Page 5 of Fang (Lotus MC: San Antonio #2)

S itting on the floor, I lean forward and grab the arches of my feet. I hiss as the muscles in my back pull tight. When I was younger, I thought stretching before doing anything was dumb, but now I love it. I love how it makes me feel.

The sound of glass shattering makes me tense, and when the shouting starts, my heart drops to the floor.

“You ruined my life!” my mother rages, chucking a glass at my head.

I duck before it can hit me, but I’m still hit with glass shards as it shatters on impact against the wall.

“Why? Why do you always try to take what’s mine, huh? Why do you have to be a greedy little whore?

“I’m not a whore! If anyone is, it’s you!”

Mom laughs manically. “You think that’s an insult? Like I haven’t heard it before? Please, I own that shit, and it’s about time you do too.”

NO! I can’t go back there. Not right now. I think as I push the memory away.

Even though I know I shouldn’t, I get up. On shaky legs I head to the front of the house. My breath catches at the scene in front of me.

Tables are turned over, and the bodyguards are restraining a man as chaos ensues.

“What happened?” I ask no one specifically.

“What? Like it’s not obvious?” Misty scoffs.

“I mean, yeah, it’s clear that someone started shit, but that doesn’t tell me what happened,” I snap back.

“Oh, fuck off,” Misty says before pushing me back.

The force of her hit catches me off guard. I stumble but catch myself on a chair. She stomps past me, heading toward the locker room.

Bitch.

I’m so lost in my thoughts I miss the man approaching until he’s right on top of me.

“Hey baby, how about you give me a private dance?” he says.

I start shaking my head before he even finishes his sentence. “I don’t do private dances. Sorry.”

Before I can take a step back, he reaches out and grabs my arm. I can’t help but hiss as he pinches me on the underside of my arm.

That’s what triggers me. My whole body starts to shake as I feel tears prick my eyes.

“Now wait a minute. There’s no need to play hard to get. I’ll pay whatever you want,” he says as he licks his lips.

Disgust rolls through me. Still, I have a hard time keeping my emotions in check. I cannot stand having his hands on me. I can feel the pain from his grip.

“Let go,” I demand.

“Nah, I don’t think I will,” he says as he squeezes my arm tighter and shakes me a little.

My mind is on the edge of the past and present. Reminding me what follows a small show of violence. I can already almost feel my ribs aching with it.

Before he can pull me into him, someone steps in.

Happy slides his body between mine and the stranger’s. I watch as his hand wraps around the man’s throat.

Relief fills me as my body continues to shake. I try to get it together as Happy faces the man.

“She told you to let go,” he says with eerie calmness.

“And who are you? Her pimp?” The man scoffs.

Happy sighs and squeezes the man’s windpipe until he lets go of my arm. His eyes are bugging out of his head.

“What does the rule on the door say, huh?” Happy asks him.

The man gasps for air as he tries to pry Happy’s fingers off of his neck.

“I don’t think he can breathe,” I point out unhelpfully.

The words are soft. A joke I throw out there to distract myself from my own emotions. I swear I would be the one laughing at a funeral. My mind handles shit in inappropriate ways.

Happy frowns and dips his chin. “You’re right.”

I watch as he loosens his grip.

“Answer my question. What’s the rule on the door?”

“Don’t touch without permission.” The man gasps.

“Exactly, and did my girl Cami give you permission to touch her?”

The man’s eyes narrow. “Come on, man, she’s a fucking dancer. They like the attention and know the score.”

Happy tsks. “I think you’re wrong. Do you like the attention?”

He doesn’t have to look at me for me to know the question is aimed at me.

“No, no I don’t like the attention,” I tell him.

He nods. “That’s what I thought. See, asswipe, she doesn’t like it. That means no touchy touch.”

“You good, Happy, or do you want me to take him?” Frank, one of the bouncers, asks as he walks up.

