The Fifteenth

The heavy bass of the club pulsed through Riley's chest as she stood behind the bar, her skimpy outfit making her feel more exposed than usual. Tonight was different. It was the night of the big shipment, the fifteenth of the month. Every shift had felt like a game of balance, but this—knowing the room was filled with dangerous men, always needing to be on her game—was especially draining. The low lights and haze of cigarette smoke blurred the lines between roles and reality.

It was twenty minutes from closing; twenty minutes before the start of the meeting, and the bar was filling up with more and more dangerous looking people. She hadn't originally been assigned to the after-hours shift, but she had managed to swap with one of the other bartenders. She glanced at Luke, making eye contact. She gave a subtle nod before looking away, not wanting to reveal their connection and jeopardize their covers.

Her eyes zeroed in on her current target, a regular at the club who had been making waves with some of the more dangerous clientele. He leaned in, the alcohol on his breath nearly making her gag, but she smiled sweetly.

"So, what brings a guy like you here every night?" she asked, her voice light, trying to sound genuinely interested.

He smirked, his hand sliding over the bar a little too close to hers. "Maybe I'm here for you, sweetheart."

Riley gritted her teeth beneath the forced smile. "Is that so?" she flirted back, batting her lashes while keeping her tone playful, coaxing. "I bet a guy like you gets into all kinds of fun, huh? You must know what's going on around here."

The guy chuckled darkly, inching even closer. "Maybe I do. Maybe I don't."

Riley's stomach twisted, trying to keep her head in the game. He was talking—almost—but every inch of her skin crawled as his hand slid onto her waist, fingers too comfortable as they squeezed.

She was about to lean further into the act when suddenly, the man's eyes flicked over her shoulder, and his expression changed—no longer cocky, but fearful. Riley turned just in time to see Luke approaching, his presence looming behind her like a shadow.

"Is there a problem here?" Luke asked, his voice cold and low. His eyes locked on the man's hand, still resting possessively on Riley's waist.

The guy quickly withdrew, muttering under his breath. "Nah, man. No problem."

"Good. Because I'd hate for there to be one," Luke said, stepping even closer, his body tense. The man backed away, mumbling something unintelligible before disappearing into the crowd.

Riley glared at Luke, her cheeks flushing with anger. "What the hell was that?" she snapped, pushing past him and storming toward the back room.

He followed her until they were safely alone inside the women's break room.

"Riley—" Luke started, but she didn't let him finish.

"I had it under control!" she hissed, furious. "I was this close to getting something useful, and you scared him off!"

"He was getting too handsy," Luke shot back, his jaw clenched. "I wasn't about to let him put his hands all over you."

"I'm not some damsel in distress," she snapped. "I can handle myself!"

Luke said nothing, folding his arms over his broad chest.

"You could have blown my cover, and yours, Luke," Riley said, waving her arms around. "I'm fine. Get out of here."

Without waiting for a response, or to see if he had left, she stormed back down the dimly lit hallway, too angry to notice that she had pushed into the wrong door. It wasn't until she was inside that the hair on the back of her neck stood up, a cold chill running down her spine.

There, seated around a table, were three of the club's higher-ups, including the handsome buzz-cut man -Cole- from the last week, and the man with the scar across his face. On the table in front of them were papers, maps, and what looked like an arsenal of weapons. Their conversation halted the second she walked in, their eyes narrowing on her.

Riley's heart dropped into her stomach.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing here?" The man at the front snarled, standing abruptly. He appeared to be in charge; he had an expensive watch on his wrist and looked to be the oldest. Riley filed that piece of information in the back of her mind.

She tried to backtrack, to come up with an excuse, but her voice stuck in her throat. "I—sorry, wrong room."

But it was too late. The men exchanged glances, and before she could turn and leave, the man closest - the one with the scar on his face- grabbed her arm. Her heart raced as he yanked her further into the room and slammed the door shut.

"Wrong room, huh?" Scarface sneered. "I don't think so."

"She's just a stripper," Cole said dismissively, as if her presence wasn't a threat. He looked to be the youngest of the three. "Let's let her go. No one will believe her anyway."

Riley looked at the ceiling in frustration. "I'm a bartender-"

Scarface's chuckle cut her off. "Keep telling yourself that, sweetie."

His use of the word sweetie made her stomach churn.

