SUMMER
Matt's wearing the same thing he was when he was working out, basketball shorts but he's added a white tee with the sleeves cut off, and a hat turned backwards on his head. There's something about seeing him in something other than his business attire that I love so much, but I keep a straight face as I dig my keys out of my purse and unlock my car.
"What are you doing here?" I ask as I open the drivers side door and set my stuff on the seat. I place my hands on my hips as I turn to look at him. He's silent. "How did you even know I was here?" He takes a hit off the cigarette he'd been holding in his hand and blows the smoke out in a large puff. I know he's agitated when he smokes. It's not something he does often.
"GPS on your phone. I set it up the same day we bought Landon that smart watch that's connected to our phones just in case something were to ever happen." I roll my eyes. Of course.
"So you can keep track of me?"
"I never had any intentions on using it except for an emergency, but you keep disappearing and not telling me where you're going."
"Did Brian call you?" Another hit from the cigarette. This time he tosses the butt to the ground and turns in his seat to face me.
"He was worried."
"I'm a grown woman who can come have a drink with friends. I don't need either of you keeping tabs on me." I brush my hair behind my ears and glare at him.
"Landon fell off the play set and cut his leg. He was crying asking for you. Stop being so fucking selfish." My stomach turns as I reach inside the car for my phone. How could I be so neglectful to my child? I'm so caught up in my own world I didn't think for a second the reason Brian was calling was because of Landon.
"Don't worry, I stopped by on my way here and calmed him down. He's okay. It just scared him and he wanted his mother." Matt's voice is void of any emotions, which is so far from who he was earlier. The darkness must be tamed for the time being.
"I have to go." I send a quick text to Brian letting him know I'm on my way, and turn to get in the car, but I'm stopped by Matt's hand. He's stepped out of the Jeep and pulls me to him.
"Stay away from this place, Summer. The shit that happened to you here is not okay. Why would you ever want to come back?" Memories flash before my eyes and I'm reminded of all the ways Matt has saved me even if he's capable of tearing me down all the same.
"I have to go to Landon, Matt. I can't take a trip down memory lane with you right now."
"Landon is fine, you're not. Stop fighting me."
"You haven't changed!" I cry out as I tear my arm away from him. "You did this! You tore us apart and left me to deal with all this shit alone. I have begged you to get help so many times, but you refuse." I can feel the tears threatening to fall but I force them back. I won't cry in front of him, not anymore. "Look at what you've done, look at the parent I am now because I'm so concerned with our disfunctional relationship I can't think of anything else. We're done, Matt. Over. Leave me the fuck alone." I tear myself away from him and get into the car. I pull away without looking back at him and head to Brian's to see my son.
++
TWO YEARS PRIOR
"Brandy, I'm going to need you on stage tonight." Roman, my boss, tells me as I walk in the door to the club. My eyes flicker over his shoulder to the stage where one of the girls is finishing her set.
"What do you mean?" I ask him as my eyes scrunch in confusion. "I took the bartending job because my boyfriend doesn't want me dancing anymore."
"Samara's kid is in the emergency room with a broken arm, there is no one else." His tone is firm and I know I won't be able to talk my way out of this.
"What about Dallas? You know she doesn't mind from time to time when we need her to fill in. She likes the money."
"Customers have been asking for you specifically. It's final. Dance, or I'm putting you on suspension."
"You're serious." My tone is accusing and I'm angry. This isn't part of the agreement we had.
"Extremely. Now find something to wear and be ready to go on stage in an hour." He walks away without another word and I let out an irritated huff.
Matt isn't going to be happy about this and neither am I. I'd stopped dancing weeks ago after Matt said it made him uncomfortable. He'd offered to pay for my apartment until I found something that paid well, but I took the job bartending instead. It pays almost the same, except some nights when It's slow and customers would rather tip the dancer than the person serving their drinks.
Its been nice to not have to be on stage. I can wear jeans if I want, and I can show up to work hours later than what I had as a dancer which meant more time with Landon. More time with Matt, too, since we have gotten serious.
I head into the dressing room and see Dallas sitting on the red leather couch along the wall in front of me.
"Hey, beautiful. What are you doing in here?" She asks me as I head over to the small closet that holds lingerie in case of emergencies like this one where I have nothing to wear.
