I didn’t bother glancing at her badge. “What do you want, agent?”
“We’ve had some reports of suspicious activity over by the docks. Do you know anything about it?”
“I own a strip club, why would I care about the activity on the shore side?”
“Aren’t you also the president of the motorcycle club in this town?”
“I’m the president of Hell’s Reapers, but my VP handles most things. He calls me if he needs me, but Hawke is a big boy. My priority is here. My life is dedicated to this place. So please see your way out of my club unless you're deciding on a career change, agent.”
I smirked at the mortified look on her face as she tucked her badge back into her pocket and walked out the club. It was bad enough I had her people poking around the docks, but now they were getting bold and coming into my club. Next thing I knew, she’d try to walk her little ass into my hotel and bust me for prostitution.
I’d deal with that later, but I’d most likely have to close up shop officially until the threat cleared. It was one thing if I got arrested, but I was not allowing my people to take the downfall for indulging in things they enjoyed.
I walked into the stage room, crossing my arms as I watched Hunter fuck Everly aggressively with her strap until nothing but the sound of her arousal and gagged screams could be heard. Hunter made eye contact with me, but didn't stop. I would kick her ass, but I let her get one final orgasm out of her plaything.
Hunter forced her to her knees, her wrists still bound as Hunter gripped the silicon cock, running it up and down her pouty lip. Everly wrapped her lips around it, deep throating it. I never understood the fascination with sucking a strap-on, but to each their own. Everly gagged on the fake cock until Hunter was satisfied and pulled out of her mouth, pulling her up and kissing her lips. She looked at me, and I signaled her to come to me.
Hunter slipped out of the strap, fixing her tits in her top and rushing to me with a swiftness. “I’m going to shower with Everly, what’s up?”
“A fed showed up.”
“Here?”
I nodded. “She asked about the activity at the docks. I’m going to have to shut down the hotel for a little while until whatever this is passes.”
“I’ll inform Lennox. What are we going to do with the girls?”
“They can either come here or take an extended vacation. We should make plenty with the club to be able to finance some ofthem,” I told her. “Go take care of your sub. We will deal with this later.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
CHAPTER 17
KADENCE
Three weeks later, Doc gave me a clean bill of health. He was thorough with checking me over and making sure my health was in good condition after I failed to take care of myself the first two weeks I was here. I thought I did well, but apparently stress and injuries didn’t mix well together. With my clean bill of health, I knew Hawke would be here later to take me to this club. I was nervous, but also intrigued with the idea of working again, even if it was in a strip club.
Was I really going to work in a strip club when the men in this clubhouse made me jump at the slightest movement? And that was when I already knew they were safe. Maybe this was a mistake, but I’d be safe with Hawke. I needed to move on with my life, and as shitty as it sounded, it was the cards I’d been dealt. My life wasn’t a fairytale, and I wouldn’t pretend otherwise. But that didn’t mean I would let my demons win.
I was also ready to get out of the clubhouse. While everyone has been amazing, I couldn’t stay here. I was jumpy, and the walls were suffocating. For years I lived on the edge, on the verge of becoming an adrenaline junkie to keep myself busy and distracted from all the bullshit around me. Nathan’s birthday and holidays were always the hardest because it was when myfather would drink the most. My father rarely became physically abusive, but when he was drunk, the words flew out like venom. The phrasesticks and stones could break my bones, but words would never hurt me? Yeah. That shit was a stone cold lie, especially coming from the man who raised me.
Why couldn’t you be like Nathan?
You should have fucking died.
You’re fucking worthless. I should just kill you.
He got his wish. Caden Carpenter was dead, but Kadence Hayes was alive. This was my second chance to live for my brother and give myself a future I never thought I would have, even if it was in this odd town working in a strip club.
Therapy was something I knew I needed, but sadly therapy included health insurance and an ID—two things I didn’t have. I knew I needed to dump this lifetime of trauma on someone and good God, I needed to hope they didn’t say fuck this and leave.
I was thinking like I’d actually go. When I was at Roadhouse, I was fully ready to go to therapy, but now it seemed like the worst idea. I was on the run. I was hiding from my father and a shit ton of other people, even if they were on the opposite end of the country. It was safer if I stayed under the radar. I’d dealt with demons my entire life; adding a few more mean ones wouldn’t affect me. You know what they said: what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
Hawke knocked on the bedroom door. “Alright, kid, I got you an outfit already to impress the boss,” Hawke announced as he stepped in with a white bag. “Well, Fallon chose it.”
“Why do you keep calling kid? I’m twenty-three.”
“And I’m sixty-two.”
