Page 31 of Sweet Revenge

Taking the money from Daemon and shoving it in his pocket, the bartender began to work on the drink and said, “Redhead on the end over there wearing the astronaut outfit. Well, what she hasn’t taken off yet, anyway.” He snickered. “Be careful with that one, though. She’s trouble. Lots of guys come in here asking for her.”

I wanted to question the man as to whether or not one of them was my brother, but I bit my tongue. I knew enough about how Daemon operated by now to know I didn’t know jack shit, and I could easily mess this up if I wasn’t careful. We’d discussed the plan, and I was to speak to Cassandra. No one said anything about me talking to anyone else, so I just listened.

We waited near a back door close to where Cassandra should end up after she exited the stage. Another quick bribe got us back there, so when Cassandra exited the stage, grasping various bills and parts of her costume, we were able to meet up with her.

“Nice set,” another woman said, handing her a robe. “Hope I make that much.”

“Good luck, Chartreuse,” Cassandra said, looking at us warily as we approached. “Bill collectors?”

Flashing her a friendly smile, I stepped away from Daemon. “No, not at all. I’m Elisa La Rosa. I think you know my brother, Alex.” She cringed a little. Not sure why, I waved Daemon off. “That’s just my bodyguard. How are you? It’s Cassandra, right?”

She finished putting on the robe, stuffing the money into the pockets, and discarding her costume pieces onto a nearby table. “Yeah, that’s me.” She pulled her hair out of the back of the robe, long copper waves spilling over her shoulders.

“Can I speak to you for a few moments?” I tried to be as unassuming as possible to put her at ease, but it was clear she was uncomfortable.

“I guess so.” She gave a small laugh that made her seem younger than she was—at least, younger than I hoped she was. “Alex is a nice guy.”

I raised an eyebrow. The statement seemed forced, like she assumed that’s what a sister would want to hear about her brother. “We’re not friends.” My tone was dry. “Not at all. I’m not here on his behalf or anything like that.”

Relief washed over her, and I visibly noticed a change in her shoulders as her defenses melted. “Oh, thank god.” She took a few deep breaths and stepped back toward the dressing area. I followed, Daemon lingering but moving in our direction. “God, I was afraid you were here to try to talk me into doing what he wants. He’s so aggressive, and I just can’t get him to leave me alone. I’ve heard the rumors. I know how he treats his women.” A shudder went down her spine. I imagined she’d heard things I didn’t want to know about anyone, especially my own brother.

“I’m really sorry you’re going through that, Cassandra.” I remembered what the bartender had said about her being trouble, but it seemed to me trouble came looking for Cassandra, not the other way around. She looked like a pretty ordinary girl. Beautiful, but not someone who was out stirring up problems for herself.

“I’m done for the next hour or so, so if you’ll give me a few minutes to get dressed, I can chat with you more.” She paused outside of one of the dressing rooms, and my heart began to hammer in my chest as I wondered if I could trust her. What if there was a back way out?

“Sure thing,” I found myself saying. Daemon didn’t flinch or clear his throat, so I imagined he also thought it was okay. “I think the two of us might be able to help one another solve some problems that all stem back to the same aggressive man.”

Cassandra’s perfectly drawn-on eyebrow above her left eye raised, and then she nodded. She caught my drift. “I’ll be right back.”

She disappeared inside the dressing room, and I let out a sigh, praying to anyone who might be listening that she came back.

“You’re doing great.” Daemon’s voice was barely a whisper, and he wasn’t looking at me when he spoke, but I knew he was trying to be supportive.

When Cassandra came back out a few minutes later dressed in a vintage Juicy Couture tracksuit in pink, her hair in a messy bun, she looked completely different. Still beautiful, but not the sort of woman men would be falling all over trying to give her money as she had before.

“So your brother has been coming in for the last few weeks,” she began, walking down the hallway toward a back staircase. “He always pays for a private dance with me in the VIP area, and then he tries to get me to fuck him in one of the back closets. He takes me up here, to the private rooms.”

Daemon and I followed her up the stairs to a hallway that allowed the dancers access to said rooms. This side of the hall was dimly lit and not nearly as elegant as I assumed the rooms themselves or the clients’ hallway would be.

She stopped in front of one of the doors that had a red X above it, which indicated it wasn’t in use, I supposed. Cassandra opened the door. Inside, the stench of sex and disinfectant hung heavy in the air. A leather couch was situated against one wall. The rest of the small room was open, probably for dancing. The same music that played downstairs pumped through two speakers attached to the upper walls. The dark blue walls made it difficult to see with only a few strands of white lights hanging around the ceiling.

“There’s another bar, and a whole VIP section on the other side of these rooms. He brings me up there every night. We drink, and then he brings me into one of these rooms. Anyway, he always breaks the rules, touches me in places he’s not allowed to, and harasses the hell out of me to go fuck him.” She shook her head, tears gleaming in her eyes.

“Why don’t you report him to your bosses?” I asked, feeling sorry for her. I knew what it was like to be hounded by men you had no interest in. While I’d never been in that particular situation, my father had plenty of capos and business associates who used to ogle me or proposition me every chance they got. My father usually just laughed it off.

“Ihavereported him,” she explained, folding her arms under her ample chest and leaning against the wall. “But your brother has a lot of money. Not only that, but it seems like the owners are afraid of him. People say he’s dangerous.” She shrugged, making me wonder if she had a sense of what it might be my brother and our family did for a living or if she was actually clueless. I kept my face straight, unreadable, like I had no idea what that might mean. “So they tell me to just give him what he wants. But I don’t want to. I’m a dancer, not a hooker. I’ve got a little girl at home to think of.” She brushed a tear off her cheek, and I felt my heart beginning to tear in two. No wonder she was afraid to try to fight back.

“Can you quit? Get another job, somewhere else?” I asked, not sure why I even went down that road. Momentarily, my mind had left my ultimate goal, which was to get her to help us.

Cassandra shook her head. “No. I have a contract here, and these bosses take it very seriously when you skip out on a contract and go to work for someone else. I could quit and go wait tables again or something, but that doesn’t pay the bills like this, and since my baby’s daddy is a fucking loser who never sends her anything, I’m on my own.”

I put a hand on her arm. “I’m so sorry to hear all of that, Cassandra. Listen, I think we can help each other.” I released her, and she looked up at me, our eyes meeting. “I’m not a big fan of my brother’s, and I have a few debts I need him to pay. If you’ll help me do that, I’m pretty sure I can put him in a position where he won’t be able to bother you anymore.”

“I really don’t want any trouble.” She stood up, biting her bottom lip, contemplating the possibility. “What would I have to do?”

“Do you think you could have a drink with him? Maybe after one of your performances?”

“I do have another set later, but I don’t know. This seems dangerous. I don’t want to do anything to encourage him.” She continued to chew on her lip as she shifted her weight back and forth.

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