Page 116 of Two For the Show
Less than a year ago, I ran away and joined the circus, and I found everything I could’ve possibly wanted underneath the big top.
Three Years Later
“You’ll haveto come visit next month,” I tell Sylvia, resting my chin on my hand and smiling at her image on my phone screen. “We’ve made a few changes to the lineup since the last time you were here.”
She laughs and runs her fingers through her gray-streaked hair.“Don’t tell me you got rid of that handsome masked man. I’ll never forgive you.”
I roll my eyes. “Guy isn’t going anywhere, you know that. He even expanded his act. Now there are five of them that stalk through the audience. They even bring people up on stage.”
“What’s a girl gotta do to get that treatment?”she sighs dramatically.“An old woman could use a little excitement in her life.”
“If you come out, I will make sure you’re selected. It’s not one of those sexy man dancer shows, you know that, right? Like, they tie up the audience members and drag them around.”
I still don’t understand the point of the act if the menaren’t doing sexy dances, but hey. Not my circus, not my masked men.
Sylvia seems to be enjoying retirement. She moved to a small town with a classic main street where everyone seems to know everyone. I’ve visited her there a few times, and though it’s a little boring for my taste, with only a bookstore, coffee shop, and a general store on the main strip, she’s happy. She’s taken over managing the coffee shop, because, of course, she has. But she swears it’s much less stress than the coffee truck, so I don’t give her too much grief.
We talk about everything and nothing for the next hour. These weekly chats with her are so good for my soul. After things settled, I reached out to her and apologized for going radio silent after she dropped me off with the guys. She wasn’t upset because she’s Sylvia and too good for me, but she did demand all the dirty details.
“When is the sentencing?”she asks gently.“Soon, right?”
Rich, Tripp, and Greg were all found guilty of attempted human trafficking. They’re expected to get at least seven years in prison each, with mandatory sex offender registrations after. Rich has lost his license to practice medicine, and Tripp and Greg won’t have any luck getting employment, either.
Governor Evans completely distanced himself from his son, urging federal charges to be filed in addition to the state ones.
Then he went on to win a Senate seat with his “tough on crime” image.
Do I think he knew what his son was up to? Not really, no.
However, he raised someone who thought what he was doing was okay, which makes his motivations suspect to me. I keep an eye on what he’s doing, but so does themedia. My accusations and his son’s crimes have always hung over his head, and for the most part, he seems to be on his best behavior, even if I don’t particularly agree with most of his policies.
“Tomorrow,” I tell her. “It’ll be over. I’m sure I’ll get a few requests for interviews in the aftermath of it, so I think I’m going to put out a single statement and then tell everyone to fuck off.”
“Ah, that’ll be a great sound bite to show on the evening news.”
I can’t hold my laughter. “Well, I never said I was perfect.”
“No, that was your pack that said that. Several times. In many, many interviews.”
They sure did. With the Vegas residency, all of them, but mostly Jude, have done a few rounds with the press. Our names and faces were already recognizable, and my performance is still making the rounds on social media, so it was a bit of a spectacle when we first started our residency here.
“I love you, Sylvia,” I tell her, getting a little choked up. “Thanks for saving me.”
“I love you, too, Lexi, but I didn’t save you. I just reminded you that sometimes it’s okay to need a little help.”
“Edmund,seriously, you need to slow down,” I tell the Beta, pulling off my gloves. “You’re going to be all scars in a year if you keep this up.”
He cut himself while preparing dinner for a guy he’s trying to impress.
“I know, Doc, but I’m so nervous.”He looks down at his wrapped hand and sighs. “And now I’m going to be behind, and dinner won’t be ready, and he’ll walk out the door and never want to be with me.”
“Breathe. He won’t walk out the door. He won’t. But if you need an extra set of hands, you could ask one of the guys to help. I’m sure Trevor won’t mind.”
He nods, eyes far away as he chews his lip. “Yeah, good idea. Thanks, Doc.”
I wipe down my clinic before turning off the lights and closing the door behind me. I pull my phone out of my pocket and check the time. I’m running slightly behind because of the Edmund of it all, but that’s okay.
It’s not like the guys won’t wait for me.
