Night Dancer

Thirty

Watching the house from a short distance away, Alyssa saw Josh, Maeva and Mattie leave for school and as soon as they turned the corner she made her way back inside and took herself to her bedroom, where she changed into leggings and a t-shirt then sat down on the end of her bed, completely still for a moment before she picked up her phone and messaged Nick. Her phone beeped seconds later with a definitive yes and a welcome back. She hastily messaged him back and asked him not to tell Bret she was coming back. If Nick was surprised by this he didn't say, just messaged back ok. Sighing she messaged Bret, asking how his day was and telling him she had a busy one with meetings but she'd try and contact him that evening. She'd avoided the voicemails he'd asked for and instead text messaged instead as she knew if he heard her voice he would know something was wrong. For now Bret wasn't pulling her up on it and was simply texting back but she wasn't sure how long that would last for.

The doorbell ringing brought her from her thoughts and she headed downstairs, wondering if it was the postman. She wasn't expecting any parcels but she couldn't think of anyone else that would call during the day. She was shocked to open the door to find James Sullivan on her doorstep, his eyes hidden behind a pair of dark shades and dressed in a navy suit. He gave her a warm smile which she hesitantly returned, as she wondered why he was here.

"Well hello there Alyssa. I hadn't expected to see you here; I thought you were working for the Lionel family now?" His tone was even and she glanced at him before answering weakly.

"Oh, I'm... I'm not in work today, James. What can I do for you?"

"Is your dad home?"

"No... no he's not home right now. Can I help?"

"Maybe I could come in?" James asked, his tone still friendly. Alyssa gave him another wary look but then held the door open to admit him. He passed her with a smile and she forced herself to relax as she closed the door but then as soon as it was shut James' hand wrapped round the back of her neck and he pushed her through to the kitchen where he held her face down over the table and leaned over her growling down her ear. "So where the fuck is your daddy, Alyssa?"

"I... I don't know. Please, James, please let me up," she cried, her tone panicked. James tightened his grip though and she gave a small cry.

"He's gone again has he? He owes me a lot of money, girl. A. Lot. Of. Money." He spoke slowly and clearly and she struggled against his grip futilely.

"How much? I'll pay off whatever he owes you!"

"I doubt Linus pays you that much," he said, with a dark chuckle.

"Then I'll come and work for you again! Please, please James, please let me up." Her voice cracked with fear and he released her abruptly, adjusting his cuffs as he did so and moving back as she straightened and stepped back to put the table between them, rubbing her neck subconsciously. He studied her for a moment and then smiled again, a small, cruel smile that wasn't reassuring at all.

"Six months, three nights a week without any kind of pay and we'll call it straight. And you keep your mouth shut, do you understand me? Iris doesn't know a thing about it, ok?"

"Yes sir," she replied, quickly though her heart sank at the pronouncement. She had hoped to secure work with James again, but paid work that would help her to pay off what was owing to the APA, who she was scheduled to see later that day to get the final figure of their debt there. She knew that a few nights at Masquerade paid a whole lot more than Fantasy Bookings and would allow her to pay off a significant chunk of her father's debt in a lot less time but it seemed he hadn't been satisfied with owing them a lot of money and now owed James as well. At least the loan there seemed to be significantly smaller. James cocked an eyebrow at her.