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“My God,” I said, laughing along with their antics. “How do you have any energy to dance again?” I groaned, rubbing the sole of my foot I’d just freed from the awful high heels I’d worn tonight.
“Well, bitch, if you'd just take likeonenight off sometime, you wouldn’t be so damn tired,” Holly joked.
I smiled sadly as I took off my other shoe and flexed my toes.I can’t take a night off.Now with this rent increase, I would probably do well to look for a second job.
Ugh. I can’t. There’s only so many hours in a day and in the night.I’d keel over from exhaustion if I upped my working hours. Sleep was vital to keep running on fumes like this.
We all joked and got dressed to leave, and as a group, we headed to the back to take off.
“Is Nicky picking you up?” I asked Nevaeh. “Because I wouldn’t say no to a ride.”
“Sorry, no. My sister’s picking me up. Nicky doesn’t like his car being down here in this part of town so late.”
Oh, so his car should be protected but you’re not as valuable? Sheesh.
“Oh, well, I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said with a wave before she turned to the left to head toward the parking lot. Holly walked ahead of me, already turning to the right to exit in the direction of the alley between the buildings.
As soon as I was outside, I hung my head and drew in a deep breath of the stinky, humid summer air. Without looking up, I nearly crashed into someone.
Holly had just been right in front of me, but it was Lenny—stinky with cigarette smoke and booze—who I bumped against.
“Oh, whoa.” I stepped back to excuse myself from the sleazy manager, but he gripped my wrist. Alarmed now, I looked up fully and saw Holly being carried toward a van.
“Hey, how about this one?” Lenny called out, not letting me go.
This one? Me?
I fought his hold immediately. “No. Lenny—No! Let me go!”
He didn’t lighten up his grip, keeping me in place. Horror filled me, making my heart gallop in my chest as I watched a couple of suited men wrangle Holly into the back of the car.
One man held her back to his chest and another guy grabbed her legs, all the better to overpower her and toss her into the back.
Fuck. No!
I hadn’t realized how many dancers were taken into trafficking from the club I worked at, but now, almost as if the world were mocking me for my naivety, I witnessed it firsthand.
“Let me go, Lenny.”
He didn’t. He didn’t even look at me as he watched the guys near the white van. They worked together to toss Holly in the back as another dancer tried to break out and run away.
“Stop it,” she protested, fighting to get away. “Stop it and let me go!”
Another man scolded her harshly, speaking so quickly I couldn’t follow what he was saying. With my head dizzy from the adrenaline rush and without being able to think clearly past this instinct of fight-or-flight, I didn’t think they were even speaking in English.
The Mafia.
Maybe the Cartel.
It didn’t matter who these criminals were. I understood what was happening. It was a fate I didn’t want to end up suffering, so I doubled down resisting Lenny’s hold.
“Lenny, let me go. I’m not?—”
“You’re not getting away ’til I say you are,” Lenny growled. He turned his jaundiced face back toward me as he snarled. “You were bitching about wanting more money. And that’s how bitches like you can get it.”
“No!” I fought harder, battling the fear of being caught and trapped. I was too independent to allow that to be my fate. Deep down, anger burned hotter, prompting me to want to help get those others away, but I had to save myself first.
“You hear me?” Lenny called out. “I got another one if you’re still short a girl.”