The Phoenix Club (written as CJ Bishop)

CH 3: "A Willing Accomplice"

"S A V A N N A H ?" The apartment felt empty when Abel and Cole came through the front door. "Savannah?" Instant anxiety pinch Abel's gut; she knew he didn't want her going out at night. "Where the hell is she?"

Cole helped him to the small sofa. "Don't panic." Cole said. "I'm sure she's fine. Maybe she just ran down to the corner market." He stepped over into the small adjoining kitchen and grabbed up a note laying in plain sight on the round table. "There. See? She just went to the store really quick."

"I've told her..." Abel winced as he adjusted himself on the sofa. "...not to go out after dark. She knows better." He started to push himself up off the sofa with great effort.

"Whoa." Cole dropped the note back onto the table and came over to him. "What do you think you're doing, boy? Sit your ass down."

"I have to go find her." Abel groaned, but couldn't resist Cole's strong hands pushing him back down on the sofa.

"Look." Cole said. "If you want, I'll go locate her. But maybe you need to lighten up a little bit, big brother. She is sixteen."

Sixteen in years. But Savannah had a fragility that made her seem much younger. "You know that she –" He broke off abruptly when the door opened and Savannah entered, stopping short when she saw Abel and Cole. The first thing Abel registered about the young girl was the slightly pale shade of her face. The second – her missing jacket. "Where is your jacket?" he asked sharp. "And why did you leave the apartment?"

"I wanted a soda." she said absently, her already large eyes widening a bit as she stared at her brother. "What happened to you?"

"Nothing. I'm fine." In contradiction, he sucked a sudden sharp breath through clamped teeth as he shifted on the sofa again. "Where is your jacket? It's too cold out for you not to be wearing a coat."

"I..." her large, sea green eyes darted away as she closed the door behind her and twisted the can of soda in her fingers. "I gave it away."

Abel glanced at Cole then back to his sister. Though sixteen, she looked about thirteen, maybe fourteen, her body somewhat petite, even stunted. Her hair lacked the luster of youth as she fingered her blond strands absently and continued to avoid direct eye contact.

"You...gave it away?" Abel shook his head, frowning. "Why? To who?"

The girl shrugged and walked over to the table. "A kid. He was cold."

"What...kid?" Abel insisted.

"Down by the mission." Savannah murmured.

"What?" Abel's brow pinched hard and he forced himself up straighter though it sent a sharp pain up his back and he gasped.

"Easy." Cole told him. "The doc said as little moving around as possible."

"Doctor?" Instant alarm grabbed Savannah's tone. "What happened?"

"Never mind that." Abel brushed it aside – partly because he still wanted to know why she had given away her only jacket – but mostly because he didn't want to go into details. Savannah knew he worked at the club, even knew it was a gay club. But the last she had been aware, he'd been working in the back handling boxes of liquor, restocking the bar. And he had never elaborated that it was a gay strip club – nor that he had been promoted to bartender, then to stripper. Some things she didn't need to know. "That was your only warm jacket. We can't afford to be giving stuff away, Savannah."

Cole cleared his throat. "I'll leave you two to work this out." he jabbed a finger at Abel. "You follow the doc's orders." he winked as a smirk twisted his lips. "Wouldn't want to have to go back in and see him, would you?"