King and Goldie had grown up together. Colton, who had also grown up in the same poor neighborhood, had at first thought that King was in love with Goldie, but quickly realized his assumption was wrong when Goldie started stripping. King was just beginning his rise to power, but he was a possessive bastard. If Goldie had been his, she would never have been stripping for money.
“Who are you protecting her from?” Colton asked curiously.
King took another drink of his whiskey before replying, “Digger.”
“Fuck.” Digger ran the biggest prostitution ring in the country. His girls serviced the higher-end clients—everyone from movie stars to rocks stars—but when they were done, the girls disappeared for good. Colton was sure they were sold off to some pervert.
King ran a clean house, while Digger didn’t care; often keeping the women addicted to drugs to keep them in line. The police couldn’t catch the slimy bastard, yet they had managed to lock him away for a relatively minor score. Fucking justice.
“Yeah, he managed to get his hands on a friend of hers and he plans to keep her. I need to find something he wants more than her. Until I do, he isn’t too happy with Vida for going to the cops. He will either try to snatch her or shut her up. Either way, Vida is going to be in a world of pain.”
Colton agreed. Dammit, if it had been anyone else, Colton would have done it without hesitation and enjoyed himself in the process. Taking another look at Vida and her fucking long legs tore at his conscience. No way could he bring himself to touch her. Having just got out of prison, he was about to explode he wanted a woman underneath him so badly, but now he was going to have this young girl in close proximity until King could find a way to help her friend.
“Who’s the friend?” Sick to his gut, he already knew before the name passed King’s tight lips.
“Sawyer.”
Everyone in the neighborhood would often see the girls playing together when they were younger, growing closer as they grew older. His mother had lived in the same neighborhood as the girls so, when he visited his mother, he would often see them outside.
The building his mother had lived in had been marginally better than some of the others, but the one the girls had lived in had been the worst. He had hardly ever been there between work and play, yet no one could miss the little girls playing on the playground, their giggles always drawing attention. Sawyer, Vida and Callie drove everyone crazy with their escapades, getting away with their antics many times without their mothers’ knowledge. Even now, Colton smiled, remembering a few of the stories his mother had told him.
“You going to help me out?”
“Do I have a choice?” Colton asked, his voice tight.
“Not if you want to consider your debt paid,” King answered with a raised brow.
“Then it seems I have a new roommate,” Colton said, watching Vida approach their table.
* * *
The lights are bright tonight, Vida thought. King must have had one of his men change the bulbs. She went down in a squat with the pole between her legs and the men’s yells increased. Blanking their voices from her mind, she wished she had taken one of the pills that Sherri had promised would relax her, but Vida was determined not to fall down that road. She had enough problems without adding drugs to the mix.
Coming to her feet and dancing to the edge of the stage, she came close enough for the men to begin putting cash in the string that went around her waist. At least he allowed her to cover her front, leaving her ass and breasts exposed.
The fingers that shoved a twenty into her string tried to grab her ass, but Vida shimmied over to the next man who was waiting with a twenty. In the bright lights, she tried to make out the ones holding the larger denomination bills, going to them and bending down in a squat for them to put the bills on her. She had learned within the first two days to not look at the faces, to just stare at the money. It gave her enough strength to make it to the next man waiting his turn.
Thankfully, Vida heard her music come to an end. Standing up and hating what she was about to do, she gave her breasts an extra jiggle before turning and exiting the stage.
Sherri was up next, waiting behind the curtain in a silky pink robe. Her music started the second Vida disappeared behind the curtain.
“King wants to see you before you get changed.”
“Thanks.” Vida swallowed hard. She had hoped to get done on time today. She needed to get some lab time in before the grades were due otherwise, unless she had twenty hours logged lab time, she wouldn’t get a grade.
Vida went outside to the bar area, making her way to the booth at the back of the room. She had noticed when she had come out to dance that he was sitting in his private booth. King sat there every night during the first few shows, judging the women’s routines, surveying the crowds and removing customers who didn’t obey the rules of his club.