“You can take him, but before you cut him loose, get his info. Fang will want him banned along with the others.”

“Wait, you can’t do that! You’re one of the only titty bars in the area!” the guy whines.

“You should have thought about that before you fucked around and found out,” Frank deadpans as he slams his hand on the guy’s shoulder.

The man almost crumples to the floor with the force with which Frank grabs him. I know it’s wrong, but it makes me smile.

Serves the dickhead right.

Happy sighs and turns toward me.

“What?” I ask as I try not to squirm under his unwavering stare.

“You shouldn’t have done that.” Happy grimaces.

“Done what?” I ask, confused.

“Come out here to see what the hell was going on. You could have gotten hurt, and then it would be my head on the line.” He runs his hand down his face.

I scoff. “Your head would be fine.”

Happy shoots me a look that says I’m full of shit.

“Well, I’m going to go get ready for my next dance,” I tell him.

Happy shakes his head as I take a step back.

“The only place you’re going is Fang’s office.”

“What? Why?” I gasp.

“Because he’s going to need to talk to you about what went down. You have a red mark on your arm, and it’s probably going to leave a bruise.”

“I have to go on soon, though,” I remind him.

“Not until you talk to Fang.”

“This is bullshit,” I hiss as I cross my arms over my chest.

“Yeah, I couldn’t agree more. Now go wait in his office. He will be here soon.”

Could I ignore him and go get ready? Sure, but I know it would be futile.

Happy would track my ass down and drag me to Fang’s office, kicking and screaming.

No, I’d rather run the risk of being a little late for my next set than being tossed over Happy’s shoulder half-dressed and then having to sit in front of Fang wearing barely nothing.

Pride can be a fickle bitch over the oddest things. I’ll be a good girl and wait in the office, but that’s it.

I open the door into Tires to Go and heads turn toward me. One lady sucks in a gasp, but I ignore her as I walk toward the front desk.

“Can I help you?” the guy behind the counter asks.

“Yeah, I’m here to pick something up,” I tell him.

He nods once and points to Antonio’s office. “He’s right in there. Last door on the left.”

“Thanks, kid,” I say as I tap the counter twice.

I head down the hall and knock on Antonio’s office door.

“Come in,” he says from the other side.

When I open the door, he looks up. His eyes narrow on my vest for a split second before his face goes blank.

Interesting.

“Fang, I wasn’t expecting you. Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine. I’m just here to pick up the deposit.”

“Loyal usually does that.”

“He does, but he’s busy today so I am,” I tell him, leaving no room for an argument.

The man must catch my tone because he nods once and scoots his chair back.

“Very well.” He opens his desk drawer and pulls out the bank bag and slides it forward. “Here you go.”

I grab the bag and slide it into my back pocket. “We good?”

“Of course, why do you ask?”

“The way you eyed my cut.”

Antonio sighs, his eyes shutting for a brief second before he looks back at me.

“If I had a problem with the club, I wouldn’t have gone into business with you guys, but we are trying to do something a little different here, and you don’t necessarily fit the image I’ve built for this place. It’s nothing personal.”

I go to tell him that it feels personal when my phone rings.

“One second,” I say as I remove it from my pocket.

I frown when I see it’s Happy.

“I’m a little busy, can it wait?” I ask when I answer, bypassing all pleasantries.

“Shit went down, and we need you,” he tells me.

I don’t know why, but somehow I know he means Cami. Something happened with her.

“I’ll be right there,” I say before hanging up and shoving my phone back in my pocket.

“Everything okay?” Antonio asks, reminding me where I am.

“Everything’s fine, but I need to head out. This conversation isn’t over, though,” I tell him as I reach for the doorknob.

He nods once before I step out. I ignore everyone as I make my way out of the shop, and I jump on my bike. Giving zero fucks about Antonio and how he wants the business to appear, I tear out of the parking lot and head toward the club.

