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I focus on the man’s face, red and angry, as he shouts insults about how we’re all sluts who want cock and all he was doing was offering it. He’s obviously drunk or on some other substance as his words are slurred, but he puts up a good fight, and both bouncers have a hard time dragging him to the door.

“Do you know his name?”

Ivy nods. “Yeah. Darcy said it’s Robert Pitt. He usually runs up a decent tab and tips like shit so the servers all know him. He’s been warned before for getting grabby, but he crossed the line tonight.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen him before. He always gave me bad vibes.”

“Mm-hmm. I’m sure he’s getting banned tonight.”

“Which doesn’t make us safer. It just makes it a little harder to get to us.”

“Right.”

I rub his shoulder. “Are you okay?”

His pretty smile lights up his face. “Yep. All good. Part of the gig, right?”

“It is.”

Gus and Riley finally manage to boot Robert Pitt from the club, but I’ve committed his face to memory. He’s trouble and I’d bet we’re not his only potential victims.

After my shift ends, I drive home dressed in my normal jeans and t-shirt, but I can’t stop thinking about the unruly customer. I pull off the road into the parking lot of a closed grocery store and take my phone out of my pocket, searching Robert Pitt’s name.

I find only one hit in the city, but the information makes my blood boil. He’s a youth minister. Of course he is. There’s nothing wrong or immoral about visiting a burlesque club, though I doubt his parishioners would agree, especially because it’s queer. They probably wouldn’t like the way he drinks and leers at the dancers, and they would really flinch over his threats of sexual violence tonight.

But now I’m wondering if he’s inappropriate with the kids he works with. Does he look at them with lustful, predatory eyes? Does he find ways to touch them? Has he touched them in the worst ways?

Fuck. Now I want to do something. If he hasn’t done it yet, he will. Those urges don’t just go away. Maybe I’d be saving a potential victim. Maybe I’d even be saving one of us at the club.

As I conduct a few more searches, I find an address. It’s the church where he works, and it’s in a shitty part of town. I could be in that area on a Wednesday night after the youth group ends. I could follow him home and get him there. Or I could trail him for a few nights and find out where he likes to exercise his vices. Then I’d know if he shows up at Segreto again too.

Decision made, I continue my drive home. I’ll start Sunday at church service.

At least it’ll give me something else to do other than obsess about how I blew it with Whisper.

CHAPTER 20

Whisper

Fuck. I want to see Blush.

That’s the thought rattling around in my head while I drive through Mistone on my way to stake out my target.

I can’t stop thinking about the sexy dancer. When I caught him following me, it rattled me. He could’ve been hurt if he got too close. He could’ve seen what I am without understanding the context. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to him because of me, and I don’t know how to get back to a good place, but it’s been almost two weeks and I haven’t stopped wanting him. What’s fucking with my head is that he hasn’t contacted me either. Is he done with me?

Fortunately, I’ve been busy with jobs. We’ve got a pretty nasty trafficking ring in the city—again—and we’ve been hunting them down one by one. There are three left, and we think they’ve gone into hiding, but they’ll never shake us. That’s why we get hired in the first place.

Instead of driving downtown, I find myself turning towards Segreto. It wouldn’t hurt to pop in and make sure he’s okay. Colson saw Blush two days ago and said he was good but aloof. I want to see him smile again, have him give me one of his bratty looks, touch him.

Fuck, I want to touch him.

Ten minutes later, I’m pulling into the Segreto parking lot. I go inside and spot one of the bouncers, Riley.

“Hey, man,” I say. “Blush working tonight?”

He shakes his head. “Nah. He traded his shift tonight with Ivy.”

“Oh.” I nod. “Thanks.”