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I look around the hall, and then back at Ray.
“I need your help, Ray,” I say.
“Anything for you, baby,” he says.
“I need you to keep an eye on my mother and Laura,” I say.
He looks at me curiously and pulls out a cigarette.
“Does this have anything to do with the thugs who were here a couple of hours ago?” he asks.
I don’t reply, and he gets his answer from that.
“You’re a darling, Alyssa, but you’ve got to know that requests like this cost a little something,” he says.
I nod. “I’ll give you everything that I earn from my shift, tips included. I’ll be going away for a while and I just need you to keep an eye on them.”
A rat scurries past us, and Ray sighs.
“You know I’ll do anything for you, Alyssa. You’ve got a deal,” he remarks, but he then pauses. “You owe Giovanni, don’t you?”
I look down. “How did you know?”
He lights his cigarette and takes a puff. “I’ve lived in this dump since I was a little boy. Of course, I know Giovanni,” he replies. He cracks another bitter smile. “And I know that almost everyone around here owes him money.”
“My father owed him a huge amount of money. I think my mother tried to pay him, but it wasn’t enough,” I say.
“How much?” Ray asks.
“Three hundred thousand,” I reply.
He pauses and offers me the cigarette. I shake my head, and he moves it back to his lips.
“It’s a miracle that they left you untouched. What does he want in return?” he asks.
A lump forms in my throat. “Me,” I say quietly.
Ray laughs bitterly. “Of course. Fuckin’ asshole.”
“As long as Laura and Mama are safe, I don’t mind going to him,” I say.
I see the pity in Ray’s eyes as he looks at me. “I’ll keep an eye on your mother and sister, but I know they’ll be safe. It’s Giovanni wanting you that I’m worried about,” he answers.
I smile. “Don’t worry about me, Ray.”
He doesn’t respond, but the pity doesn’t leave his eyes.
I walk into the club at exactly eight. The night is just getting started. There are girls already dancing on the stage for the early crowd and I blink as a spotlight snaps on to focus on the girl currently working the pole.
I notice that most of the tables near the dancefloor are filled with customers who already look wasted, but that the rest of the venue is still empty.
“You’re back again for a shift? You just left,” Gracie, the head waitress, remarks as I walk into the dressing room to change for my shift.
“You’ll never believe why if I tell you,” I sigh, putting up my hair.
“Anyone who chooses to work here has a crazy life already, that’s for sure. I’m glad you’re here now. Antonio is here and he has guests with him. I need a server ASAP.”
My heart skips in my chest a little when I hear his name. Antonio. People also call him Viper. But I've never learned why. I can only imagine it's because he's a savage beast in his dangerous world.
