Page 26 of Paco
“Yeah. What’s your name?” Paco turned the doorknob.
“Lila. How many club girls you guys got?” She stood in the doorway watching him.
Throwing his bag on the double bed, he glanced over at her. “Six. Why? Aren’t the brothers treating you right around here?”
“They’re okay, but I’ve always found your club members to be more respectful to the women.” Lila stepped inside the room. “Please don’t tell anyone I said that.”
“No worries ’bout that.”
“I was thinking about moving to Alina. It’s bigger than here, and I have some cousins who live in Tula, which is way closer to Alina than it is to Silverado. I like being a club girl. Would you have room for me?”
He ran his gaze over her quickly—she had nice tits, curves, and long golden hair. “Maybe. If you’re serious, come see me sometime when you’re in Alina. I can see what we can work out.”
A wide smile broke over her face. “Excellent. While you’re here, maybe you’d like a sneak peek of what I can do.”
“Maybe. I’ll let you know. Right now I’m aiming to win some bucks on a pool game.” He took out a comb and ran it through his dark hair. “Thanks for showing me my room.”
He pushed the lock and went back upstairs, joining Diablo, Patriot, and Brick at the pool table. Glancing at the clock, he figured he had three hours to make some money off Patriot and Brick. The two of them were cocky as hell and thought they were the best pool players in the two counties. Paco chuckled inwardly as he remembered how Raven had hustled Brick a couple of years before when they were all at Trick Shots. Brick had been so livid that a woman had outsmarted him.
“You ready to lose some money?” Brick asked as he set up the balls in the rack.
Paco smirked, then wrapped his fingers around a cue stick and glanced at Diablo who gave him a knowing look. The game was on.
***
In the mainroom, the chairs were in ruby-red plush velvet, and warm vanilla scents from flickering candles in private nooks and alcoves wafted around the establishment. A tall skinny woman with perfect breasts walked across the neon-lit room inside Satin Dolls Gentlemen’s Club dressed in see-through black lingerie. Another woman wearing pink panties and a short cutoff shirt exposing the bottom half of her breasts mingled with customers as two women twirled, ground, and spread their legs on the smoky stage.
“This is classy,” Sangre said as he sat at a table near the stage.
“And packed. These assholes are killing our business,” Roughneck replied.
A scantily clad woman came over and asked for their drink order. Army jabbed Paco with his elbow. “The Fallen Slayers have some serious competition. I can see why this place is crowded. The dancers are fuckin’ hot.”
“Yeah, but letting these assholes get away with this is opening the gate for all kinds of shit to go down. Besides, some of the women look too young.” He jerked his head toward a girl who stood by the stage in a barely there school uniform. “I’d bet all the money I won at pool tonight that she’s not even sixteen.”
Army looked at the girl and red blotches appeared on his taut face. “You’re fuckin’ right. Underage girls usually means they don’t wanna be here.” Looking around, he bobbed his head. “Yeah… we gotta help the Slayers close this damn place.”
Anger licked at Paco as well. Dancing because a woman wanted to was one thing, but doing it because she had no choice pissed him and his brothers off real bad. Chains had done some digging into Los Malos and the West Avenue Bandits, and it seemed that Los Malos was into buying and selling women. The West Avenue Bandits were more into selling drugs, stolen bike and car parts, and petty thefts, but Los Malos’s biggest revenue came from the flesh trade. If Paco had to guess, he’d bet that a third of the women in the club weren’t there by choice. The thought disgusted and angered him.The fuckin’ badges are probably in on this too.
“Here you go.” The waitress put the drinks down on the table. “You want to start a tab?”
“We’ll pay as we drink,” Steel said, opening his wallet.
“I’m gonna walk around,” Paco said to Army and Steel. He stood up, and Diablo and Brick followed suit. They walked around the club, noticing the long hallway with numerous closed doors. Paco figured that was where the private lap dances happened.
The trio went over to the bar and ordered beers. “They’ve got underage girls working the place,” Paco said to Brick.
“I noticed that. Shit. I have a sister about the age of some of these girls.” Brick wrapped his fingers tightly around the beer bottle.
“They don’t look like they’re having fun. Not like the older one on stage. I’d say they don’t want to be here.” A frown creased Diablo’s forehead.
The crowd erupted in applause and another hard-hitting song came over the speakers. Paco leaned on the bar, his back to the stage. Seeing the underage girls and knowing they were probably being forced to take off their clothes gave him a real bad taste.
Loud whistles and hoots pulled his attention back. He spun around and saw the back of a woman in a G-string and stiletto heels swaying her hips. The cool beer slid down his throat. The woman bent backward and the tips of her long hair brushed the stage. Then she straightened up and spun around, her breasts jiggling with her movements.
Paco looked at her, then did a double take.Misty. What thefuck?A flush of adrenaline tingled through his body. Men cheered. Men ogled. Men whistled. And fire rushed in his veins as he glared at the crowd. Part of him was pissed as hell that the men watched her intently. He ground his teeth.This is stupid, man. She’s not your woman.But for reasons he couldn’t understand, he felt protective of her.
Standing next to the bar, a muscled man with a mustache stared fixedly at Misty, lust clouding his eyes. Paco got a bad vibe from him. The way he watched Misty looked like he wanted to possess every inch of her, even her soul.
