Chapter 10

The house was quiet as I tied my shoes.

Lake was off meeting with Gio. Parker wanted to chat with him and didn"t want to do it on Lake"s lines in case they were tapped. They probably were. That"s why we used the secret burners, but Parker didn"t want to listen to that.

Atlas and Joaquin were already at Snatched. Atlas had a meeting with a reporter, and she"d had a crush on Atlas for years. It worked in our benefit for him to meet with her.

And Joaquin didn"t want to give him a chance to do something fucked up, so he"d tagged along to check on inventory.

Me? There was a staff meeting for the performers, and I was the best for that job. My chest expanded with the swell of pride.

Growing up next to the guys, I wished so hard that I could contribute somehow. They always seemed intent on babying me.

Fashion helped me find my place. More than that, dealing with those snakes, I learned a better skill. Charisma. I was who I needed to be and I had a knack for making people feel comfortable.

I glanced up at the ceiling. Beasty had come down for breakfast, ignored all of us, grabbed a protein yogurt, and headed back upstairs.

She was pissed. I understood that.

Lake was an idiot for sending evidence back. He stupidly thought we were untouchable. We weren"t, not completely, but we could take care of ourselves.

Beasty didn"t know that though.

The hell of it was, I missed her. Every time I saw her and she didn"t acknowledge me, I wilted on the inside. Soon, there"d be nothing left to nurture back to health.

I didn"t want that. I was sure she didn"t want that either. I simply had to make her see that she belonged here with us.

To do that, I needed her to actually spend some time with me. Arranging my face into a pleasant, but soothing expression, I walked to her room.

I rapped my knuckles against her door. My heart started to twist up into a beautiful little knot waiting for her to open it.

Then I heard footsteps. She was coming, and my heart soared.

She wanted to be here. I knew it with every cell in my body.

Beasty opened the door wide enough to show her body and not an inch more. Fire still burned in her eyes.

Now that it was only the two of us, I had more time to study her. To figure out what was in that smart head of hers.

How her brows pushed up in the center, the tightening of the skin under the eyes, it all told a story.

The truth, really. The eyes were the one thing about a person that didn"t lie...

Unless they were a psychopath, which Beasty was not.

God, she was so far from that, I wanted to wrap her up. No, have her wrap me up, and lay in bed with her for eternity.

Firming up my spine, I nodded, more to myself than to her. I"d get us there.

I had to. Losing her wasn"t an option. So I"d play Atlas" game, but we needed to get her on the board to make our moves.

"Hey," I smiled.

"Hey," she returned, but didn"t smile back.

Baby steps.

"I"m going to the club. I have a meeting with the dancers, and I want you to go with me." Keeping that calm expression plastered on, I studied her.

When she narrowed her eyes, I almost broke it to smile.

"Is this some kind of suck up so I won"t answer Gio and Adrian"s texts?"

That wiped all the good away from my face. Damn it. I was better than this. Joaquin had a terrible poker face when it came to real life, but he understood the game better than everyone else.

I was the one with the constant facial control.

"You can text them if you want. I don"t want to control you, I just want to spend time with you."

The skin around her eyes softened and I wanted to crow. It was all true anyway. I wished I could stitch Beasty to my side so she was never apart from me.

Atlas wanted to constantly watch her. I just wanted to touch her. But I couldn't yet.

"Kim..." She stepped back, opening her door.

Not giving her a chance to second guess her decision, I stepped inside. "Yes, Beasty?"

When she first came back to us, I was hesitant to push. It hurt so damned much when she left before.

"Nothing," she said as she shook her head. "I just need to get dressed and then we can go." She walked toward her backpack and sat down as she started rifling through it.

"Why don"t you wear something that I bought you?" I crouched down on her level and caught her attention. When her gaze collided with mine, I fought hard not to rock back from the punch to the gut. Her attention was like a sledgehammer. So heavy, strong. Powerful.

In the past, I couldn"t hold it for very long, but I gritted my teeth. I wanted her gaze on me. And I wanted to show her exactly how much I liked it. If I took a little more charge, maybe that would make all the difference this time.

Beasty"s hand hovered over the top of her backpack. She had worn some of the new pieces to Snatched, so this didn"t make sense.

"I don"t fit in those. They're not me." She twisted her lips to the side and dropped her gaze.

Those few words followed up the sledgehammer with a hot knife. I had picked out all of her clothes. Every single one of them. Not the guys. Not the designers. Me.

With her body in mind.

