Renegade: Vampire Outlaw

Chapter Six

The Lair

Lower Eastside, New York

Caleb

Under the hot, bright lights of the stage, my body was nearing the point of exhaustion. The music stopped on the last swing around the pole as I breathed a sigh of relief and sat down near the edge of the stage. Sweat clung to my body like water as if I had just taken a bath. I wiped my face with a towel when I noticed Sergei making his rounds. He came to me dressed in a suit that was clearly custom-made and well out of my price range. Not that I wouldn't be ever caught dead in one. I only use them for dancing, not to make a fashion statement.

"Good to see you again, Caleb." He said. "Are you ready for tonight's show?"

"I'm working on it."

"Excellent. You are always such a hard worker. That's why I value you."

A ring came through on his end as he slipped his hand in the pocket of his pants and pulled out a cell phone. Finally. That should keep him occupied for a while. When I felt rested enough, I made my way to the center of the stage and signaled the DJ to play the music again as the lights dimmed. Again and again, I practiced the moves used in the routine until I could almost perform it blindfolded and still entertain the crowd. After another hour of working my body into a heated frenzy, I figured it was time to shower and get ready for tonight's show.

My body strolled through the red velvet curtain as I made my way backstage, turned the corner, and stripped out of my clothes. Hot showers were just what I needed. They helped me relax and forget about my troubles. Standing directly under the hot spray, I welcomed the relief and began the process of washing my body with soap, the same soap that everybody else used when they were working late. Then I washed my hair, rinsed off and dried my body. An hour later, the rest of the dancers aka my friends, started to arrive.

Their constant chatter mixed with laughter was enough to make me realize how much I missed the silence. The reprieve I got every time I arrived home and left the sounds of work at the door. Not tonight though. Tonight I had a job to do. As I sat in front of the mirror the bright fluorescent bulbs shining in my face. Sergei walked into the room, clapping his hands together like he did every night before the start of a show.

"Listen up, everyone. Tonight, we have a new performer joining us. So please, go easy on her and try not to scare this one away like you did all the rest."

"No honey," Athena said, as she carefully applied her eyeliner. "You did that all on your own."

I stifled a laugh, putting on the finishing touches to an outfit I was to wear as I greeted our guests out front. Working the crowd was never a problem for me. It was all those drunken idiots who blatantly wanted a lap dance for nothing. Once I thought I looked ready, Sergei, cut me off at the pass. And I caught the scent of his overpowering cologne and nearly gagged. Our eyes met and yet he didn't say one word. Thank God for that. Then I stepped through the doorway and came face to face with him.

Looking out over a crowded nightclub, dressed in skin-tight black leather pants, steel-toed boots, a form-fitted shirt and a vest that bared the name VAMPIRE OUTLAW'S MC on the back. Zane turned his head from left to right. I could almost feel his eyes sweeping over the crowd like a spotlight as I ducked out of the way and made a beeline for the bar. As a regular performer, if it wasn't your time to go out on stage, you worked the floor, like serving drinks for example.

"Hey Carlos," I said to my favorite bartender. "What can I do to help?"

"Take these drinks out to tables three and four. Please and thank you. You're a real lifesaver."