Fire Baptized (7 page)

“Do you need anything else? We have a small bar food menu,” Roxy said.

I forced myself not to scrunch my nose up in disgust, doubting food cooked in a strip club would be the top of the line.

“I would love for you to grab Star over there.” Ray handed Roxy another bill. “My buddy, Lanore, wants a dance from her.”

“Of course.” Roxy took the cash and left.

I sipped my drink, coughing again.

“You’re not much of a drinker?” Ray asked.

“Not when it’s disgusting.”

“I’ll buy you something else.”

“No.” I shook my head. “You’ve already spent enough money. I feel bad about that.”

“Don’t stress. All of this counts as guard duty expenses.” He finished his drink and seized mine. “It’s all in the contract. Zulu gave me a couple thousand.”

“I’m not comfortable with Zulu paying for this either,” I sighed. “He already puts all of his money into
MFE
.”

“Zulu could buy this club if he wanted to. Don’t you worry about his funds.” Ray laughed. “And you get the lap dance from Star. My wife will already be pissed that I was in here. I don’t need her to smell a woman on me too.”

“Great.” I rolled my eyes. “I always wanted to try it.”

A few songs later, Star headed our way. She focused her green eyes on my X brand, cursed, and stopped in front of me, crossing her arms over her bare breasts.

“You want the dance?” She eyed Ray and dropped her halter top and money by my chair.

“It’s for her.” He pointed to me.

I shifted in my chair, unsure how to act. She obviously had a problem with Mixbreeds, which usually didn’t matter, but tonight I needed her assistance.

“She better not be dirty or have anything,” Star huffed and wiped the sweat dripping down her face with a small towel.

I clenched my teeth.

Ray gripped my hand under the table and patted it a few times. He was a Pureblood and probably figured I only dealt with speciest assholes a few times.

I waved him off and pushed the ginger candle on the table in her direction. Taking a quick glance at Star’s brand, I forced a smile. Fucking Earth Witch. I suppressed my disgust.

Out of all Witches, Earthies bullied me the most. I’d never met a nice one. From grade school through college, they flung dirt at me for fun, hurled rocks at my back, and did anything else their evil minds could imagine. Since there were always crowds of Purebloods around when I was bullied, I never defended myself. My control of fire was all I had. It was best to keep it a secret and use it as a surprise attack.

Not in the mood for any Earthie crap, I decided to just get the situation over with as quickly as possible and said, “Look. I’m clean and I don’t even want a lap dance. I just have some questions that I want answered.”

“You can ask me anything as long as I’m dancing. Pike is the bouncer tonight.” She gestured toward the front door. A tall Shifter layered in muscle and aggression glared at us. Star chomped on her gum and said, “He’ll trip if I just sit at the table. What I want to know, Mixbreed, is if you can even afford me.”

I looked her up and down and smirked. “I doubt you’re expensive.”

Ray cleared his throat. “Okay, ladies, so it seems we got off—”

“You got a rich daddy here to pay for your entertainment and make you feel safe and special for a few minutes.” She bent down to me. “But we both know that if we were outside this place, you’d run the other way.”

The candle’s flame on the table rose several inches. I gave her a wide smile, showing her all of my teeth. “I would like to test that theory. Just you and me in the back of the building where nobody can hear you scream.”

She jerked back.

Ray cleared his throat. “Let’s finish this quickly. I have enough cash to cover the dances.”

Star’s eyes bore into mine for several seconds. I’m sure she was used to Mixies backing down.

Not happening.

I checked the candle’s light. If she messed with me, I would burn her a little. The candle was close enough that it might look like an accident.

I glared at her, until she uncrossed her arms and said, “Lap dances with my top on is forty. Without my top, it’s eighty.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Ray said to her. “As long as you answer our questions, we’ll pay.”

“Then no top,” she said. “Where’s the money?”

Ray placed a pile of hundreds on the table.

“Ask me what you want.” She stuck her gum on the edge of my table and stepped in front of me. Her perfume crashed into me, smelling like the discounted stuff sold in the dollar stores on Rooster Way. Star scratched her stomach, stretched out her arms, and climbed on my lap, straddling me.

