueline wanted me to help you." His Adam's apple dipped. "I promised her I would."
"Jackie?" she whispered, leaning forward and grabbing Dawson's shirt. "Where is she?"
His eyes hardened. "Dead."
Chapter Six
Roni stared at the cell phone Dawson gave her last week with dread. Her upset stomach refused dinner and the other ladies at Red Light questioned her throughout the few bites she managed to consume until she snapped out her refusal at their invite to go up on the roof and retreated to her room.
When Dawson had said he'd sent her a text, she'd stayed away from the phone and Dawson's message out of spite. Then he dropped the bombshell that Jackie, and she'd fallen into a funk.
She hadn't wanted anything to do with him, but the news that Jackie was dead made it impossible to ignore—though she tried, for two days after the news. Her heart ached for her friend. She'd wanted better for Jackie. She deserved to get out of Sparrows and away from selling her body.
Compared to her, Jackie had life much harder, more degrading, more painful. Thrust into an abusive situation, Jackie had learned for the first time that life was cruel. Roni had known that from an early age and expected nothing different.
Roni tapped the blinking text button on the phone knowing she had to read Dawson's message he sent days ago so she could put everything behind her.
I understand you're frightened and confused. It'll be easier for me to answer your questions I know you must have by text. Not that reading what I'm going to tell you will make the news easier to accept, and for that, I'm damn sorry. There are things I can't face yet that you need to know. Maybe texting is my chicken shit way of dealing with the last year. I don't know.
She scrolled her finger along the edge of the screen.
Jacqueline is dead. She was raped, murdered, and left in the park. Less than a week later, Vince was killed. There is nothing tying you to Sparrows. You're free, and that's exactly what Jacqueline wanted for you. She considered you a friend. She cared about you and wanted me to promise to get you away from Vince. I was too late to save Jacqueline, but I'm not too late to help you. I made a promise, and I won't go back on my word.
Roni set the phone in her lap and wiped her cheeks. Sweet, sweet Jackie.
Jackie never talked about her past or how she came to belong to Vince, but once she realized that the Vince outside the house was a different person when inside his house and around the members of Sparrows, Jackie never once gave up her desire to leave and live a better life. It was during that time when Roni sunk lower and lower into depression, and Jackie pulled her up from rock bottom.
She always thought Jackie would survive anything. Now she was dead, and she'd never have her chance of a new life. Roni sniffed her tears back. If only she'd helped Jackie run away when she escaped Vince's house, her friend would be alive today.
She picked up the phone and brought up the keypad. Dawson was right. She had questions.
Why would you care about Jackie and helping me?
Her heart raced. She'd probably regret speaking to him, even by texts, but she had to know more about Jackie. Had someone paid for her to be laid to rest? She'd give Dawson all the money she'd saved to pay back everything Jackie had done for her, and it would never be enough. Jackie saved her life on more than one occasion. She'd helped her escape, and she had to know if her running away was what got her friend killed.
The screen on the phone lit up. A new text box appeared from Dawson.
Because Jacqueline was my baby sister.
Holy. Shit. Her fingers flew over the keyboard to respond.
You're a Sparrows! You let Vince have your sister! It should be you who is dead, not Jackie!!
She pushed send, made sure the text went through and tossed the phone away from her on the mattress. Her body shook in fury, and she stood. Unable to stay still, she paced the room. What kind of man would allow his sister to work for the boss of a street gang? Unless Jackie had no choice and Dawson was behind her being with Vince.
Maybe Dawson owed Vince money or part of his initiation into Sparrows involved handing over an innocent girl to work on a street corner. She covered her mouth. Sick to her stomach, she lurched for the sliding glass door and stuck her head out into the cold.
She closed her eyes, drawing deep, cold breaths into her lungs. A chill crawled down her spine. The freezing temperature numbed the wetness on her cheeks.
Dawson and Jackie had each other, and he'd allowed Jackie to throw her life away. She pulled her head back inside the room and shut the door. There was no excuse for Dawson's behavior.
She kicked off her shoes and noticed the button on the phone blinking. If he thought she'd listen and think differently of him because Jackie was his sister, he was a complete idiot.
Angered over learning the truth, she strode over and picked up the phone.
