When Maggie got onstage that night, it cheered her up to see Tony and Vincent sitting at the bar. It had been a while since she chatted with them, and seeing them was a welcome relief from the anxiety that had plagued her all day.
“Hey, guys! How are you?” Maggie asked in a chirpy voice.
“Well, look who it is, Tone. If it ain’t little Maggie,” Vincent commented.
“Yeah, how ya doin’, Maggie?” Tony asked.
“I’ve been good. So where have you two been? I haven’t seen you in a while.”
“Ya know, here, there; we’re busy men,” Tony joked
“So tell us, how’s dat asshole, Armando, been treatin’ ya. He givin’ ya any grief?” Vincent asked.
Maggie wished she could tell them what had happened to Juju and Joey, but she didn’t want to get them upset again. She couldn’t risk either of them saying something to Armando that would piss him off. Maggie was trying to stay on Armando’s good side, especially with their current predicament.
“Who, him? Ahhh, he’s been fine. I just stay away from him as much as I can,” Maggie lied, trying to sound sincere.
“Yeah, well, dat ain’t no way to live, little Maggie,” Vincent chimed in.
“Ya know, there’s a lot of crazy shit goin’ on in this world,” Tony added. “So tell us what cha been doin’ then.”
Maggie laughed. “I’ve been doing what I always do, working. I take as many shifts as I can get here and then, well, you know, make some more money when I’m not here.”
Tony and Vincent knew exactly what Maggie was talking about. Emma had told them that Maggie was a prostitute and Rock was her pimp. Emma, a strong-willed, independent young woman couldn’t wrap her mind around what Maggie was expected to do. She had confided in Tony and Vincent that she hoped one day to help Maggie and free her of the life she’d known since childhood.
Tony and Vincent had been stunned to hear what Maggie did under Rock’s control. She was a sweet young woman—and smart, too. They figured Rock kept control over her by threatening Maggie and the little boy she lived with. The two men had made a commitment to each other that if and when Maggie ever asked for their help, they’d convince the family of the importance of getting involved. Until that day came, all they could do was be nice to her whenever they spent time with her at Doubles.
As the night wore on, Tony and Vincent were watching the dancers onstage and chatting with one of the bartenders when they heard a woman yelling in the lap dance room.
Montana came storming out of the room. Then, in the doorway, she turned back and yelled, “Don’t forget what I just told ya, bitch. Ya work one of my regulars again, and you’re gonna be fuckin’ sorry!”
Maggie tried to leave the lap dance room, but Montana shoved her. Maggie flew backward and thought she was going to fall, but she was caught in midair. Emma had come up behind her. Holding Maggie up, she glared at Montana. “You sure you want to do this?” Emma asked, her emerald-green eyes suddenly turning deadly.
“Fuck you, whore!” Montana snapped, feeling a tiny bit of fear start to grow in the pit of her stomach.
As Montana glared at Emma, she could feel herself start to get jittery. There was something in those green eyes, something unrelenting and spooky; it was as if Emma could cut through steel with them. Finally, Montana broke the gaze and walked away.
“That’s what I thought, bitch,” Emma whispered, just loudly enough so Maggie heard.
“Thanks,” Maggie said. “I do know how to fight.”
Emma smiled, and her eyes filled with mischief. “Oh yeah. You know how to fight, huh?”
“Yes. I’m actually pretty good, too,” Maggie bantered.
“Oh, I see. Well, maybe you should pull one of your well-planned moves on Montana,” Emma suggested, still smiling brilliantly.
“Nope. I can’t,” Maggie told her. “If I get fired from here, there’ll be hell to pay. Montana is just annoying. She doesn’t scare me. I’ve stood up to people a lot nastier than her on the streets. You haven’t seen a real bitch until you meet a woman with a quota to meet for her pimp. Those chicks will tear you up if you don’t handle yourself right. So, I just let Montana mouth off because that’s all she really does. She’s a lot of bark but no bite.”
“Yeah, like a rabid fuckin’ dog,” Emma added.
The girls laughed, and as they exited the lap dance room, Tony waved them over. “Looks like you two fighters can use a drink,” he remarked.
Maggie giggled. “We aren’t fighters. We’re just two women who get bothered because all the men want us,” she teased, not believing it.
Tony looked from Maggie to Emma and back. “Yeah, they do. You’re absolutely right. They do.”
As Emma chatted with Tony, Maggie couldn’t help but wonder if what Tony said about her was true. If it was, then could it be possible for Colby to want her? She smiled just thinking about Colby until Emma broke into her thoughts.
“Uh-oh. See that expression on Maggie’s face? That’s a woman thinking about a man she likes,” Emma tormented.
“Stop. I am not!” Maggie shot back, feeling silly as she heard her own words.
“Whatever you say, Mags,” Emma continued. “Just remember, if there’s someone you like, and they like you too, well then go for it. Just be careful who you fall in love with,” Emma warned.
“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Maggie responded.
But Maggie had no idea what Emma meant. She’d never been in love with anyone before. Sure, she loved Seth and Juju, but that wasn’t the same as being “in love” with someone, as in a man—or in Juju’s case, a woman.
Don’t get ahead of yourself, knucklehead. Colby is on a mission to break down the prostitution ring in Kensington. Don’t start thinking that he really likes you, Maggie reminded herself.
Maggie didn’t know it, but at that very moment, Colby was in a restaurant alone, three towns away, fantasizing about Maggie in the same way that she was fantasizing about him.