Argh!
I flinched, my thigh muscles almost collapsed from her weight.

She leaned into me, positioning her breasts directly in my face.

I stifled a groan, already wanting the lap dance to end.

“Were you here last night?” I asked. Her breasts bounced up and down in front of me.

“Yep.” She shoved her crotch into my lap, rubbing back and forth.

The result was a rhythmic pounding to my midsection. The pressure felt foreign to my thighs. I gritted my teeth.
This is not worth eighty dollars. She should be paying me.
My thighs would be raw and scarred by the time she finished. I scooted over to the side and she followed my movement, her breasts squashing my face.

“Did you see Carmen last night?” I resisted the urge to push her off me.

“Who?” She scrunched her face in confusion.

“I think her stage name is Iron Dove,” Ray added.

“Sure, I saw her.” She bounced, damaging my thigh muscles.

I yanked my head back, looked around the club, and saw all of the guys staring at us.

“Did Iron Dove leave with Larry last night?” Ray ogled Star’s bouncing breasts. He caught me glaring at him and directed his attention to her face.

“I think so. Why?” Star stopped moving, balancing all of her weight on me. “Are you spying for his wife?”

“What? No,” I said.

“Sure. I bet that crazy bitch got you spying on him.” Star placed her right her arm in front of Ray’s face. Dark jagged scabs covered her elbow.

I shuddered in disgust.

“See what that bitch did to my arm last time she was in here.” Star returned to torturing my thighs. “Took me two weeks to heal and it still hasn’t completely gone away. It was all over my arm. You want answers about Larry, it’ll cost you an extra hundred. That’ll show that bitch.”

I peeked at Ray, and he nodded.

“Okay. You’ll get an extra hundred.” I shrugged my shoulders.

“Larry left with Iron Dove last night. I don’t know the time.”

“So Iron Dove and Larry were dating?”

“Dating?” She peeled the gum off the edge of the table and put it back into her mouth.
Ick. What a lady.

“They don’t date. Iron Dove charges two hundred for an out-of-club session. That way, Goldie doesn’t get his fifty percent out of the cut, but knowing Dove, she probably traded sex for drugs. She’s a Hemo Drop addict, and Larry’s a dealer.” She scratched under her arm and then blew a kiss at Ray with her other hand. “I charge half of what Iron Dove charges if you’re interested.”

“Sadly, I’ll have to pass.” Ray slid a hundred dollar bill with a few twenties under it. “I added a little extra for your help. So tell me about Candy. Did she do out-of-club sessions with Larry? Another hundred is in it for you.”

“And buy me a drink,” Star demanded. “Then Pike won’t come over here bothering me for a while.”

He motioned for Roxy.

Star jumped off me, relieving my body of further torture. As we waited for Roxy to come over, the
DJ
played a song I hated called “Shift It” by this misogynist Shifter rapper named Primal.

“You’re taking that animal shift, like a good girl should,”
Primal rapped.
“You like it when I shift it in you, make it hard as wood.”

“Yes?” Roxy asked, when she arrived at our table. “What can I get for you?”

“I want a cigarette.” Star gestured to Ray. “And this Fairy is going to buy me a Cowrie Shell with extra cream.”

“Cowrie Shell? Interesting. Bring over three of them.” He handed over some money.

Roxy pulled a cigarette out of her shirt pocket, placed it in Star’s waiting hand, and then lit it with a lighter she took out of another pocket. Cigarette smoke rose from the tip and floated toward me as Roxy left.

I waved smoke away. “So tell us about Candy and Larry. What’s their arrangement?”

“Candy’s hustle is blackmail. She hooks up with losers and then runs a scheme on them. She’s a little thing, looks like she’s twelve. I think she lied to Goldie about her age.” Star blew more smoke in my direction. “Anyway, Candy tapes the sex and then makes them pay for the video.”

“Did she blackmail Larry?” Ray asked.

“I don’t know.” Star shrugged. “I would have to ask her brother.”

“Should I assume that will cost me more money?” Ray raised his eyebrows.

“Yep. Although I like to see him squirm.” Star leaned her head in the direction of the back door and then gestured for somebody to come over. Ash from her cigarette dropped on my shirt. I brushed it away, more than ready for her to leave.

