Page 14 of Sawyer

“How?” Tomi sits behind his desk, his beady eyes glaring at Rumor and me.

Neither of us sit. I know what goes on back here and who did what in these chairs.

“Why don’t you tell me the last time you saw Cherry?” Rumor crosses his arms and glares at Tomi. The two of them remain in a staring contest, neither of them breaking as tension rises.

Finally, Tomi breaks first, only to look at me. “Cherry had a spotlight tonight. Take her slot. Dance, and I’ll tell you everything your little heart desires.”

I inhale slowly, realizing I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place. I’m faced with a decision I swore I’d never make again. If I do this, I’ll go against everything I’ve become, because that would mean that I’m no better than the girl I was and strived to distance myself from.

Ice runs through my veins, and indecision slams into my chest.

I won’t find a friend in this room. Rumor brought me here because I know Tomi. After all, I also knew Cherry. I am the connection between dead gammas and answers.

All I have to do is what I swore I’d never do again.

Tomi’s smile stretches across his face. “Then we have nothing to discuss.” He holds up his hands as though innocence drips from them.

“You swear you know something?” I grit my teeth and breathe slowly through my mouth, filtering out the stench of this room.

Although Tomi is an alpha, he’s never smelled good to me, always like day-old rotten meat. And when he’s aroused? Like now?

Rancid meat.

“On Cherry’s cold dead body.” He smirks.

Which could really mean anything.

“Time?” I look at the clock on the wall. It’s nearly past seven in the evening. The prime slots were always eight to eleven.

“She had a spotlight at eight.” Tomi looks so pleased with himself that I want to vomit. “If you hurry, you’ll have time to get ready.” He licks his lips, dragging his tongue across them as though he’s trying to appear seductive.

Shaking my head, I slam out of the office and into the hallway. Old carpeting bunches and tries to trip me as I rush down the hall, ripping my coat off in the process.

I don’t belong here, not anymore, and tears burn my eyes. I’m stuck here right now, but I owe it to all the dead gammas that I promised I’d fight for.

“Sawyer, wait.” Rumor catches up to me. He grips my bicep again, swinging me around.

“Not here. Here, I’m Lotus,” I scold him.

His bright blue eyes flare with icy fire, almost making them glow in the dark hallway. “You don’t have to do this.”

“You didn’t give me much of a choice,” I sneer, angry at him for Tomi’s actions. “Look, I will help you tonight. I’ll dance while you get Tomi to speak. Talk to him like he has some kind of clout, figure out what the fuck happened to Cherry, and see how many other gammas from this part of town are missing.”

“Cherry wasn’t the only one.” It’s a statement, not a question.

I rip free of his grip. “That’s what people like you forget.” I poke him in the chest. “We are disposable, the bottom feeders of society. No one cares if a gamma goes missing, and if they do, no one reports it. We’re disowned, used, and abused, so no, I don’t think she was the only one.” Emotions choke my throat, and I push out, “But he won’t tell me. He’ll tell you.”

I spin around and slap through the door to the changing room. Tears burn behind my eyes as I step inside. It’s been seven years since I first walked into this room, and butterflies still take flight in my belly.

It’s quiet in here. Most of the girls are probably in the kitchen, eating with the house mom. Usually, that’s a gamma who aged out of working the pole.

I’m thankful for the respite and for being able to walk in without the stares and pity of others. All the stories sound the same. Some are worse than others, but all of us are here to hide or to build a better life.

The room is set up in rows of back-to-back stations, offering privacy with boxy little walls. It’s all an illusion. There isn’t an ounce of privacy here.

My heels clack as I head to the corner where I know Cherry kept her station. This was the other reason I agreed to dance tonight. As I hang my coat over her chair, I look back into my past through the makeup stained station, the dirty mirror, and, to my surprise, a picture of the two of us still taped to the corner. One of a dozen.

Frenemies.

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