Heart of Light (7 page)

“I know it’s not exactly legal,” she responded quietly. “But I’m happy to just work for tips. I don’t even want to get paid hourly or anything.”

Elsie grinned, glancing toward the back of the bar stocked with liquor bottles. “Do you know how to mix a drink?” She raised her eyebrows.

Jolene flashed back to her years at the hotel. She knew how to make more drinks than she cared to think about. That’s what
he
liked. He liked all of his girls to know how to mix a good drink. They had to. It was expected. Offer the men in the poker room a drink. Smile when they served it and don’t brush away any wandering hands because hands that wandered would eventually want you for the night, and that made
him
money.

“Yes,” she said quietly. “I can make drinks.”

“Well, good,” Elsie responded. “This place gets pretty busy on the weekends and it becomes a cash only bar, meaning all tips will be cash only, too, so it’ll be the perfect job for you.”

“Do you own this place?” Jolene asked, wondering how Elsie could make a deal for her to work there for tips only. She looked too young to own what appeared to be a popular beach-side bar and restaurant.

“Nah. My dad does, but I pretty much run the show these days. He’s getting older and wants to see the place stay in the family. Plus, I love people too much to want to do anything else. So what do you say, Tomorrow?” She leaned against the bar. “Want a job bartending? It’ll be Thursday through Saturday nights to start, plus some holidays. But the tips alone are pretty good. The further into the summer season we get, you’ll probably be needed on a few other nights, too. For now, we’ll give you the busiest nights.” She winked.

A wide smile crossed Jolene’s face. “That’s perfect.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“R
ALPH
,
WHAT
THE
FUCK
happened the other night?” Anthony Falconi asked his nervous-looking associate as he paced his office. “How could she possibly get out? Where were Frank and Lenny? They were supposed to be keeping watch outside of the suite!”

The longer he talked, the more upset he became. There were so many security protocols in place, but his Jolene made it through every single one. It was almost as if the entire hotel staff was in on it. He didn’t see how that could happen. His employees had no knowledge of the girls. Falconi felt as if he was losing control of everything. The carefully structured system that he built up over the years was beginning to crumble around him.

“I’m on it, boss. Apparently, a few of the girls had clients who left early and, well…I don’t think I need to spell it out for you,” Ralph explained, raising his eyebrows.

“Have they been dealt with?” He crossed his arms in front of his stomach, his muscles flexing, making his polo shirt tighten around his biceps. For a man pushing sixty, he prided himself on his physique.

“Yes. They have. I sent…”

“I don’t want to know the details,” Falconi interrupted. “You know, the whole plausible deniability thing my lawyer keeps saying has been saving my ass.” He winked.

Ralph chuckled. “Got it, boss.”

Falconi sat down, drinking his bourbon, wondering who was behind it all. It had been years since one of the girls had gotten out. But Jolene… She was
his
girl and had even tighter security around her.

“We may have some idea about who could have helped the girl escape,” Ralph said once it was apparent his boss had calmed down a bit.

Falconi raised his head. “And who would that be?” he asked, his irritation showing. “Didn’t you think that maybe you should lead with that piece of information instead of it being a fucking footnote?” he fumed.

“Well…” Ralph nervously fidgeted with his belt buckle and adjusted his pants around his rotund waist. “I saw that head of housekeeping taking a laundry cart down the same night. I stopped her, thinking it was odd that she was just getting to it so late at night, but the bitch said they were short-staffed that day.” Ralph eyed his boss, his heart beginning to race when he saw the angry expression return to his face.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Falconi. I should have stopped and searched the damn cart, but it was a conceivable explanation,” he said frantically.

“Ralph, stop using words you don’t know the meaning of.”

He nodded his head nervously. “You got it, Mr. Falconi. I had heard all the maids complaining about a few of the other girls calling out sick so it made sense. I tried to stop her from getting in the elevator when I heard her talking to the cart. I’m sorry, boss. I fucked up.” He glanced at Falconi, worried that he would meet the same fate as Frank and Lenny. His entire body trembled as he silently waited, staring at his boss.