I joined Sparrows to keep food on the table and a roof over my sister's head after our mom was involved in a car accident coming home from work and laid in a coma for almost a year before she died when Jacqueline was sixteen years old and I was twenty-four. We'd been on our own for ten years when I got picked up for chopping cars for Sparrows and went to prison. A buddy of mine in Sparrows promised to take care of Jacqueline while I was serving time, or so I thought. When I got out, I found Vince had control of my sister and by the time I could do something to get her out of the hands of Sparrows, it was too late. You're right. I should be the one dead.
Jackie never told her the story about her mom or her brother. Roni lifted her thumb and found the edge of her cuticle with her teeth. With force, she ripped the skin away and welcomed the sting.
Slouching on the bed, she stared down at the phone. She refused to trust Dawson, even after he'd told her his connection to Jackie. He'd admitted to joining Sparrows and becoming a felon. But, it was obvious he loved his sister, and he was here to hold on to a promise. She blew out her breath. It was typical of Jackie to think of others and not herself, even in the worst of times.
She typed a text.
I shouldn't have said what I did. The whole thing with Jackie... I'm sorry. She was my friend.
Instantly, Dawson replied.
I'd change places with her if I could. I was too late, and I'll live the rest of my life regretting every step I've made, but I won't let you get lost, Roni. You're going to make it. You have your whole life ahead of you, and I want to help.
She turned off the phone without replying. Her life with the Network suited her. She preferred to have no one depend on her and to move through each day only accountable for herself. No family. No friends. Only a past she couldn't outrun, and the fear of making things worse for herself held her back.
Dawson, despite his desire to help her and keep his word to his sister, would only bring more risks into her life. That was a lesson she'd had to relearn over and over. While he appeared sane and sincere on the outside, he carried a dark spirit.
Just like Vince.
Just like her stepfather.
Chapter Seven
Tiff remained in the doorway of Roni's room watching Dawson carefully. He sat in the chair next to the sliding door meeting the madam's gaze. He'd already received permission from Jeremy to stay after his appointment as long as he left before ten o'clock. He needed the extra two hours with Roni because she hadn't spoken two words to him during his twenty-minute appointment.
No, he wanted the two hours with Roni. Only when he visited her had he found a calmness that escaped him since learning of Jacqueline's death. With Roni, his mind stayed focused, and he stopped wanting to destroy everything ar
ound him. He found contentment with her in the room.
"The door has to remain shut. I don't want the other ladies to question why rules apply to them and not to Roni." Tiff walked toward Dawson and pulled open the drapes. "Jeremy will come and escort you downstairs at ten o'clock, and you'll leave through the entrance to Silver Girls."
"No problem." Dawson watched Roni out of his peripheral vision. She hadn't moved or acknowledged her madam's demands.
"No sex." Tiff rounded on him. "You've paid for your twenty minutes. I won't have you using one of my ladies after hours."
He nodded. "Understood."
Roni's head came up, and she frowned. Dawson swallowed. He hadn't even thought of having sex with her while helping her leave the sex industry. His sole purpose was to get her out of prostitution.
He'd need every minute alone with her to convince her she wanted the same.
"All right. I'll leave you both alone." Tiff rubbed her lower back. "Roni, walk out of the room if you want him to leave early, okay? Marci will be in the kitchen."
Roni watched Tiff leave the room without saying a thing. Dawson couldn't tell if Roni was upset or okay with his extended visit. Her full lips never moved, and her eyes never changed from the serious and yet withdrawn awareness of what was going on around her. If Tiff would've told Roni to jump off the balcony, she would without question.
His gut tightened. From what he'd learned once released from prison and from what Jacqueline told him, Vince had a heavy hand in disciplining Roni.
He needed to distract her. She wasn't in a submissive position with him or any man anymore.
"Did the clothes fit?" he asked.
She nodded. "Yes, thank you."
"The boots?"
She glanced at her closet. "Yes. I, um, would like to pay you for what you've bought for me."
He shrugged off her offer, glad that she was talking now. "It's a gift."
"I'd prefer not to owe you." Her chin lifted.
"Roni, relax. I don’t want anything from you. The clothes...you needed them." He stood and walked over to her, tired of the distance she kept. "If Jacqueline needed proper clothing, I'd hope someone helped her without asking anything in return."