"What does that mean?" I dropped back on my butt, lowering my head.

Raking her hand through her hair, she let out a frustrated noise in the back of her throat. "Kim..." Her top lip curled as she twisted and sat against the wall.

At first, she only looked at the ground, then she started to raise her eyes to mine and my heart thumped erratically in my chest, trying to break free of its confines.

Was this where she told me she was leaving? That she didn"t feel the same intense connection that we did to her?

Lies. It would be lies.

"I don"t feel comfortable in those clothes. I only wore them because I didn"t want to embarrass you and the boys," Beasty sighed, beating her head softly against the wall. She closed her eyes and then I could breathe again, even as that hot knife twisted a little deeper.

"You could never embarrass us," I said with a little more force than I intended.

Her eyes popped open and her gaze roamed over my face, taking in every feature. Her wide mouth frowned, and I wanted to kiss the corner of her pink lips.

"It doesn"t feel that way. But I like my jeans. I like my ratty old T-shirts."

"Beasty." I winced. "They look like they"re literally falling apart at the seams. Your jeans have holes around the corner pockets and they‘re dangerously close to showing your crack. Which sometimes is a fashion statement but not with those pieces."

She busted out laughing, gripping her stomach and rolling over until her shoulder knocked the backpack sideways. "Sorry." She waved a hand and pushed herself up. "I just..." Rifling through her backpack, she pulled out a pair–which I only think she had two–of jeans and checked the back pockets. Then another round of giggling started.

Weirdly, the giggle was soothing where the laugh had been jarring.

"Are you okay?" I furrowed my brow, aching to reach out, but instead resting my hands on my knees.

Shaking the jeans at me, Beasty sat forward. "You know what"s special about these jeans?"

"What?" I asked, turning my head to the side. This felt like a trick question.

"I bought them. I paid for them with my own money. I picked them out at the thrift shop."

I wasn"t dense. She was trying to tell me something significant, but she was being ridiculous.

"They"re falling apart." I stared hard at her. In no world would I let her walk around in clothes like that.

"They"re mine," she fired back.

Now I made the choking noise in the back of my throat. Jumping up to my feet, I went into the closet.

It was a masterpiece with sections for each type of attire and all the trimmings, not only to make it aesthetically pleasing, but easy to navigate. I"d had it painted in neutral tones so she could really see how any outfit worked for her.

There was even an angled antique mirror in the corner for full body inspections.

All of the efforts currently wasted.

The very front right panel was loungewear, and the next was casual wear. I opened the second drawer in the second panel and pulled out a pair of jeans closest to the style she had. The material was buttery soft, but thick enough they weren"t going to thin out after two wears.

On the rack above the drawers, I pulled down a white, fitted tee. A basic model outfit, but a classic.

When I turned, she stood in the door to the closet, her arms crossed.

I didn"t like that. It wasn"t an obstinate gesture. It was an insecure one.

As if I were approaching a wild animal, I moved toward her. No sudden movements, no loud motions.

"If you were starving and only had ramen, I wouldn"t let you eat it if I could give you more nutritious food. Ramen does nothing for your body and it"s high in sodium. Not to save your pride if it was hurting you." She opened her mouth, but I gave a slight shake of my head. "Your clothes aren"t hurting you, but there"s no need to wear clothes that are so old, they should have been thrown away two years ago. I picked every single piece of clothing in this closet based on what I thought would look good on you. What I thought you deserved. You don"t like it? We"ll throw it out. It"s uncomfortable? We"ll find new styles, but please, Beasty, let us take care of you in this way.

"Let me take care of you like this. It"s the only way I contribute to anything around the house."

She peeked at me as she took the jeans and tee from my hands, and moved her thumb back and forth across the material.

I hoped these were okay.

"You are a model, Kim. You literally made it possible for you four to get out of West Virginia."

Another twist of that fucking hot knife.

We got out, and she didn"t. I heard everything she didn't say.

"Being a pretty face opened doors, but there"s no talent in that."

Again, she opened her mouth to argue, but I shook my head. "All the guys are good at something that really helps us out. All I have is my face and fashion sense. Don"t take that from me because you"re stubborn." One side of my smile kicked up.

She left me in the closet and then the bathroom door shut.

That was a good sign.

Today was going to be great, I could tell.

When she stepped out of the bathroom, I lost my breath. Damn. It was such a simple outfit, but it molded perfectly to her body, highlighting every asset Beasty had. I did that. I picked out the perfect size and cut that did more than flatter her figure. Combined with her sharp gaze, it made her a goddess.