Falconi took a deep breath, the room remaining eerily silent. Ralph was his right-hand man. He had been with him since the early days. Their relationship had lasted over thirty years. That was longer than a lot of marriages. The last thing he wanted to do was get rid of him and find someone else to replace him, but he
did
fuck up.

“You want to make it up to me?” he asked, his eyebrows raised. “Find the fucking girl,” he growled, leaning into Ralph from across the desk, his face just inches away. He could smell the fear coming off of him. “The longer she is gone, the angrier I’ll get. Dispose of everyone that helped her. Or make their lives a living hell. Because my life without Jolene is a living hell. She is mine! Bring her back!”

He threw the glass against the wall, shattering it into hundreds of tiny pieces as he walked out of his office, slamming the door behind him.

J
OLENE
ARRIVED
BACK
AT
her beach house with a smile on her face, content to have some source of income. She still couldn’t believe how nice and helpful everyone was. Maybe finding the beach rental and calling Benny was exactly what she needed. Nothing had gone right for over ten years. It was time something finally did.

Rummaging through her bag, she found her keys and climbed up the stairs to the deck. She halted when her eyes set on the front door that was slightly ajar. Retracing her steps in her mind, she was absolutely certain that she had closed and locked it before leaving.

Her eyes grew wide in panic, every last nerve in her body trembling as fear consumed her. Did
he
find her already? She cautiously backed away in a feeble attempt to not alert anyone to her presence. As she gingerly tiptoed across the deck, one of the old floorboards creaked beneath her weight, making her cringe. Several deliberate steps sounded from inside the house.
This is it
, she thought to herself.
It’s all over
.

Jolene heard the door swing open and she bolted down the stairs, refusing to give up her freedom so easily.

“Whoa! Where you running off to, Tomorrow?!” a soothing voice called out just as she turned the corner in the direction of the main road.

She stopped dead in her tracks, her heart still racing. She couldn’t believe how quickly her brain immediately assumed that
he
would be in her house.

Her chest heaved as she gazed out at the crashing waves of the ocean, hoping the pacifying sound of the water would calm her nerves.
He’s not here. He’s not here. I’m safe. I’m free
. She kept repeating those words over and over as she felt a warm presence approach behind her.

“Are you okay?” Cam asked, his voice tranquil.

“I’m fine,” she said quickly, trying to hide how unsettled she was. Spinning around, she walked past him toward the house, keeping her eyes lowered. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, making her entire body still shake in apprehension. Just the thought of being found made her sick to her stomach.

“Wait up!” he called out. “What is going on? Who are you running from?”

Jolene faced him, her eyes blazing. “Stop pretending you know so much about me,
Cam
,” she said snidely, thinking that it would be so much easier if he would go back to acting like the asshole he was earlier that morning. Now that he was acting like a compassionate, caring, and kind individual, she felt her resolve beginning to crack. All because of a pair of sympathetic silver eyes and a warmhearted smile.

“You don’t know a thing about me, or where I’ve been, or what I’ve been through,” she continued, her voice raised. “I don’t need someone like you in my life…someone that changes personalities on a whim. I need…” She trailed off, taking a deep breath. “I just need to be alone.” She walked away.
 

“No one needs to be alone. You need a friend. Let me be your friend.”

“I already have a friend. One without this multiple personality disorder that you seem to be suffering from.” She spun around, facing him again. “And what were you doing in the house anyway? I understand that you own it and all, but I value my privacy, and every time I come home, I don’t want to have to be worried that…”

She stopped short, the panic of
him
finding her returning as she scanned the beach. She felt exposed standing out in the open on the street where anyone could see her. She rubbed her arms, trying to warm her body from the chills running through her from the thought of walking into her house and seeing
him
there.

