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Spotting Ezra at the end of the alleyway, I text him. He receives it through his earpiece and makes his way into the club through the front entrance.
Ignoring Jayden, I make my way back into my parked car. Pulling out my phone and bringing up the picture of Camila, I tighten my fist around the screen.
Tonight.
Tonight, I will make sure she knows who I am.
Chapter 7
Camila
Lamps and neon lights illuminate the nightlife streets of Soho as I drive to another shift at DL. Drunk partygoers already fill the streets, stumbling and leaning on each other. The queue for Diamond Lounge stretches far down the road as I drive past and into the car park.
The bottom of my car clunks as I drive up the small ramp. It’s on its last legs, but there’s no way I can get it fixed without eating into my studio savings. I’m using this piece of crap until it packs in, then I’ll walk to the club if I have to.
I didn’t get much sleep last night. Between Luke’s relentless texting and thinking someone was following me, I struggled to get to dreamland. Obsidian stayed cuddling into my feet the entire night like a furry, protective little shadow. Not that I get many dreams anyway. Most are repeating nightmares of Luke finding me and making my life miserable before he points a gun at me and shoots, waking me up.
Goosebumps cover my arms at the thought of him, and dark shadows start to cloud my vision as my mind returns to the day I plucked up the courage to run away from him. How close I came to dying then.
Someone must have been watching over me that night.
Jayden is leaning against the brick wall next to the security door, smoking a cigarette in his black uniform, a yellow bouncer's armband hugging his pale, muscled arm. He grins and throws away his cigarette when he notices me. He knows I can’t stand smoking. It was one of the reasons I turned down his offer of sex the first time. The second time, he avoided smoking all night. Too many bad memories manifest from that smell, and I couldn’t even fathom intimately giving myself away to someone that smelt like everything that used to bring fear into me.
There’s a matte grey car parked in the alleyway tonight, which is strange.
“How is our best dancer feeling tonight?” He beams as I stand beside him, pushing on the security latch.
“Don’t let the other girls hear you say that.” I smile back at him, theatrically searching around the alleyway for other dancers.
He lets out a chuckle and steps closer. “Please. They all know you’re the only one I look for at the start and end of each shift.” He winks.
I’m flattered by his compliment, but Jayden has been chasing after me for months, despite me telling him I’m not interested multiple times. The guy is persistent; I’ll give him that.
“Thanks, Jay. I have to go, though. I’m late,” I say, checking my imaginary watch as I push through the door before he can get any closer.
He steps back, a disappointed look crossing over his face. “Have a good night, Vix.”
“You too.” I smile and shut the door.
Jayden is a handsome man with a killer smile, but he’s just not my type. After everything that happened with Luke, I was desperate to feel close to someone. To finally be in control of what was happening with my body. And while Jayden was respectful enough during our one-night stand, it wasn’t satisfying. Clearly, I wasn’t built to be pleasured. And I haven’t even thought about getting serious with another man since Luke. My walls are up, and I intend to keep them up. I don’t want to trust too easily. Not anymore.
Clothes fly everywhere as I enter the changing room. A tangle of limbs and half-naked girls fills the room.
Close enough to a Michelangelo painting.
The girls make me a path as I weave my way through them to my desk. Corrine is already dressed in her purple leather booty shorts and crop top.
“Going casual tonight?” I ask, dropping my gym bag on the floor by my feet and sitting in front of the mirror, getting started on my makeup.
“I need to keep the audience on their toes. They don’t just get to see all this every night.” She gestures to herself with a mascara wand. “Long night?” she asks, probably noticing the darkening circles under my eyes again.
“Like you wouldn’t believe,” I sigh. “The neighbour was up until five in the morning playing drum and bass music again. I swear, one of these days I’ll be able to get some sleep.”
Lie. I’m getting too good at it.
“You need a night off.”
“The dream isn’t going to chase itself.” It’s literally right there in front of me. I think by next year I’ll have saved up enough. And this club—dancing—is the only thing that stops my mind from reliving every fucked-up event from my past.