I held out my arm, but she walked past me. My smile dimmed but I didn"t lose it completely.

It didn"t even bother me that she refused to speak on the drive to Snatched. Much.

It was a short ride, anyway.

"This way," I nodded when we entered through the front. There was a small crowd in the main room since the bar was open and serving lunch.

Strange for a club, but it worked for us and pandered to the business crowd.

I led her through the back hall to one of the public rooms. This part of the club was closed during the day, so the halls were empty, except a few lone dancers straggling in.

This was only my third meeting. The third meeting with the dancers–period–outside of their training with the hired choreographer.

An extra pep was high in my step as I opened the door and stood to the side for Beasty to enter ahead of me. I may have had a hellacious childhood, but I had learned manners.

The dancers were laughing and chatting, lounging around the stage and platforms. When they saw us, it dwindled. Beasty slowed and let me pass by.

This time, it didn"t seem like insecurity, but uncertainty.

"How are you badasses doing today?" I called out. I didn"t even need to raise my voice that much, the acoustics were really well done in the room.

The women whooped, and the men laughed.

Beasty gave me a sideways look. She"d never seen me be anything other than my bashful self with her, or the smiling coy model for the fashion world. This would be a treat.

"We"re doing just peachy," Rachel called from the back. She was the second dancer we hired. Classically trained with contemporary roots as well. She fit right in for some of the more emotional dances we had planned.

"How have the last few days been since the...mishap?" I tapped my lips to only partially cover my smirk.

We hadn"t made Lake's and Joaquin's arrests public knowledge, but the club had been temporarily closed for a short time during the search. We couldn"t hide that. Although to the public, we covered with the story of a burst pipe.

Another round of snickering made its way through the room. All good-natured. Club and sometimes restaurant workers were usually nonplussed about shady business dealings. We also had every single employee sign an NDA, and they were paid handsomely for their skills. More than if they found other positions around the area.

"The tips are the best I"ve ever gotten. And I"ve worked some pretty crazy parties." That was Roddy. Also ballet and contemporary, although I think he'd done a stint with the circus.

"I mean, you are working the themed rooms. The requirements to get in are high. Just wait until you make it to the invitation-only rooms." Not that we had dancers in those rooms per se, but they didn"t need to know that. They needed something to strive toward.

I swung my gaze around the room.

All the dancers were eager. Happy. It was just what I wanted to see.

"Now, we need to map out the dances." I searched for Andrea, finding her sitting on the edge of the stage across the room. "Andrea, do you have the rooms and assignments?"

"Yep! I have it all lined out." She hopped down and wove her way toward me. Andrea was the best choreographer on the east coast, and that was a feat. Yet, she was a tiny goth pixie. It was a conundrum my fashion brain loved, like a puzzle that didn"t make sense, yet tickled the mind in just the right way.

"We have John and Lina performing the masks in Room One. Georgie and Tom are assigned to the feral dance in Room Two. Bobby and Sin are in Room Three for urban." She ran down the list, rattling off about ten names for the neon whips in Room Four. "We are down a dancer for the big performance next month. It"s not pressing right now since we have so much time, but Alina found out she"s expecting, so she"s going to take some time off." Andrea tapped her thumb on the edge of her tablet, thinking.

"I–" I started to jump in but Beasty walked up next to me, completely focused on Andrea.

"Do you need dance experience?"

Andrea"s head shot up, and a condensing look fell over her face like a closing curtain, but her gaze flicked to me as she rearranged her features.

I wasn"t intimidating. I was likable, but I still held her job in my hands just like the others.

"Obviously. We"re performers." It was as close to the snark line as she was willing to get.

Beasty nodded, not caring about her attitude. That was what I loved about Beasty, even when she was alone in foster care, she"d seemed so strong.

"I"m a quick learner, and I work hard. Is there anything you"d be willing to teach me or where I could fit in?" She held her chin up as she looked down on Andrea.

Andrea was so tiny, and Beasty so tall, I was almost surprised Andrea didn"t get angry for Beasty flexing her size on her.

But Andrea was a bit of a battle-ax. She didn"t give two shits about anyone.

Raising one pointed eyebrow, she perused Beasty"s figure, never once glancing my way. Ballsy.

"You have the right body type. That"s half the battle for some disciplines. You can come in for a few training sessions for a trial. If you"re as quick a study as you say, I"ll give it a shot. If not, then no hard feelings. Maybe Kim will let you run drinks in the main room." Implying that was all Beasty could be good for.

