That seemed to intrigue him and he stared me over.
And not in the way I was used to getting when working undercover as a stripper or dressed as I was.
“You also learned dance early. You carry yourself with the confidence of someone with a high belt but the lightness of a trained dancer,” he muttered. “You’re older than you look too. Almost like a secret that amuses you that others won’t get.”
“Yes, but I’ll do you one better that it’s also that I’m stronger than anyone would guess someone my size is,” I added flexing my biceps for him and then letting him see the muscles in my back up close.
“Oh, I believe that from the way you held yourself up on the pole,” he muttered. “Those kinds of—that’s not just gymcalisthenics or fucking pull-ups. That’s a level of control and strength that could take down special ops.”
“What else?” I asked.
He narrowed his eyes at me. “You first.”
Fair enough. “You’re conflicted about what you did wearing the uniform. Saw too much darkness and others didn’t come back from it. You struggle that you made it through and they didn’t. And yes, I know that look from experience even if not military.”
He took a sip of his drink and watched me. “Yeah, I saw the abuse around you like a…”
“Wound,” I accepted. “My mom didn’t make it out. Never did and I always regretted it. I’ve helped others, but you can’t save those who don’t want to be saved. I’ve crossed lines, but it shouldn’t have been on me that I needed to.”
He swallowed loudly and set down his glass. “Deep conversation your first night here. Not even asking my name or—”
“Because you know what I’m seeing that I’m not about to fuck around,” I said gently. I swallowed the need to cry for this man when his desire I not ask about his loaded gun at home hit me. “It’s not just you. We survive it because we have the right support. What support do you have here?”
None. It killed me how fast I felt the answer from him.
“Why come here?” I asked gently. I pushed when he didn’t answer because this could go bad fast. “Do you need to stay here? Something keeping you here?”
He pounded back the rest of his drink and gave me a hard look. “Like it would be better anywhere else. The darkness follows.”
I moved my hand to his chest when he started to stand. “But there arepeoplewho can help—willingto help. I don’t know here, but I know some in Denver. Former military who worksecurity at clubs and make it through the darkness each day because they help each other. I met them through some dancers I worked with.”
He stood and crowded my space, trying to get me to back off, impressed when I didn’t and let my breasts press against him. He was taller than me and it put us intimately close. “And they’ve got a friend opening or take in strays?”
“Not how I would have phrased it, but why can’t it be like that?” I threw right back. “Isn’t that what you had in the military? What it was supposed to be? Why does that stop because you were discharged?”
He snorted and moved me to turn so he could get past. “It was bullshit then too. That’s the first lie we were fed.” He let go of me and tried to leave, but I grabbed his wrist.
“I won’t argue that,” I told him firmly. “I don’t know enough that I could, nor should I.”
“But?” he challenged, glancing down at my hand like I was going over the line.
Fair enough and I let him go. “But is there any world where you thought a new dancer would walk in here tonight and tell you not to give up hope and maybe there was a better way? Just promise me that you’ll think about that and you realize you matter enough that someone saw the truth tonight and cared enough to come talk to you.”
He lost his anger and gave a firm nod. “Fair.”
“Don’t break my heart,” I breathed when he took a step away.
“I hurt enough people already, so you’re safe,” he called over his shoulder.
And I believed him.
Thank fuck.
7
The rest of my shift went without any hiccups. I found myself not searching for lap dances like normal. It wasn’t needed given I was searching for a female killer who worked there. Normally, I was trying to get in with those who came to the club and killed women.
So yeah, this was pretty backwards for me. Not the first time, and she wasn’t the only killer I’d hunted of this type, but it flipped my typical plays on their heads.
