Page 62 of Hitch
He walks off, and Todd shifts awkwardly beside me. I hold my pistol, the weight calming me down. I could kill BradenandTodd right now, and it’d be done.
But in a way, Braden is right. Reggie could take us all to jail right now if she wanted. She said so herself.
And that’s just it. How far will I let her take this?
Chapter20
Reggie
Mid-week day shiftsat the Double Take can be unbearably slow, so I sit at the bar eating chicken wings, the buffalo sauce sticky on my fingers. We—our one customer and five strippers alike—all ordered takeout from the bowling alley across the street. It’sthatkind of day shift.
A tall redhead comes around the bar, his eyes instantly landing on me.
“Regina Flores,” he says.
It takes a second, but eventually, I realize it’s Braden: Duane’s housemate, the one who works on the corn and mushroom farm with him.
In the corner, Todd sits at the DJ booth, flinching in confusion. Did Todd tell Braden my full name? Or did Duane?
I grab a cocktail napkin and wipe my fingers.
“Braden,” I say flatly. “I go by Secret here. It’s rude to call a stripper by her legal name in front of—”
“I didn’t come here to discuss stripper politics with you,” he says. I cross my arms, but he steps closer, invading my personal space. “I’m here to tell you to stay the fuck away from my farm.”
I laugh in his face. Todd eyes the computer screen, pretending like he doesn’t hear our argument unfolding.
“Yourfarm?” I say, incredulous. “You just live there. You don’t own it. Duane does.”
“I know who you are,” Braden whispers harshly. He jabs a finger in my face. “I know what you’ve been doing to Duane. Mixing his head up with all of these ideas, when really, you’re blackmailing us.”
My teeth grind.Blackmailing them?What in the actual fuck? I don’t even know what he’s talking about, and he’s acting like I’m the main suspect!
“Blackmail?” I ask harshly. “Who’s blackmailing you?”
“Acting like you’re a good girl,” Braden sneers. “You think I’m stupid?”
“Why the hell would I blackmail you?”
“Money? Drugs? I don’t know. Just leave Duane alone, stop blackmailing us, and I won’t tell the cops about that little arrangement you had with Duane.”
At that, I scoff in complete annoyance.
“So now you’re blackmailingmefor sex work? How fucking original,” I snap. “Why don’t I go to the police withthat?”
“Leave us alone, whore, and you won’t have to worry about a goddamn thing,” he growls.
“Hate to break it to you, but Duane and I fucked for free.” Which is partly true, at least recently. “So you don’t have shit on me.”
Todd whistles from the DJ booth, grabbing Braden’s attention. The two of them talk over there, and the whole time, Braden glares at me, like he truly thinks I’m his enemy.
But why would I blackmail them? I may be stupid enough to fuck a drug lord, but I’m not stupid enough to threaten one too.
Braden grabs a cocktail napkin from the square holder and waves it like it’s a sign. Todd meets my eyes, his expression full of embarrassment, as if he wants to apologize for Braden’s behavior.
Todd better have a damn good explanation for this.
Braden leaves the booth, then growls in my face.
