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Page 43 of Midnight’s Captive (Stroke of Midnight #2)

Taryn took a seat at the far end of the bar. It was almost closing time and things were slowing down. Good. She wanted to sleep for at least a week but would be lucky to get a few hours with all the shit going on. If she could fall asleep at all.

“How’d it go with Rhonda?” Dani asked when she approached.

That was the last fucking thing Taryn wanted to talk about right now. “Give me a beer. Please.”

Dani stopped what she was doing and focused on Taryn. “Everything okay?”

“Not even close.” She would tell Dani everything, just not at this exact moment.

“You wanna talk about it?”

“Not right now.” Taryn smiled her thanks when her friend set the beer in front of her. “What kept you here, Dani? Working at Razor Jack’s?”

The other woman took half a step back, confusion on her face. “Why? What’s going on?”

“I’m trying to understand...” Taryn took a sip of the beer. Normally she’d take the time to enjoy the layers of flavor, but today had been nowhere near normal. “When I brought you here, why did you stay? Why didn’t you run off? It’s not a prison.”

“You’re freaking me out. Why are you asking me this?” Dani was pale and she’d lost her smile.

“It’s not a trick or a trap. I really want to know. I need to know. To understand.”

“I was a mess when I got here. The bar was warm.” Dani shivered and wrapped her arms around her middle. “It was winter. It was so cold outside. And then I was warm.”

“So, you stayed for the heat?” Taryn didn’t judge. Whatever it took to keep her girls off the streets, she was for it.

“What?” Dani looked up, startled. Her gaze was far away.

“You stayed because it was warm. And you had food.”

She gave Taryn a half smile. “Yeah, at first. Then it felt safe. Like you really meant it when you said I would be safe here. Over time, when you left me alone and didn’t demand anything... Well, that’s when I knew that it was better than life on the streets.”

“Did you ever think about using?”

This time she hesitated. “Yes.” Dani spoke slowly, drawing out the word. “More when I was on the streets, but a bit when I first got here. And when you put me in charge of the bar.”

Whoa. Taryn hadn’t expected that. “You never touched the alcohol.”

Dani smiled. “No, by then it was only a thought. Not to mention, you keep really close track of the inventory.” She pinned Taryn with a piercing gaze. “Why are you asking about this now?”

Taryn took a long drink while she pondered what to tell her. In the end, she decided on all of it. No one was nearby, but she still leaned close. “Rhonda’s on Vyne. And she’s been selling information.”

“Oohh shit,” Dani said on an exhale.

“Yeah.”

“I hadn’t noticed. I’m so sorry. I should have noticed.”

Taryn shook her head. “My bar, my responsibility. Plus, you recognized something was wrong before I did.”

“Is it bad?” Dani watched her intently.

“Yeah, really bad. She’s the one who sold out Giselle. And Dizzie.” Taryn was still struggling to wrap her head around the betrayal. What other information had Rhonda sold that Taryn wasn’t aware of?

“Are you serious? How could she?” The outrage in Dani’s voice echoed what Taryn had felt since she’d learned.

“Not to mention she sold the rescue plans and now Ash’s sister is missing.”

Dani’s mouth dropped open but no sound came out.

Taryn laughed, though there was no humor in it. “Yeah, that was my reaction, too. She fucked us over a million ways.”

“What are you going to do?”

That was what Taryn loved about Dani. She always bounced back and she was always practical.

“I have no idea. She obviously can’t stay here, but she knows too much for me to let her go. I had Daryl put her in one of the basement cells for now. Where she hopefully can’t do any more damage.”

Dani paled. “Can we get her help?”

Taryn wrapped her hands around the pint glass. Her head dropped and her shoulders slumped. “I don’t know. It depends on how deep she is with the Vyne.”

“Are her veins green?” Horror coated Dani’s voice.

“She was wearing long sleeves, so I couldn’t tell. I’m afraid that they are.”

“Oh no,” Dani said. “By the time that happens, it’s always fatal.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’ve heard too. Although I’ve never heard of anyone living for very long after they tried it.”

The silence that fell between them was pensive. From all accounts, Vyne was a horrible way to die.

Dani blew out a breath. “How can I help?”

“I need you to keep this place running, no matter what. Ash and I are going to try to locate Hope and then figure out how to rescue her. For real this time.” She caught Dani’s eye. “If you can handle it, I’d like to give you the list of supplies we’ll need to set up a room for her here.”

“Of course. Do you think it’s safe to have her here?”

“Right now, I think it’s best that she’s near Ash until they can leave town. And I’m pretty sure he’s not going back to Tremaine headquarters.”

“Consider it done,” Dani said.

Taryn grabbed her hand and squeezed. “Thank you. I can’t do this without you.”

Dani laid her hand on top of Taryn’s. “You could, but you don’t have to.”

“That means more than you could ever know.” Tears welled in Taryn’s eyes and she blinked them away.

“Get some sleep,” Dani said gently. “It sounds like you’ve got another busy day tomorrow.”