"Roman is making me dance, tonight."
"Seriously? Why didn't he ask me? It's slow as fuck out there at the tables. Everyone is at the bar."
"Your guess is as good as mine." I start flipping through the remnants of lingerie and let out a sigh.
"Asshole." Dallas mumbles as she stands from the couch. "He's becoming a real pain in my ass. I'm going to go let him know." She walks out without another word and I roll my eyes with a smile. Typical Dallas. If she has an issue, she doesn't hide it.
I grab a simple black lace corset with stockings and black heels. As I change I think of what Matt will say if he walks in. It's not unusual for him to pop in to see me when he gets done at the office and my stomach turns.
A while later I'm on stage and I made sure to drink enough Jack Daniels to hide my nerves since I haven't been up here in weeks. The songs go by in a blur to me, I just want to get this over with and go home. Dollar bills litter the stage and I know I've made more tonight than I have since I stopped dancing, but it doesn't make me feel any better. I promised Matt this was over and that bartending was it. I didn't want to disrespect him that way. I'm his girlfriend, after all, and he's been so good to Landon. I don't want to lose him over something like this.
As I'm about to leave the stage, a fight breaks only about twenty feet from me. Usually when something like this happens, it only takes a few seconds for security to intervene and then it's over. This time isn't like every other.
The two men seem to be exchanging heated words, their voices loud enough to be heard over the music. My eyes scan the club nervously, where is Robby? My gaze lands on Melissa who has hopped up onto the bar to see what all of the commotion is about.
A circle of instigators has formed around the two men, and before I can even form a thought, the blonde aims a punch and lands it right on the brunette's nose. My heart stops in my chest when I see the blonde tackle the other and they end up barreling down on the stage.
My feet are glued to the spot on the fake hardwood, and I don't know what to do. The brunette struggles to get away from the other man, but the blonde tackles him down just inches from my feet.
"Robby! Roman!" I call out. Where the hell is everyone? I stumble backwards to get away but I'm knocked into by a face I can't see. More and more people are joining in now and before I know it it's an all out frenzy. I have to get off this stage. I search for any familiar face in the crowd and spot Dallas not far with a baseball bat.
"Dallas!" I shout for her, my hands shaking and my voice weaker than I'd like to admit.
"I'm coming!" Her voice rings out over the chaos. The two men are still brawling at my feet, both of their faces covered in blood. The men in the crowd are now fighting, over what I don't know. It could be gang related, that's common in this neighborhood.
Dallas finally makes it over to the edge of the stage where there are no stairs, so she sets the baseball bat down and holds her hands out to me. I kick the tall heels off my feet and take her hands in mine as I jump down. Once my feet hit the floor I feel someone latch onto my arm and I turn to see a biker dressed in a leather vest covered head to toe in tattoos. Before I know it Dallas has the bat back in her hands and she raises it with no fear in her eyes.
"Let go of her." There's venom in her voice and in this moment I couldn't love her more.
"What the hell are you going to do, slut?" His grip tightens and I try to yank myself free. The man brushes Dallas off and reaches for the panties I'm still wearing. I had just put the corset back on, so my upper half is covered.
"You didn't even show us the best part." The man says with a smirk. I glance over his shoulder and the club is in chaos. How did this happen? Where is security, Roman, anyone?
I look over my shoulder to see where Dallas is and a man is holding her around the waist, her arms constrained at her sides. The bat lays useless on the floor beside her and I know the man must have snuck up behind her. No way would Dallas surrender without a fight.
The man in front of me slips his hand into the thin lace material and I instantly feel sick. I raise my knee to hit him right between the legs and a lethal expression forms across his face.
"You shouldn't have done that." He tells me as he slaps me across the face. His hands grab me by the shoulders and he shoves me to the ground. He kicks me hard in the stomach and I curl into myself. Tears leak from my eyes as he kicks me over and over. My heart sinks. This fucking place. I just want to close my eyes and be at home. At home in bed with my son. This isn't happening. As long as I don't open my eyes this isn't really happening.
My head starts to feel fuzzy as the assault continues and I start coughing up blood. I try to lift myself up, I have to fight back somehow, but his steel toed boot hits me right between the shoulders and pushes me back down onto the dirty floor.
"Everybody freeze!"