"Vincent's here. He just left the VIP section and moved closer to the dance floor. As we walk back to the bar, he'll be on your right. I'll be walking on your left. No matter what, I want you to keep looking at me. If you make eye contact with him it will ruin your plan."
"Got it."
I stop grinding on Cooper, close my eyes, and just cling to him for a minute.
"You sure you want to do this?" he asks.
I open my eyes, nod at him, and Party-Girl-Keatyn yells to Sander, "I think we need another drink!"
The small pack of us makes our way back to the VIP section.
Cooper keeps his arm tightly wrapped around me.
Party-Girl-Keatyn gabs loudly the entire way. "So I can't decide what I'm in the mood for. Should we have hypnotic, lemon drop shots, or should we should just keep going with the Don Julio?"
Just as I finish my sentence, I feel Cooper's grip on my waist tighten and I know we're about to walk by Vincent. I keep my eyes locked on Cooper's and stay in my role.
"How about you, sexy?" I say loudly to Cooper. "What are you in the mood for?"
Cooper mumbles something and I laugh loudly. "I think we'd get arrested for that, baby."
"Keatyn, darling, let's do Fireball shots," Danny yells back at me.
"Hot, just like us," Sander and I yell at the same time.
Which makes me forget about Vincent for a second and actually laugh for real.
While Sander is ordering shots, Cooper keeps watch behind me. "It's time to go. He's headed this way."
I pat Sander on the back. "I have a surprise for you boys. Keep an eye out for me."
"Move now," Cooper says, quickly leading me to one of the pass-only doors.
He flashes our pass to the guard, who lets us through.
"I'm still worried about getting you down."
"I know." I lead him to the DJ booth and get Troy's attention.
"Damn, girl," Troy says, giving me a hug. "I've missed you. Not the whiner boyfriend, but I've missed you."
"Brooklyn's not my boyfriend anymore."
"If you weren't our friend, I would have kicked his ass for all the bitching he did. You had fun though, didn't you?"
"I had a blast being on tour."
"Damian says you're going to be in our video."
"If you guys still want me, yeah."
He looks at me again. "We do. So, keep going down the hall. Second door on the left is where all the girls are. They'll tell you what to do."
"Why don't you walk down there, Cooper, and check it out. I'll be right there."
As soon as he's out of earshot, I say to Troy, "Were you able to get it?"
"Are you sure about all this? Damian gave me an earful before I left. I assume you want this guy to see you but not get close?"
"Exactly."
"That shouldn't be a problem. Patrons aren't allowed to touch the cages."
"Still."
Troy sighs. "Fine. It's duct taped to the floor. I put a little spot of glow-in-the-dark paint on both ends of the tape. The safety's on but, Keats, the last thing we need is a shoot-out in a packed club."
"I won't use it unless I absolutely have to."
He musses my hair. "You looked great dancing out there. Wherever you've been has been good for you."
"Thanks. You look like a rock star."
"It's pretty exciting, huh? "You and Me" has been getting a ton of airtime. The label thinks we'll hit the Billboard chart this week."
"Seriously? Damian didn't tell me that."
"He has some new tail he's after. But I'm not complaining. He's written some seriously amazing shit this week."
"He's in love."
"Apparently. Okay, so get down there. You only have a few minutes."
In the dressing room with the paid dancers, I get a quick makeover by Marla, the woman in charge. She cakes on more makeup and glues on the huge glow-in-the-dark eyelashes the dancers are known for.
Then she adds glow-in-the-dark paint to strategic locations on my body. Stripes fanning out from my eyes. Four stripes around the clover tattoo on my wrist. A swirly stripe across my left shoulder blade. Filling in numerous diamond shapes in my fishnets.
She stands back and looks at me with an artist's eye, trying to decide where else to put the paint, when she spots my tattoo.
"Oh, I like this," she says, outlining it. "What's it mean?"
"Chaos."
