“You’re right. They do go with that outfit, but fair warning, I reserve the right to steal that outfit at any time in the future.”
“Fine. Be good and keep Nome in here with you.”
“Punc’s friend won’t be outside? From what I can see of him in his car, he’s hot.”
My eyes widened. “He’s got to be fifteen years older than you!”
She laughed, stood, and slid her feet into a pair of flip-flops. “I’m kidding… kind of. Let me go next door to get Nome from Mr. Hader before your ride gets here.”
My hands were balled into fists and I forced myself to hide my gasp. I didn’t know where Desiree learned to drive, but she drove like her car was invincible. Thankfully, Platinum’s wasn’t that far from the house.
After a deep breath, I asked, “Do you know if Prime has come back to work?”
Desiree shot me a quick glance, then floored it through a yellow light at Rampart Road. “Oh, I suppose you didn’t hear. They took him to a different hospital that night. Thought he was hit hard enough to have a concussion, but they let him out the next day.”
I did a slow nod. “Okay, but has he come back to work?”
“No. Why do you sound scared?”
I shrugged. “Wouldn’t you be scared after being attacked?”
She jammed on the brakes as we approached Blanding Boulevard. “True. But you sound scared of Prime.”
My non-committal sound filled the car and I wobbled my head. “I wouldn’t say that, but some memories are coming back to me, and I’m not sure if I can trust them.”
The look on her face mirrored her stern tone. “Whatever you’re remembering, you need to share with Yak and Turk. They may not have been at the hospital for you, but they’re torn up about what happened.”
I thought I’d be non-stop busy in the dressing room with the dancers, but an hour after we arrived, Desiree and Lucy were on stage at the same time. Monique was on the floor giving lap dances, and Heaven was backstage with me, but made it clear she didn’t need help with her social media.
I went to the office to talk to Yak or Turk since they were both here. I peeked inside the doorway and saw Yak sitting at his desk. After a light knock on the door, I wandered inside. “Hi, Yak. You got a minute?”
Surprise washed over his expression, and if I wasn’t mistaken it was followed by anger as his eyes zeroed in on my bruised face, then his lips pressed together. Then he flashed a sincere smile at me. “For you, I got twenty of them, but then you need to go home.”
I stepped further into the office and noticed Volt sitting on a sofa to the side. Since he was the president of the Riot MC, my eyes widened reflexively. Volt was at the auditions, but I hadthe impression he didn’t spend much time at Platinum’s. “Am I interrupting? I can come back.”
Yak shook his head. “Anything you got for me can be shared in front of Volt.”
I sat in a seat across from his desk. “Right. Just saying, I’m not going home after this, because I’m here to help Desiree with some stuff for her new routine. Anyway, I don’t know if I should tell you this because I’m not sure if my brain’s playing tricks on me.”
Yak straightened, and I doubted if this was a good idea. “What do you mean by playing tricks? Is this about the attack?”
I pressed my lips into a straight line and nodded. “I swear I came to before you guys found me, and I heard Prime talking to the attacker. That’s why I think it’s my mind messing with me.”
Yak’s expression stayed neutral, but the way he kept his body stock-still, I felt his tension invade the room. “What did he say to the attacker, Ava?”
“I heard the word Ghost multiple times, and he said something about how ‘Iggy’ would be proud –though it might have been ‘Ziggy’. Before I passed out again, he said something about how he didn’t have to hit him so hard.” I hesitated. “That’s crazy, right? I mean, why would Prime talk to the asshole who attacked us like that? And only musicians go by single names like Ziggy or Iggy, right?”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Volt lean forward resting his elbows on his knees, concern creasing his features. “Did they see that you were awake?”
I shook my head. “No. That’s all I remember. It seems like so little, but with all the weird shit going on, Desiree told me I needed to share with you guys.”
Yak nodded. “That’s right, Ava. You did good.”
Volt stood. “Yeah. You need anything while you heal up, don’t hesitate to tell us.”
It felt like a charged current had entered the room. Both men were trying to hide it, probably for my benefit, but clearly they wanted to discuss this alone.
I left the office, and Volt closed the door behind me. Half-way down the stairs, I heard a harsh thud from the office. When I got to the main hallway, there was another thud and Turk stormed to the staircase.
