AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Fallon!” Milo’s voice cuts through the music, and I see him, pushing through the dancers, his expression thunderous. Sienna yanks me deeper into the throng, and somehow, we lose him. My heart races with exhilaration, tinged with dread.
“Come on, let’s go back,” Sienna says eventually, her movements unsteady as she heads toward the bar once more. I follow, catching my breath, aware that I’m walking back into the lion’s den.
“Fallon,” Marcus says slowly, a serious edge cutting through the haze of alcohol as he pours another drink, sliding it over to me, and I see Sienna already has another, making me wonder if she has them smuggled in her oversized handbag. Whenever I look at her she has a new drink in her hand. “What’s going on?” Marcus asks, pouring a beer and keeping his gaze on the person he is serving.
“Mind your own business, Marcus.” I try to keep my tone light, but my nerves are frayed, especially knowing I just ran from Milo in the nightclub.
“I can help you,” he insists quietly, sliding a piece of paper across the bar. I snatch it up swiftly, concealing it in my top. His words are a lifeline, and despite my skepticism, hope flickers within me.
“How?” I whisper, daring to meet his gaze.
He doesn’t get the chance to answer. I turn to see Leone pointing me out to an infuriated Milo, who starts stalking toward us. Marcus turns away, pretending to wipe down the bar, leaving me exposed.
Milo’s hand clamps around my arm like a vice. “You’re coming with me,” he growls, pulling me away from the bar and any semblance of freedom I had managed to grasp. But Sienna jumps to her feet, following.
Milo’s grip is iron as he drags me through the place. I stumble in his wake, my heart a drumbeat of panic echoing in my chest. The air shifts as we enter the shadowy realm behind the scenes, an area whispered about but rarely seen by those who come for the bright lights and the promise of fortune—the strippers’ domain.
“Sit.” Milo’s voice stern as he points to a secluded table veiled in the dimness. Sienna’s husband has already found comfort, or rather flesh, on which to lay his hands. A stripper straddles his lap as he falls onto a couch, her movements practiced and devoid of any real passion. Yet, he seems more than pleased, hands roaming with abandon when Leone comes in. He cuts me a furious glare. I know there will be hell to pay later. Returning my gaze back to Sienna she sips her drink.
“Doesn’t that bother you?” I can’t help but ask Sienna as she slumps into the chair across from me, her eyes glassy from too much drinking.
Sienna glances at her husband, and for a moment, vulnerability flickers across her face before it’s quickly masked by indifference. “You’ll get used to it,” she murmurs, a sad edge to her voice. “And if you can’t,” she holds up her bottle. “You drink.”
Her words are like ice water down my spine, and I swallow thickly. “How did you meet him?” Curiosity claws at me despite the situation.
“Arranged marriage for alliances,” she shrugs, signaling the waiter. “He isn’t so bad. I can do what I want.”
“Must be nice to turn a blind eye to him...” My words drip with disgust, unable to fathom how she tolerates such blatant infidelity.
“Like I said, you get used to it,” Sienna repeats, pointing somewhere off to our left.
My gaze follows her finger, and there he is—Leone, with a stripper squirming in his lap, trying desperately to capture his attention. But his eyes, those deep wells of ink, are locked onto us, onto me. Fury ignites within me, my hands clench into fists beneath the table.
“More drinks!” Sienna calls out, her voice rising over the thumping bass of the music. The waiter nods and returns with a tray, glasses clinking together precariously.
I seize one, the liquid fire doing nothing to quell the blaze inside me. As I order another, the alcohol doesn’t dull the sharp edges of my reality—it sharpens them, and I’m acutely aware of every glance, every touch, every whispered word in this place.
“Drink up, Fallon,” Sienna cajoles, lifting her glass. The glass is heavy in my hand, the contents disappearing too quickly. I want to throw it, but instead, I swallow the burn and glare at the woman on Leone’s lap.
My heart hammers against my ribcage, a relentless drumbeat echoing the raucous laughter spilling from Sienna’s lips. Her amusement twists in my stomach like a knife. “How can you just sit there?” I demand, my voice slicing through the smoggy haze of cigarette smoke.
Sienna’s shrug is as careless as her giggle, an infuriating nonchalance that grates on my last nerve. “It is what it is,” she says, bitterness seeping through her flippant tone. “Nothing I can do about it. Just wait for the prick to die and move on.” I am shocked by her words and nervously glance at her husband but he doesn’t hear her too distracted by the girl on his lap while talking to Leone. The girl on his looks bored as she tries desperately to get his attention.
Disgust curdles in my throat, and I down another glass, the burn of alcohol insufficient to scorch away the image of Leone possibly tainting our bed with diseases from his conquests. He won’t be bringing any of that filth home to me, I silently think, venom searing through my veins.
That’s when Sienna, clumsy in her inebriation, spills the contents of her purse across the table in search of a lighter.
“Shit,” she curses, gathering her belongings. “Every time.”
“Here.” I spot the lighter first, sliding it across the table towards her. She grabs it and stands, wobbling slightly on her heels.
“Balcony?” she asks as I help her scoop everything back into her handbag.
“Definitely,” I agree, following her lead. Fresh air—well, as fresh as it gets around here—will do me good.
Once outside, the cool night brushes against my heated skin, a welcome reprieve from the stifling atmosphere inside. Sienna lights up, inhaling deeply, and I lean against the railing. “Can I steal one?” I ask, craving something to keep my hands busy to distract from the swirling chaos in my head.
“Sure thing, doll.” She extends the pack to me.