Somehow, I make the thirty-minute drive in fifteen. The entire time different scenarios rush through my mind. Is she hurt? Did she quit? Did someone fucking touch her?

By the time I step into the club, I’m teetering on the edge, ready to take someone out. When Happy sees me, he holds his hands up.

“Hold on, brother.”

“Where is she? What happened?” I demand as I eye my office door.

She’s right there. So close, yet so far away.

“You listening man?” Happy says, pulling my attention back to him.

I shake my head. “Start over.”

He sighs but does as I asked. “Misty was dancing and caused a fucking scene. While the guys and I were trying to calm a bachelor party down, Cami wandered out, trying to find out what was going on. A customer got a little handsy, and I had to step in.”

“Is she okay?”

“She’s fine.” He winces. “Well, she might have a bruise on her arm, but other than that she’s fine.”

“Move.”

Happy takes a step to the left, and I push past him. The door bounces off the wall, making Cami flinch.

Shit.

As soon as I step inside, I shut the door behind me. “You good?”

“No.”

“What’s wrong?”

She scoffs. “I was supposed to go on ten minutes ago, but I was forced to come in here and wait for you.”

“I see,” I tell her as I eye her.

Sure enough, Happy was right, and you can see the makings of a bruise on her upper arm. Rage fills my veins. I should find that motherfucker and teach him a lesson. You don’t touch what’s mine.

“So are you going to do it or what?” she snaps, bringing me back to the present.

“Do what?”

She rolls her eyes and huffs. “Fire me.”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because of what happened.”

I take a seat behind my desk and nod at her to do the same. I wait until she’s sitting across from me.

“From what I was told, you weren’t the one to start shit. You just stepped into it. So no, you aren’t going anywhere.” I pause when her shoulders relax. “And let’s be real, you’re the best dancer here. I can’t afford to lose you. Now tell me what happened. From your point of view.”

She crosses her arms over her chest. “I was in the back and heard a commotion. I went to investigate, and when the guys weren’t looking, a customer grabbed me. Happy stepped in before the guy could do anything, though, so it’s all good.”

All good, my ass.

“That’s all?”

She nods once and lifts her chin in the air. The way she looks at me screams defiance. She’s practically begging me to push further, but I won’t.

I have a sneaking suspicion that this afternoon triggered something from her past. Probably something with her mother.

When Dex handed me the file on Cami’s background, well, let’s just say Cami’s past was the most colorful of all the girls.

Or should I say her mother’s was. The girl had it rough growing up.

“You’re taking the night off.” The words fly from my mouth without permission.

She shakes her head and blinks rapidly. “Wait, what? Why?”

“Because you were assaulted.”

Cami scoffs. “I’m fine. I need to dance. If I don’t, I won’t make money.”

“How much would you make for the rest of the night?”

A little line forms between her eyebrows, and she shrugs. “I don’t know, probably a grand. Why?”

Leaning forward, I pull the money bag out of my back pocket. Opening it, I rifle through and grab some bills.

“Take it,” I say, holding the stack of cash out to her.

She eyes the money like it’s going to bite her. “No.”

“You’re going to take it and go home. Take the night off. Hell, go study or do whatever the fuck it is a college kid does. I don’t give a fuck. You just can’t stay here.”

Standing, I walk toward her and push the money into her hand and drag her out of the chair.

“What are you doing?”

I ignore her question and push her toward the door. When the door opens, Happy pushes off the wall as he looks at us.

“Make sure she gets home okay,” I tell him.

“I’m not going home.”

Happy and I ignore her protests. “You got it, boss.”

Cami huffs but gives up on staying. She marches down the hall, full of attitude that I’d love to spank the fuck out of her.

Sighing, I head toward the safe in my office and open it. I pull out a grand and replace it in the money bag. Once that’s done, I grab the bag of cash for the club and head out.

While I’d love to be the one to make sure she gets home okay, I have other things to do. Like make sure the cash makes it to the bank before it’s too late.