"Really," she insisted. "I'm working the after-hours shift tonight. I just took a wrong turn."

Cole narrowed his eyes. "I don't remember approving you for that shift."

Riley's heart dropped. "I swapped with-"

"Just-" The man at the front- the boss- cut her off, letting out an exasperated sigh and scrubbing a hand over his face. "Tie her up or something. We have to focus on the shipment for now. Let's get the club closed and we'll deal with this later."

Scarface nodded. "We can't afford anything to go wrong tonight."

Panic clawed at Riley's insides as Cole bound her hands and shoved her into a closet. Her mind raced. She couldn't believe how badly things had gone south in a matter of seconds.

Riley's stomach churned, bile rising in her throat, but she forced herself to stay calm.

Think, think, think.

She could barely hear their muffled conversation through the door, not nearly well enough to make out any words. Tentatively, she reached out and tried the door knob.

Locked. Shocker.

Scanning her surroundings, she looked for something, anything, that she might be able to use as a weapon, but came up with nothing but a bucket and a very suspiciously scented jacket. Riley groaned and flopped to the floor. This was bad.

_________________________________________________

She was jolted back to reality by loud footsteps approaching the door. They must have been closer, because she could faintly tell what they were saying.

"-bring her out. We're short a bartender, she can serve drinks in cuffs."

Her heart pounded wildly in her chest as they wrapped up their discussion and the footsteps retreated. Just when she thought they had left, the door was yanked open. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the light after being stuck in the dim closet for so long. They left her with one guy—Cole.

"You're gonna regret ever walking into this room," he muttered, hitting her across the face hard enough to send her reeling.

Riley's head snapped to the side, her cheek stinging, but she refused to cry out. He roughly grabbed her arm, yanking her to her feet and pulling her toward the door. "You're going to put a smile on your face, you're going to serve drinks, and if you even think about running out on us, I'll put a bullet in your back before you manage three steps."

Riley bit the inside of her cheek, terror seizing her, and nodded silently. He pushed her through the door. Her cheek throbbed where they'd struck her, a deep bruise already forming beneath the surface. The ropes around her wrists bit into her skin, rough and unyielding as she stumbled into the main lounge of the club. The dim, neon lights made everything look hazy, but the tension in the air was sharp as a knife.

She blinked, trying to ignore the pain radiating from her face, and focused on the room in front of her. The club was now closed, but it was far from empty. Dangerous-looking men lounged around the space, the underworld of the city gathered for some kind of meeting. Scarface was among them, of course—always in control, always watching. But there were others, men she hadn't seen before, their presence radiating danger with every step they took.

Her heart pounded in her chest, but she forced herself to stay calm. She couldn't let them see how rattled she was. Not when her entire cover was hanging by a thread.

The boss appeared behind her, nudging her sharply in the back with the barrel of a gun, and she winced, biting her lip to hold back a sound.

"Get behind the bar," he growled. "You're still on the clock."

Riley stumbled forward, catching herself before she could fall. She glanced around the room, her breath catching in her throat when her eyes landed on him.

Luke.

He was sitting at one of the tables, looking every bit the part of the undercover criminal, his face a mask of indifference. But the moment his eyes locked onto hers, that mask slipped for a split second—just long enough for her to see the storm of emotion brewing underneath. Anger. Fear. The tension in his jaw was impossible to miss.

Riley could barely breathe as she forced herself to keep moving. She knew she couldn't react, couldn't give anything away. But the way he was looking at her made it hard to stay focused. She had no idea he was even at the club tonight—until now. And judging by the fury in his eyes, he hadn't expected to see her like this, either.

Bound. Bruised. Helpless.

One of the men shoved her again, making her stumble forward into the bar. She caught herself with her elbows, the ropes around her wrists making it impossible to use her hands. The others laughed at her clumsy movements, like this was all some sick joke.

"Better get to serving," Scarface called from his seat, his voice low and menacing. "Don't want to keep these fine gentlemen waiting. Might piss 'em off, and that's the last thing you want."

Riley swallowed, her throat dry, as she glanced back at Luke. He hadn't moved, but his eyes followed her every step. She could practically feel his frustration from across the room. She knew him well enough to know he wanted to do something—anything—but he was stuck. Just like her.

***********

Author Note: 

SUCH an intense chapter!! What's going to happen next!!

Vote and comment! <3