Page 39 of Ravaged By the Dark (The Righteous 2)
Renee looked up at Ivan as she tied her running shoes. That was a lot of extra money. The prickling turned into loud alarm bells ringing in her head. Stupidly, she couldn’t help wondering if this was Arek and another of his grand gestures.
“Which table,” she asked.
“Three.”
Renee walked to the peek-area, which allowed the dancers to look out onto the floor or watch other acts without being seen. She looked toward table three, her heart hopelessly pounding as she thought this sounded like something Arek would do. A server moved out of the way, and she sucked in a sharp breath and spun around, laying her back against the wall. It was Tyson. She needed to get out of here.
“Ivan, I can’t. I can’t go out there. Has he been here the whole time?” Her mind was running on rewind as she tried to place him there. She normally had an instinct for his particular stench of evil that traveled with him—something else to blame on Arek.
“Yes, he arrived for the opening act.”
Renee peeked through the hole again. She didn’t see her brother, but the table was full. And who knows, Cody could be lurking in the shadows.
“Ivan, I can’t he’s, he’s….” She was lost for words to describe the man and yet not insult him. She had no idea how deep Tyson’s and Ivan’s friendship ran.
“But Bambi, Tyson is very important to this club, and all he wants is a conversation with you. He is one of our special VIP guests, and he rarely comes in. I try to make sure his needs are taken care of—he can be very demanding.”
Ivan, you don’t know the half of it—his stupid demanding shit.
“Look, Ivan, I know you don’t understand, but that man wants more than a conversation with me. I’ve known him my whole life, and…it has never been a pleasant relationship.”
She paced a few strides away, her hands shaking.
“Just tell Tyson you couldn’t find me, that I must have taken off after my set and before you got backstage. Please, I’m begging you, don’t make me do this. I know this is going to sound dramatic, but it could be a life and death type scenario.” Renee clasped her hands, her eyes pleading with the owner.
Renee watched Ivan’s features closely, her muscles at the ready to sprint away if he tried to grab her. She could only pray that Tyson’s hold over Ivan wasn’t enough to force his hand. Ivan nibbled his lip as he stared down at her.
“You’re right. That does sound a little dramatic. What is he going to do in the middle of a packed club?”
“Ivan, I’m not worried about while I’m in the club,” she said, although she was terrified no matter the setting. “I’m worried that he’ll force me to leave with him. Please, I know you have daughters, and you wouldn’t want them anywhere near someone like him. I know you know what he could do. Please don’t force me into this, please.” Tears filled her eyes, and Ivan sighed before nodding.
“Get going. I’ll make up an excuse. But Bambi, I can’t stop him from coming here, and at some point, he’s going to stop believing my excuses for you. I like you, but I need to keep my family safe. You understand what I’m saying?”
“Yes, I understand. Thank you.” She nodded hard.
She darted away to retrieve her bag and then ran for the back door. She had no idea if some of Tyson’s goons would be waiting in the parking lot, so she burst through the door like the devil himself was chasing her. He kinda was.
Renee’s head was on a swivel as she ran toward the bus stop—quickly checking the darkened driveways and bushes as she sprinted past them. She knew he couldn’t suddenly materialize out of nowhere, but he had enough men working for him that he didn’t need to search for her. Car lights flashed on the road, letting her know a vehicle was coming up behind her, and her heart sputtered until she spotted the bus. She said a little prayer of thanks as the bus passed her and pulled over just as she arrived.
Breathing heavily, she jumped up the bus steps and tossed her bag on a seat near the front because she needed to stay in view of the bus camera. Pulling the hood up on her sweater, she scrunched down and made herself as small as possible. Her heart was still beating fast, her body shaking uncontrollably. Her fear of Tyson felt like an anaconda around her throat.
After a moment, she punched her leg and savored the little bit of pain as she swore in her head, angry that she let that piece of shit intimidate her.
She needed to get the hell out of this city. She’d mentioned to Francine about leaving the state and had ideas of how to accomplish a move floating around her mind.
She had nothing holding her here. All she had to do was clear out her accounts and buy a pair of bus tickets to the middle of nowhere. She and J.J. could start a whole new life. They could lay low…or fuck, just some good news would be nice. She took a deep breath to steady herself and then unzipped her bag and pulled out the envelope from the Martha Graham dance school.
She stared at the front of it like it was the Holy Grail.
“Please, please, let this be good news. Please, for the love of god, let something go my way.” Taking a deep breath, she ripped open the brown envelope.