"Love that. We should all have those. I've always said that if they ever give this place a name, it should be called Utter Chaos."
After a few words of advice, I'm being locked in a cage and swung out over the now jam-packed dance floor.
I look through the neon sunglasses I'm supposed to wear to start the dance and quickly see Vincent standing in his former spot, his calculating eyes searching the dance floor.
I hang onto the bars of the swinging cage until I'm lowered onto a six-foot-high platform just to Vincent's left.
Vincent blinks his eyes, wondering if it's just his imagination.
But it's not.
It's her.
She came back for him.
When he works his way into the VIP section to retrieve her, she's gone.
Did she go back out to dance?
He goes back to his usual location, where he has the best view of the dance floor.
The cages, where the paid dancers gyrate, hit the platforms, the music screeches to a halt and a new song plays, causing the Plexi-glass bases of each cage to light up, flashing with the beat.
The girls start dancing in their cages, but his focus is on the dance floor. She's got to be out there.
He notices a little crowd gathering around one of the cages. He looks up and sees her moving her hips. Dancing in a very sexy way. He stands completely still.
Mesmerized.
Then she bends over, shakes her ass, and blows a kiss over her shoulder, straight toward him.
It's a sign. She's ready. She wants him to get her out of her symbolic cage. Rescue her.
Vincent stands up and pushes his way through the crowd while she slides on sunglasses, pretending not to see him as she continues to shimmy.
Vincent gestures to one of the bouncers surrounding the cage, hands him a large tip, and tells him that he'd very much like to meet the dancer in the VIP section. Right now.
The bouncer speaks into his headset, as he leads Vincent up the stairs.
We're almost there, Lacy.
A few minutes later, my cage starts moving upward.
The girls usually dance in the cage for thirty minutes, then rotate to a VIP lounge platform. Which, obviously, I wasn't planning to do. The dancers, though, love the VIP area, as it's where they earn the majority of their tips.
I notice that my cage is the only one moving.
Were supposed to all come in at the same time.
I glance at the timer that counts down my shift, and see I should still have twenty-two minutes left.
That means Vincent requested me.
I try to imagine what his impromptu plan might be. I'm sure he's planned out what he'd do if he ever saw me here.
But I doubt his plans included me being in a cage.
At least I know I'm safe backstage.
But as I'm being lowered, I see Vincent coming backstage, a bouncer escorting him.
I look in every direction, searching for Cooper, but not seeing him anywhere.
My heart starts to race and I tell myself to calm down. It's not like he's got a van sitting out back every week. The valet told me he drives a Porsche.
The bouncer's job is to protect me. Look, don't touch is what they always tell people.
I should have thought about this before. If he found me, how would he get me out of the club?
Then I remember Miami.
He'd drug me.
Slip me a roofie.
Use a needle.
Help his sick friend to the car. She just had a little too much fun, he'd say.
Maybe I should go back to the VIP area with him just to see what he'd do.
But then another possibility pulses through my brain. Vincent hurts, drugs, or kills the bouncer. In his slick suit, it would be easy to underestimate his strength.
Where the hell is Cooper?
And why did they let Vincent backstage?
I bend down, pull the duct tape off the gun, and slip it into the back of my shorts.
The cage is lowered backstage. Away from the harsh club lighting, he can see the violet in her eyes. The softness of her skin.
The bouncer stops him from getting closer to the cage.
She says to the bouncer, "I have twenty minutes left. You're going to get me in trouble with Marla."
The bouncer lowers his voice, siding with me, now that he's a thousand dollars richer. "I know you're new, but the gentleman here is a VIP. Big VIP. And he requested you now. You know the boss man is all about customer service."
"Fine. I'll go powder my nose, then I'll head up there."
It's sweet that she wants to look perfect for him, but he shakes his head at the bouncer. No way is she getting out of his sight.
"I think now would be better."
"Um, okay." The bouncer opens my cage and takes my hand to help me out.