“Who’s that?” I asked Liberty, who was getting ready to take the stage.
“I don’t know. But he keeps asking questions about Brooklyn. Bangs is calling Zodiac because he’s making the girls feel uncomfortable. I gotta take the stage, but could you keep an eye on him for me?”
“Sure, Liberty.”
I picked up a towel and moved closer to where the guy was standing and asking Odessa a few questions.
“Have you seen this girl?”
She looked at the picture in his hand and shook her head. “I haven’t, sorry.”
He held up another picture. “What about this bitch?”
Odessa shot a look at Big Sandy and shrugged. “She’s not here right now.”
“But she was?”
“Yeah, but she’s not now.”
“Well, where is she?”
Odessa shrugged. “Dead.”
The man moved forward, gripping Odessa forcefully by the arms. “I bet I could fuck the information out of you. You look like the type of girl who sings like a canary if you’re fucked just right. Is that what you are, little one? A little canary that’s looking to be fucked into submission?”
“You’re hurting me,” she yelled, trying to pull herself out of his grasp. “Let me go!”
“Hey, no touching the girls!” Rocker growled, removing himself from his perch at the door to intervene. He wasn’t a big man, but he did look rather menacing when he scowled.
The guy asking all the questions dropped his hands, holding them up in surrender. “I was just having a little fun.”
“It’s not fun, if the girl is uncomfortable,” Rocker growled. “Touch her again and I’ll personally escort you from the premises.”
The second Odessa was free, she quickly walked away, trying to put some distance in between her and the man who was making her so uncomfortable. I wanted to intervene myself, but after what happened earlier, I didn’t want to give her the wrong idea.
The man’s eyes migrated around the room before he focused on me. The second he made eye contact, he marched over. “Have you seen this girl?” He held up a photo of a young girl, way too young to be a stripper at the club.
“No, sir, I haven’t.”
“What about this one?”
He held up another picture, but this one I recognized. It was Brooklyn. “Not in a while.”
“That girl over there said she was dead. Can you tell me what happened?”
I shook my head. “I just started working here. I’m lucky to know anyone’s name. You may try the chick on the stage. She’s been here a while.” I needed to distract him, and he seemed like the kind of man who enjoyed a good show.
Then the man moved over to the stage, staring up at Liberty as she danced seductively for the men below her. Most of the women here did it so easily, like they were meant to be strippers and the profession didn’t bother them at all. Zodiac, Scorpio, and the rest of the Sons came filing in a few minutes later, heads moving back and forth as they searched the room.
“Hey, Dillon, come over here,” Scorpio shouted, getting my attention from across the room.
It was great to see him again. I’d been worried about him since he got thrown in the slammer. He looked good though, like being in jail was exactly what he needed or something.
“Hey, bossman, how’s life on the outside?” I joked. I was surprised how easily it came, like I’d been friends with these guys for my whole life instead of a few weeks.
“Better than on the inside. We got a call that someone was questioning people here. Can you point me to who it is?”
“Ah, the weird dude. He’s over there,” I said, pointing to where the guy was still watching Liberty dance. “He’s been going around either asking questions or making the girls feel uncomfortable by the way he looks at them and the things he says. Saw him put his hands on one of the girls inappropriately, but one of the bouncers put a stop to it real quick.”
