Tough Guy: A Hero Club Novel, Jamie Schmidt [best books to read now txt] 📗

to Pahrump?” Jackie asked, cutting me off from bitching Dee out further.

“To piss Parker off and make him chase her.”

“Who exactly is Parker?” Jackie asked.

“He was her regular at Dalton’s.”

The mysterious white haired dude. Finally, we were getting somewhere.

“None of the other girls could get close to him but Lisa,” Dee continued. “Turns out, he’s a producer and she wanted to get into a musical that he’s going to do in Carson City. He was in Vegas raising funds for it and she offered to become a partner. But as a bartender, she wasn’t making enough money.”

Jackie shot me another look and I nodded. Now we knew why she became a stripper. I Googled “Parker producer,” but I wasn’t getting anything helpful.

“Zeke had set me up in Pahrump in an apartment a long time ago. I would entertain his friends when he needed me to and in return I could stay there and freelance when I wasn’t working in Dalton’s.”

“Zeke is your pimp,” I said bluntly.

“Was my pimp. Now I’m a free agent.” She looked around the room. “Sort of. It’s complicated. Anyway while Lisa was still at Dalton’s, she bitched to me that she needed more money in order to finance Parker’s show. I had the apartment in Pahrump. I figured she could try her hand at escorting. But she’s too uptight. So she decided to do exotic dancing at Dalton’s instead of bartending. Well, Parker nearly lost his mind. He bought up all of her dances and I think he really fell for her. But he told her that he’d never date a stripper.”

While Jackie was digesting that, I had questions of my own.

“Why did you, Zeke, and Paulie quit at the same time?” I asked.

“I quit because I got the job here. You have to stay on the property for the length of your contract so I couldn’t drive to Vegas to make my shift at Dalton’s.” She looked down at her hands. “I didn’t give notice because Liu is a shitheel and I had to start here immediately. I don’t know about Zeke and Paulie. As far as I know, they’re still working at Dalton’s.”

“They’re not,” I said.

“Back to Lisa,” Jackie butted in. “How did she end up in Pahrump if she didn’t want to go from being a stripper to a hooker?”

“Escort,” Dee corrected.

Jackie made an impatient gesture with her hand. “Whatever. Sex for money. When she left her Vegas apartment. She said she had room and board.”

“She did. I let Lisa stay with me. Zeke didn’t care as long as I kept escorting his friends. Lisa got the job here and would work while I was entertaining in the apartment.”

“What about Parker? He’s her boyfriend now, isn’t he?”

“He is now. When he went to Dalton’s one night and found out she vanished without a trace, he freaked out.”

“I know the feeling,” Jackie said dryly.

“She knew how to play him. She told Zeke to casually let it slip to Parker that Lisa was now working at a chicken ranch. Parker came riding in to rescue her, only to find out she was bartending instead of prostituting.” Dee snickered. “Anyway, Parker was fine with her being a bartender. So they started dating, but money was still a problem. She just wasn’t making bank like the rest of us. It pissed her off. I know Parker didn’t like her working at a house of ill repute even if she wasn’t selling her ass. I think she’s living with him now, but I’m not sure. She doesn’t return my calls.”

“Join the club,” Jackie said. “I think we’re done here.”

I got up. “I’ve got a few more questions.”

“You’ve got the time,” Dee said. She knew me better than to offer me anything else and I appreciated her not trying to hustle me to pay for a sex act with her. “What about Cordon Bleu?”

She brightened up. “I’m still going to go. This time to Paris. As soon as I make enough money.” Dee’s face dimmed a little. “It can’t come soon enough.”

“Did Zeke stay with you in the apartment?”

“Not usually. We have a business relationship. I don’t see him that way. Of course, the son of a bitch came here on my first shift. It was easy money, but that was the only way I’d sleep with him and he knew it.”

“Did you ever see him or Paulie do drugs?”

“Yeah, we all did some. It wasn’t a big deal.”

“Were you selling out of the club?”

“We weren’t. Ginny was the only one who was into that.” She dropped that like it was a big reveal.

“Leonidas supplied her, right?” I asked casually, playing a hunch.

“Probably.” Dee said. “The Rivs are getting more into the local businesses. I figured you were okay with it.”

I held on to my temper. “What do you know about the Rivs?”

“Zeke would know more. He brought them to me a few times.”

“Leonidas?”

“Once or twice, but mostly his lieutenants. They brag and talk.”

“Was Paulie selling?”

“No, but he talked a good game. He’s in love with Ginny. I think he pretended to sell to make himself look cool.” Dee rolled her eyes.

Grier might be able to get something helpful out of Dee. I’d have to suggest that he come up here to “talk” with her. “I’m sorry Liu was such a prick to you. You could have come to me and I would have ended it.”

“I was going to leave anyway as soon as one of the brothels picked me up. I was more sick of not being able to negotiate my own prices when Zeke set me up with dates.”

“Is the security tight here?”

She nodded. “They’re always on top of things. If you’re ever looking for a job, I’ll put in a good word for you.”

Jackie grabbed my hand and tugged. “He won’t be. We’ll leave you to it. If Lisa calls you, can you tell her to call me?”

“Sure,” Dee said. “And Miles, come back anytime.”

Ugh. She had to go there.

Jackie pulled me out of