He held his body in a way that was control ed but clearly hostile. His eyes were glittery and he’d gone so passed pissed off that he had rocketed straight into fury. Before he could open his mouth to say a word, though, Smithie moved. For a big man, he was lightning-quick.
Richie had walked into the hal . In the blink of an eye, Smithie had Richie by the arm and he slammed him against the wal , his hand leaving Richie’s arm and he planted it at his throat.
“I thought I fuckin’ told you, not five feet away from her!” he shouted in Richie’s face.
Richie stared up at Smithie and opened his mouth to Richie stared up at Smithie and opened his mouth to speak. Smithie didn’t let him.
“You pay more attention to what’s happenin’ on the fuckin’ stage and not to their protection. The girls on the floor ain’t job satisfaction eye-candy, motherfucker. You’re there to keep ‘em safe. You’re fuckin’ fired. I don’t want to see your sorry ass anywhere near my place again. You got me?” Smithie warned.
Richie looked at me, eyes ful of angry blame. Then he nodded to Smithie.
Wonderful. Another enemy.
I opened my mouth to protest and defend, not because Richie was a good bouncer, he wasn’t. Smithie was right, he was there for the jol ies, being a big man bouncer at a titty bar and ogling the girls. But I didn’t want someone else after me.
I didn’t get to say anything because Eddie stepped in.
“Look at me,” he demanded to Richie, forcing Smithie out and getting smack into Richie’s space. Eddie didn’t need to hold him where he was physical y, his wrath was enough to keep Richie pinned to the wal .
When Richie’s eyes turned to him, Eddie said, “Don’t even fuckin’ think about it.”
Richie stared at Eddie, his face changed and if he’d wet his pants, I wouldn’t have been surprised. Then again, Richie had been there the night Eddie took care of Bachelor Number One and Eddie wasn’t nearly as furious then as he was now.
Eddie turned to me as I noticed Lee and Carl materialize behind Indy and Al y. I didn’t have a chance to react as Eddie’s hand curled around my arm.
“Let’s go,” he said.
“No way.” Smithie stepped in our way. “Jet’s takin’ a vacation. She ain’t safe and you ain’t keepin’ her safe so she’s gonna disappear until this shit blows over.” Eddie, already tense, froze rock solid.
“I’m sorry?” he said in his quiet voice, “I thought she got shot at on your watch.”
An uncomfortable look passed Smithie’s face.
Eddie kept talking.
“Find another waitress. This was Jet’s last night.” It was my turn to freeze rock solid.
“What?” I said to Eddie.
Eddie didn’t answer me.
“Let’s go,” he repeated.
“I don’t think so,” I yel ed, “I need this job.”
“You’l be taken care of,” Eddie said, like it was as easy as that, and began to pul me away.
I yanked my arm out of his hold.
“Yeah? Is that so? You gonna pay for Mom’s therapy?
The rent on a disabled-accessible apartment? Her fol ow-up MRI? You don’t have any fucking clue, do you? This isn’t as easy as a couple bags of groceries and fixing a stupid car. This shit is relentless, this shit is my life,” I shouted.
Everyone was staring at me and I didn’t care. I turned to Smithie.
“Am I fired?” I asked for the mil ionth time.
He shook his head, his face stil held anger but it was softening.
“You ain’t fired, child, but you ain’t comin’ back either.
You’re not safe here. I’l hold your job open until you can come back and not get shot at.”
My world, already spinning out of control, tilted and I could swear I was going to fal off. There was absolutely nothing to hold on to.
So I held on to the only thing I ever had.
I squared my shoulders.
I hadn’t been in worse spots than this, it was true, but I had also always made my own way.
I’d do it again.
Somehow.
“Fine,” I snapped and walked away from Eddie, right by Smithie and through Daisy, Indy, Al y, Lee, Carl, Tod and Stevie and a dozen dancers, bouncers and waitresses.
Fuck it.
Fuck it al .
I walked into the club and behind the bar, grabbed my purse and coat, pul ed my cel out of my apron and handed the apron to the bartender.
“I’l come back for my tips,” I said to him and walked to the front door.
Eddie was standing there. I didn’t look at him.
I had no idea where to go or what to do. The only thing I knew I wasn’t going to do was cry, even though I wanted to, real y, really badly.
I hesitated when I got outside and Eddie grabbed my hand and pul ed me to his truck. We got in, took off and rode to his house in complete silence. I should have protested but I didn’t have it in me. I was struggling for control of my emotions. I had a man with a knife after me, another man was planning on raping me and another man had shot at me. I had to pick my battles.
Eddie walked me into his kitchen and I slammed my purse on the counter then stood in the middle of the room while he closed the door.