Ray added more money to her stack on the table.

A tiny guy with hair the color of roasted almonds appeared in front of us, frowned at Star, and squeaked, “What do you want?”

“These two wanted to know if you and your sister blackmailed Larry.” Star placed the cigarette between her lips. “Come on, Gabe. Did ya?”

Ray and I remained silent.

Gabe narrowed his black eyes. He had to be shorter than me. Silver wings were branded in his forehead, but I didn’t know what type of Fairy he was. A cloud of brown dust puffed out from his hair and fell around his shoulders. He clenched his tiny hands into fists as his chest rose and fell. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Star.”

More dust rose from his head and scattered around him.

“Isn’t the dust so cute?” Star blew smoke in his direction. “It happens when he’s pissed off.”

“You’re Gabe, right?” Ray leaned forward. “Have you been missing your sister this week? Can’t find her anywhere?”

A large swirl of dust exploded from Gabe, falling everywhere, even on my sneakers.

I dragged my feet back.

Gabe spun in Ray’s direction, cheeks turning rosy red, eyes wide open. “Do you know where she is?”

“I’m sorry to have to tell you this.” Ray shook his head. “But your sister was killed early this week.”

I opened my mouth in disbelief. Surely Ray could have eased into giving him the news. And saying it in front of Star? I’m not sure that was smart. I glanced at Gabe and spied him nodding his head over and over. No tears or collapse into pain. Calm covered his face.

That’s a weird reaction. If he had been bigger and taller, I would have put him down as a suspect.

“I figured she was dead.” Gabe combed his fingers through his thick strands. “We’re twins, so I sensed something had happened to her Monday night. I looked all over Santeria, but I never found her.”

“Monday night was when the habbies found her,” I said.

Star froze. The cigarette dangled between her two fingers.

“You think Larry and Carmen killed his sister?” Star turned to me.

“No.” I sighed. “Carmen was killed on Tuesday. I think Larry killed them both.”

Star cursed and stamped the cigarette out on the table. I checked for Gabe’s reaction. He remained standing in front of the table, his eyes focused on something far away as if he was gazing at a ghost.

“So we’d like to know if you and your sister blackmailed Larry,” Ray said.

“Why do you even care about this?” Star looked from Ray to me and then back at Ray.

“Let’s just say we’re interested parties,” Ray muttered as Roxy put our drinks on the table and walked away.

I took a sip of the drink, picking up the pineapple slice that clutched the glass’s rim. Coconut cream mixed with the sweet taste of pineapples filled my mouth. I licked the sugary cream from my lips.

Star brought her glass to her mouth, tilting the glass in the air and finishing it in three large gulps.

“Gabe,” Ray said. “We need to know if you blackmailed Larry. We’re here to stop whoever is responsible for killing these girls.”

“Why?” Star asked.

Ray ignored her. His eyes stayed on Gabe.

“Yeah. We blackmailed Larry. I hid in the hotel room and videotaped them having sex,” Gabe said.

I almost choked on my drink.

“We sent the video to his house three weeks ago.” Gabe shrugged his slim shoulders. “I figured when his wife came into the club, attacking most of the dancers, that she’d found the tape. So we started blackmailing another guy.”

“Did you see who your sister left with on Monday?” I asked.

“No. I had to clean the girls’ dressing rooms that night. It takes me a while.” Gabe put his hands in his jean pockets. “She usually leaves early on Mondays, since they’re slow nights—”

“They’re both dead?” Star interrupted and looked at Ray. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” I said. “And you should definitely stay away from Larry.”

“I’m protected. My daddy’s over there in the back.” Star pointed near the main stage to a massive black guy with cornrows. “In fact, I should go over there now and let him know what’s happening.”

“Keep it between you and him,” Ray demanded, holding a finger up.

“I’m not stupid. Anyway, my daddy only cares about me. He won’t say anything.” Star snatched her stuff off the floor and rushed away.

“She means her pimp,” Gabe muttered and targeted Ray with his eyes. “Are you going to kill Larry?”

“Probably,” Ray replied as we all focused on Larry.