I tell him of the letter left behind and if he too is surprised by the conditions, he doesn’t show it. “I don’t know what his letter says but I can’t imagine it’s good.”
“What are you going to do?”
I close my eyes and keep thumping my head back against the wall and realize I could use another glass of whiskey. Something to numb the day before I dive headfirst into the chaos that awaits me. "When we were fifteen, my old man signed my brother and me up for a boxing tournament. After fighting through eight matches, we finally found ourselves as opponents in the finals.”
“Did you fight?”
“No.” I chuckle at the memory and the indignation from the audience that had been hoping to see the Cassidy twins fight. “We forfeited the final match and no winner was declared. I’m not going to fight Bishop for a position that belongs to both of us. It’s only right he gets his share too.” But first, I need to acquire full ownership of Elysium and the Steel Sinners MC, then give Bishop his portion of the pie.
“So, what are you going to do?”
“Find a wife,” I tell Ghost, pushing away from the wall as the plan sets to stone. “I’m going to find myself a wife.”
Chapter One
Sienna
“Here you go, honey.”
I glance down at the silver dollar shoved into my hand—I didn’t know they made those anymore—then back at the kind and weathered face of a sweet old lady smiling up at me. There is something innocent about those eyes that feels uncorrupted despite the many years she’s spent on earth. I question once more if she’s only ever known a happy life or if the dementia somehow wiped away all the bad memories and with them, the scars. Whichever the case, it doesn’t erase the fact that she looks incredibly happy to give me her dollar coin so I offer her a smile of my own.
“Thank you for the tip, Gretchen,” I say, slipping it into my pocket. “That is very generous of you.”
“Oh, it’s nothing,” she waves it off but I read pleasure in her eyes. “My daughter is a waitress too, you know. She’s working to raise money to go to college. Her pa and I told her we would pay for her tuition but the stubborn girl was insistent about paying her own way.”
There is such love and admiration in her voice that I don’t have the heart to tell her that her daughter hasn’t been a waitress, or even alive, in nearly twenty years so I let her narratethe lovely memory as I wipe down her table. I listen, as I do every day, as she talks about her family and only move briefly to another table when another customer walks in.
By the time Gretchen's grandson comes to pick her up and the customers dwindle, everything hurts. My legs are sore and there’s a painful headache at the back of my head slowly creeping to the front. With a sigh, I settle down on one of the tables and take out my tips to count them, wincing inwardly when I realize I’ve barely collected ten bucks today. Well, ten bucks and a silver dollar.
“Ouch.”
I don’t glance up when Audrey takes the seat across from mine and fingers through the crumpled bills scattered on the table. I don’t need to look up to read the pity in her eyes. I imagine she hasn’t made any more than I have, but, in all fairness, she isn't drowning in debt like I am and if she is, then she’s kept it quiet. I should know better than to bring personal issues to work but there are days, like today, when it all boils over and I just can't hold it in anymore.
“At this rate, I’ll never pay off my family's medical bills," I whisper, running a hand over my face into my hair, fisting it. "I got another notice yesterday.”
“Ouch,” she says again, reaching across the table to take my hands. “How much was it this time?"
“A lot.” Finally, I lift my eyes to hers and indeed, there is pity written on her face. “Do you happen to have twenty thousand dollars lying around somewhere I could borrow?"
“Ouch.” This time, she makes me laugh, however brittle the sound is. “How is your brother doing?”
The smile falls as I think of my little brother battling an illness that’s taken so much from him. When he was diagnosed with a severe case of Lupus a year ago, it felt like the world was crumbling around us but we were certain we’d hold. But then, misfortunes followed one after the other. A workplace accident stole our father from us only six months after Jude was diagnosed. We lost our health insurance after Dad’s accident so the settlement from his death went into Jude’s care. My mother had to quit work to homeschool Jude and care for him, and I was forced to take as many jobs as I could find to support our family of three. Even with Dad’s social security and pension benefits, we’re still falling under the weight of debt.
“I have to find another job,” I tell Audrey, lifting my tired eyes to hers. "You don't happen to know anyone who's hiring, do you?"
“You’re already working so many shifts, Sienna—”
“I can do more.”I have to.
“I mean…” her eyes drop back to the crumpled bills on the table and another wave of pity crosses her expression. “Um…this could be nothing, but I heard something about an opening at the Elysium casino. You know it, right?”
There isn't a soul in Vegas that doesn't know about the members-only casino run by the Steel Sinners. A very dangerous and scary MC that everyone tries to steer clear of. Still, I swallow down my fear. "What kind of opening?"
“Well, you know…I mean they’re hiring women to…”
My eyes widen when I realize what she’s saying, or rather, trying not to say. “An escort,” I whisper, mortified by the idea. Escorting is a big business in Vegas and I've heard tales of girls who made crazy numbers by working as escorts, but I'vealso heard scarier stories of ladies who lost themselves in the business. With some even losing their lives.
“I heard Elysium pays well and takes care of their girls,” she hurries to say when she sees the fear in my eyes and I can't tell if it's me she's trying to convince or herself. “You should definitely go in for an interview. I'm sure they pay more in a day than you make here in a month.”
