He was flanked by two men. Whether they were the same muscle from the night she rescued Giselle, Taryn didn’t know. Didn’t really care either. She’d make sure they all knew they weren’t welcome in Razor Jack’s.
The three men seemed pretty fucking clueless. They either didn’t notice or didn’t care that her security flanked them, ready to intervene at the first sign of trouble.
A fraction of her tension eased.
Her team was the best and she trusted them to handle this.
She watched from the shadows, ready to intervene if needed. The pimp radiated anger, his chest thrust out, his hands clenching and unclenching. She was sure he planned to use those fists if he found Giselle.
Thankfully she was still in the back—in her room or the living area—with strict instructions not to visit the front of the bar.
The pimp approached the bar and waved Dani over with the impatient movements of a man used to getting his way.
Dani approached with her usual smile. Taryn watched their interaction tensely. If he did anything to Dani...
Dani shook her head in response to whatever he asked.
His body language got more aggressive, but Dani never flinched.
Taryn knew what kind of will, what kind of strength, it took her friend not to flee.
This had to be bringing back unpleasant memories.Dammit. She should have stepped in to protect Dani.
Dani had been Taryn’s first rescue after she’d taken over the bar. Dani had come in looking for a place to get out of the weather and her pimp hadn’t liked that.
That had led to a fight. One Taryn had won.
That night Taryn had learned to keep a buffer between the bar and her other work. So how had Giselle’s pimp found her bar? Taryn chose her rescues carefully, usually from the outlying neighborhoods. His territory was on the other side of the city.
Dani’s brow wrinkled, but that was the only outward sign that she was getting bothered by the pimp.
Taryn hated sitting back while her people were in trouble. It went against everything she’d built since she took over the bar. Still, she’d realized early on that she wouldn’t always be there, so she’d ensured they were well-trained.
Daryl moved within reach of Dani. He was close enough to stop the pimp if—when—he became a problem.
The pimp slammed his hand down on the bar. Dani shook her head.
Twice more, the pimp tried to intimidate Dani. Each time, security stepped a few inches closer.
Finally, Dani shook her head, shrugged, and returned to her duties, serving the next person at the bar.
The pimp watched her but she ignored him. With another slap on the bar, he pushed away from the bar and whirled around. “Bitch!” Taryn read his lips and it took every fiber of her being to not launch herself at him.
He stormed toward the front door, radiating such a cloud of menace that patrons slid their chairs back to get out of his way. She almost laughed at the train of people as his muscle and her security followed him.
The pimp and his cronies were barely out the door when Taryn approached the bar.
She stopped directly in front of Dani. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She pulled a beer for a customer, outwardly calm, but Taryn noticed the fine shake in her hands.
“Are you sure?” After she’d delivered the drink, Taryn reached across the bar and grabbed Dani’s hand.
“I’m fine, I promise.” Her gaze drifted toward the front of the bar. “That was Giselle’s...” she paused, let the word hang unspoken between them. “Wasn’t it?”
Taryn nodded. No need to announce exactly what he was to Giselle to anyone who might be listening.
Dani’s eyes widened. “I thought so. How did he find you? Us?”