"I"m sorry, Andrea. What kind of authority do you hold here?" I mused softly, the edges of my lips curling up when I really wanted to snarl at her.

Beasty wanted a job. I could maybe work with dancer if she was out of touching distance.

There was no way in hell that she"d run drinks and get groped or worse. Lake would constantly be in and out of jail until they just tossed away the key.

Andrea"s shoulders climbed up to her ears before she slowly canted her head toward me. Everyone else cut all the noise. They weren"t even breathing.

Andrea and the dancers needed just a teensy bit of a lesson.

"Just the choreography," she gulped. No way would she want to lose her very generous pay for something so stupid as a flippant comment to try and cut someone down.

She wasn"t like that, not really, hence her giving Beasty a shot. But she was still part of a very catty world. Dancing was just as bad as modeling. Maybe worse.

"You know my backstory, yes? All of our backstories?"

She nodded and I stepped closer, edging Beasty out of the way. I didn"t bother lowering my voice. I wanted everyone here to hear every word I said.

I wanted them to commit it to memory.

"Beasty is important to me."

Someone snickered in the back.

I snapped my gaze around the room, searching for the person too stupid to live. "Is that funny?" I called out. "Does someone have an issue with my friend?"

The culprit didn"t need to give himself up. The other dancers stepped away as if he was contagious. Glancing around nervously, he tried to smile but it was more of a wince.

"No, Mr. Kim." He was getting formal. Funny since I"d never asked anyone to call me that. "She"s beautiful." He ducked his head to hide his smirk. "I"m sure she"ll do great. It"s just a terrible name." He wiped his hands on his thighs. "Why would you call someone you care so much about, Beasty? It"s not very nice."

I frowned. He was trying to placate me and mock me at the same time.

"Let me tell you a story, Mr..."

"Roberts," he supplied, his voice only slightly shaking.

"My friend here, Cressida," I stressed her name as I laid my palm on the nape of her neck, "was homeless as a child."

I wasn"t sure if Beasty would take offense to that or not, but she stayed relaxed. Unbothered. And I reveled in the slight skin to skin contact so much, I almost lost my train of thought.

Almost.

"Through no fault of her own, she was put through hell. Do you know how hard it is to be hungry, or alone, or cold?"

The young man shook his head.

"Good. I wouldn"t recommend it. But my good friend, my best friend and lover really–she knows." Beasty stiffened but didn't interject. Good. There was hope. "That"s how she grew up. Everyone called her Beasty because she was wild." I smiled, nostalgia hitting my chest for the beautiful girl with a mess of tangled hair and dirt smudges on her cheeks. "She was happy. Yet she threw away her own version of safety to save my friends and me from the Curator. I"m sure you"ve heard of him?"

No one twitched. Not even Mr. Roberts acknowledged my question.

"It was terrible nasty stuff being imprisoned by that man. It was Beasty who saved us. So, I will take no criticism on her name. That is who she is. Because she"s wild, and brave, and fierce. Nothing like the rest of the world. She"s better than everyone else. That"s fact. Not opinion."

I turned to Andrea.

"If she wants to dance, she dances. If she wants to pop balloons with forks she holds between her toes, she can. We"ll put her on the main performing stage and call it modern art. No one will bat an eye and they"ll rave about the genius of it all. Understood?"

Beasty snorted and tried to cover it as Andrea nodded so hard her teeth clinked together.

"Great!" I widened my smile and curled my arm around Beasty. "We have some big visitors coming soon, and we need to make sure we have all performances nailed down before then. I"ll be walking through the rooms tonight to check everyone out. Beasty will be my date, won"t you Beasty?" I nuzzled the side of her face with my nose.

She pulled back and glanced at me, her eyes brimming with emotion. I"d like to think it was a step in the right direction. Then she narrowed her eyes. "Maybe."

Laughing, I tugged her around so we could leave. I was done with this meeting.

"You all will do great! I have complete faith in each one of you. You were hired for a reason. Oh, and Andrea." I stopped us, turning to the side to give Andrea a warning glare.

"No more veiled comments to break Beasty"s confidence. I won"t like it, and you don"t know it yet, but you don"t want to get on Atlas" bad side. As soon as his meeting is over, I"m sure he"ll be watching footage of this one."

She blanched. Good.

Now we just had to break it to the others that I set Beasty up with a job as a dancer. But I"d die on that hill.

Better a dancer on stage than running drinks in the crowd. Or working for Gio.