Page 71

Story: Black Shadows

I see the security guy, Trey, standing in the doorway. He gives me a nod, and I head toward him, hearing my music start up, the beginning ofSex Metal Barbieby In This Moment.
As I step on the stage, I start my routine. Moving to the music, losing myself in the sensuality, the rhythm. As the music kicks in, I find the pole and start twirling around it.
Right as the chorus fades out and the music ends for a moment before kicking back in, I lean up against the pole with my hands on my chest.
The men in the front are throwing money onto the stage. I turn myself toward the special party, I can barely see them with the smoke and lights. But I can feel their eyes on me. At the beat of the music, I rip open the corset along my breasts, letting them free from their cage.
With that single act, more money flies onto the stage. Watching the special guests, I drop to my knees and seductively crawl toward them. All five of them come into view.
And then I see him.
I let out a scream.
He was there. The guy who took me wasthere. I remember his face as clear as day. He was watching me.
“Rae!” Drew’s voice yells out from my room. In a flash, a figure is standing before me in the bathroom.
I look up to see Drew’s panicked face. He opens the door and shuts off the water, grabbing the towel off the bar of the shower door. He leans in the shower, wrapping it around me.
It’s then that I realize I’m on the floor of the shower.
Somehow, I go from the bathroom to my bed. My body starts to shake, and I’m not sure if that’s from the cold or the realization of my memory.
He was in New York. The monster who took me.
“Rae, baby. Look at me.” Drew’s voice has my eyes snapping to him. “Talk to me. Tell me what’s happening. What happened in there?”
My lips tremble as I speak the words I have been keeping to myself. “I remember.”
Drew lets out a gasp. “Y-You remember? What do you remember?”
I swallow hard over the lump in my throat. “Can I get dressed first?”
“Shit. Yeah.” Drew helps me up, and I cautiously walk into my closet.
After throwing on some clothes, I return to my room. “Um, can we do this out in the living room where there’s more space?”
“Sure. Yeah, wherever you are comfortable.” Drew leads me out toward the living room, and I see all the guys there. Shit.
Tristan takes a few giant steps toward me as he looks me over. He lets out a sigh when he sees I’m okay.
Asher helps lead me to the couch, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. “Let me get you something to drink,” he offers.
“Here. A Coke Zero for you.” Kayce steps in before Asher can, handing it to me and then sitting down next to me on the couch.
Cam, of course, sits at the kitchen counter, messaging away on his phone. He looks annoyed and bored.
So sorry my problems bore you, asshole.
I look out at the table in front of me for a moment before making eye contact with Drew. “I remember where I’m from. I-I’m starting to remember a lot of things before I was taken. The kidnapping is still a blur. But I know it happened, obviously.”
Everyone stays silent for a minute, until Kayce speaks up. “Okay, I’ll bite. Where are you from?”
“New York.” I let out a sigh. “I lived in the city. I-I remember going to school there, Central Park, my life before, and I even remember working and partying. I remember a lot of it.”
I look up and see Cam roll his eyes, but I ignore his bullshit.
“Did you have a family? People who may be looking for you?” Asher rubs my back comfortingly.