Page 29 of No Longer Mine

I’d finally get some answers.

And if I was lucky?

I’d scare her just enough to make her regret ever crossing me.

Chapter Fourteen

Scarlett

The bathroom doorslammed closed behind me as I laughed to myself. I couldn’t believe I’d been so reckless tonight. It felt beyond good to do it. Maybe I could convince Cleo to do this more often. We could invest in more wigs. It would be fun. It would be invigorating. I finished going to the bathroom and considered putting my stilettos back on. I had a slight buzz, and the thought of walking through a strip club barefoot grossed me out, but I also couldn’t dance on a pole with them on. If Vivi called me back on stage then I wouldn’t be able to wear them.

There was no point in fumbling with the straps, especially when they kept this place so clean. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before I opened the stall door and fumbled with my clutch and the shoes.

The breath was knocked out of my lungs as I was slammed against the wall. Panic set in as spots danced across my vision. Everyone knew better than to touch the girls here. Was this guy insane? As soon as my gaze met the icy cold stare leveled on me, panic flared within in my chest.

Dimitri Cristoff was absolutely insane. A psychopath and he didn’t care about rules.

His lips curled into a sinister smile, and I knew I was done for. He recognized me. But what the hell was he doing here? He was supposed to be at campaign stuff tonight. I’d been so worried about running into him there that I hadn’t thought about the odds of running into him somewhere around here. I knew he’d frequented strip clubs before. I’d watched him so closely for months—years really. But he was trying to clean up his image because he was running for office. He was good at hiding this side of himself.

“Hello, Little Fox.” His voice was a slow, rich drawl, settling over me like a velvet noose.

I was dead.

Bottom-of-the-river, never-to-be-seen-again, dead.

A hollow ache of terror opened in my chest.

I needed to get out of here, fast.

My hand was still wrapped around my stilettos, and before I could think better of it, I raised my hand up and slammed the sharp heel into his shoulder. A loud crack echoed through the bathroom, and I wasn’t sure if it did any damage, but I also didn’t care.

All that mattered was that his grip loosened for the briefest of moments, just enough for me to wrench free.

I yanked the bathroom door open and ran as if my life depended on it— because it did. The scent of smoke, sweat, and alcohol was thick in my nose as I shoved past bodies, knocking over a table, ignoring the yelps of surprise behind me.

I didn’t stop for my phone and didn’t care when I burst out of the building frazzled. The concrete bit into my feet as they slapped the pavement. I needed to get as far away as humanly possible, and I had no idea if he was even on my tail.

I was fucked.

No shoes.

No phone.

At least I had money. My heart pounded in my ears as I looked over my shoulder. No one was following me now, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t coming. I rounded another corner and found myself on one of the busier Manhattan streets. A cab pulled over on the shoulder, and I rushed forward.

I slammed the door closed in the waiting man’s face, as the cab immediately pulled away into the busy street.

“Where to?” The harsh Brooklyn accent calmed me—though only slightly.

I swallowed thickly as I took a deep breath. I couldn’t go home, just in case I was being followed and they saw me get in the cab. I rattled off the address to the safe house and told him to take the long turning way, to make sure no one was following us.

The tab would be expensive as hell, but I had enough cash in my clutch to get me where I needed to go. Guilt washed through me as I thought of Cleo. But this was for the best. She would be safe not being connected with me, and she would know where to find me. All that mattered was that we were both safe. I would handle the rest later.

Chapter Fifteen

Dimitri

Fucking Little Fox.