She could picture it all in her head, clear as day. He would sit on her couch, cross-legged, sipping on a scotch, his appearance inviting and soothing at first. His eyes were always gentle and kind, the perfect mask to hide the horror and pure evil that cursed his soul. He would simply watch her, scanning his eyes over every inch of her body, licking his lips in a sinister and vile way as he planned what he had in store for her.
“Come, Jo-Jo Bear,
” he would say, holding his hand out.
“Come show me how much you appreciate everything I’ve done for you.”
She would bow her head in shame and bend to his will. It was what she was trained to do. She shuddered, the image in her head all too real.
 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you earlier.” Cam approached her as she nervously glanced up and down the sandy road. “I was hoping I would be finished before you got back from lunch,” he said sweetly. “Come here. Let me show you something.” He took a few steps past her toward the house before turning around and holding his hand out for her.

Jolene looked at him skeptically, unsure of whether she should follow him. She met his eyes as he kept his hand outstretched to her, his expression pleading with her, and she began to feel safe after her brief moment of trepidation.

“Fine.” She ignored his hand and continued past him up the remainder of the road. As she stepped into the living room, Cam behind her, she spun around to face him. “So, what is it you want to show me?” she asked, protectively crossing her arms over her chest.

He took several cautious steps into the kitchen area. “This.” He opened the refrigerator. “I know you don’t have a car, so I wanted to make sure that you had some food. It gets expensive eating out all the time. I didn’t know what you liked, so I got a little bit of everything.”

Jolene gawked at him, shocked. She barely heard a word he was saying as she looked at the fully-stocked refrigerator, wondering why a complete stranger would do something like that for her. She slowly made her way to the pantry, Cam’s voice becoming simply background noise. Earlier that morning, the cupboards were practically barren. Now, they were overflowing with essential items, as well as more food than she could possibly eat over the next month.

It just didn’t make any sense. Why did he go above and beyond what was expected of him? Why would anyone go out of their way to help her? Unless…

“I see what’s going on here,” she said quietly, interrupting Cam as he was telling her about a local fish market on the opposite side of the island where he had picked up some fresh salmon.

“What?” he asked, his brows furrowed.

“I get it.” Jolene’s expression turned into one of resignation. She took a deep breath before fixing her face into the look that she had mastered over the past decade.

“What do you get?” He swallowed hard, the atmosphere in the room becoming tense. His heart thumped in his chest as he watched Jolene saunter across the kitchen toward him, her hips swaying in such a way that made him feel a sudden twitching in his pants.

“You did something nice for me,” she said in a sultry voice, her body just a mere breath from his, trying to summon the inner strength to allow him to touch her.
Just turn it off, Jolene
, she reminded herself.
Let the darkness come. It won’t hurt that way.
“Now you expect something nice in return.” That’s how
he
worked. That’s how all men worked.

“No! Not at all!” Cam said loudly, backing away. “What do you take me for?! Some creep?! I did
not
buy you groceries so you would sleep with me.”

A confused look crossed Jolene’s face. “Then why did you?” she asked quietly. “I just assumed…”

“You assumed I’m
that
big of an asshole that I’d expect you to sleep with me if I bought you food?” Sighing, he ran his hand through his hair, softening his tone. “I may have been a prick this morning, but I assure you… I’m one of the good guys. I would never,
ever
take advantage of a woman like that,” he declared passionately, his eyes burning with sincerity.

Jolene lowered her head, embarrassed.

“Hey, Tomorrow. Look at me,” Cam said, his voice comforting. “Please,” he begged when she remained unmoving. “You have the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen. Let me look at them.”

She looked up, their eyes meeting and, for the first time in years, a unique sensation seemed to overtake her entire being…a feeling she had never encountered before in the presence of a man. She almost felt free. The one thing that she didn’t feel, the one thing she thought she would always feel in the company of a man, was fear. She actually felt alarmingly safe, even though she had yet to spend five minutes with him.

A small laugh escaped and a smile spread across her face. “You really think so?” she asked, wiping her tears, hating that she had let him see her vulnerable side.