Page 121 of Stand: Part One

That was the last thing I needed to be doing after what Darren had just put me through, but my false threat seemed to shut her up long enough for her to consider my warning.

“Move,” I ordered, shouldering past her to kneel in front of the injured girl. She was wearing barely-there scraps of purple lingerie and several bruises to match. “I can fix your shoulder if you let me, but it’s going to hurt like hell.” A gentle nod was all the consent she gave. “Try not to scream,” I cautioned.

Pulling on her arm, I quickly applied the right amount of pressure, tugging on the limb in the right direction until the ball popped back into its socket. Her entire body jolted, her scream muffled through her gritted teeth as she attempted to calm her breathing down.

“Try not to use your arm for a while if you can. Keep it as relaxed as possible,” I told her. She nodded, her jaw tight as she held her arm in place.

“Thank you,” she murmured with a sniffle. Looking at her now, I sighed in sympathy. She couldn’t have been more than nineteen years old.

I was about to suggest some painkillers when my arm was suddenly wrenched back, forcing my body to stand.

“You did your fucking job, now get the fuck out of here,” Madison snapped, giving me a shove toward the door.

Let it go, Jaden. Just let it fucking go.

Raising my hands in surrender, I backed off. “Fine, I’m gone,” I said, deciding I didn’t need to risk drawing more attention to them than any of us needed.

“What the hell is going on here?” came a sudden screeching feminine voice behind me. “Why aren’t you all out there working?”

All eyes turned to find a very tall woman with monster red heels and thick brown hair standing in front of the exit of the bathroom.

“Lucinda,” Madison answered. “We were just trying to help Bethany. She was accidentally injured by a client.”

Lucinda marched over to where Bethany was still sitting and looked her up and down. “What the hell happened to her?”

“She had a dislocated shoulder. I fixed it for her,” I chimed in, hoping to defuse some of Lucinda’s growing suspicion.

Lucinda’s large brown eyes and bushy brows bounced my way. “And who the hell are—” She stopped mid-sentence as her eyes ran up and down my body before they finally stopped on my hair. “Well, isn’t this a lovely surprise. It’s not every day we’re graced by the presence of royalty.”

Ah, dammit.

All the girls moved around the room to get a better look at me, clearly trying to figure out who the hell I was.

“Who is she?” one of them asked.

Lucinda smirked like some kind of she-devil about to out a secret identity.

“Ladies, allow me to introduce you to the Mrs. Jaden Davis.”

I rolled my eyes at all the audible gasps that followed. The “oh fucks” and “I’m sorrys” pouring out over the girls had me pinching the bridge of my nose to release my blooming tension headache. My reputation really was making its rounds.

“Alright, everyone relax. I’m not here to bust anyone’s balls,” I said over the growing panic.

“Mrs. Davis, I am so, so sorry,” Madison began, her voice rushed with fear. “I meant no disrespect. If I had known who you were, I would have never?—”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, it’s fine,” I said over her, hoping to dispel the awkward groveling.

“You’re quite the legend out here, Mrs. Davis,” Lucinda commented, taking several steps closer, her leopard print bustier looking like it was ready to burst wide open. “The wife of our generous benefactor, making a reputation for herself all on her own. I can’t imagine how you’ve managed the things that you have given the kind of man your husband is.”

I didn’t like the drawl in her voice. It felt like she was taunting me somehow.

“And for someone so…” Her eyes gazed up and down. “Petite.”

Was this bitch trying to insult me?

“Well, when you’ve got a body count like mine, size obviously isn’t an issue, now is it?” I deadpanned. People just loved to remind me that I was short. And I loved to remind them I could still kill them all the same.

Lucinda’s eyes widened with her smile. “Indeed.” She stepped even closer. “Well, if that’s the case, maybe you can help refute some rumors we’ve been hearing over the past few months.”