TER

caught up with her,

dn't be here," she sai

s sighed, and she

as she snapped at him. "You knew? You

show up. I may have let it slip that you were wo

front of him! That's an open

is way towards the ballroom, moving closer to them.

ki Bell. Don't you think you

exted. She couldn't bear to hear his vo

nds hadn't been anything but supportive, although they did point out, gently, that t

And they never would because she'd

sleeping, she heard the BANG of AJ's gun going off and the endless images assaulted her-the blood, those brief moments between

lie. Iris's eyes had gone glassy and that was only t

s, She

ther or her husband. She was finally doing what she dreamed of all her life-she was living independently and starting to make her own way in the wo

ay and rising up onto the first step of

She was now talking to herself, climbing th

h, she made a mista

er. Was there sadness in the beautiful hollows of his f

shit. He made his living among the criminals of the underworld, where the slightest weak

e glittering masses. He kept his eyes on her, and she read in them a promise. H

ear, desire, anticipation?-she didn't know. All she knew wa

the hell

. Because maybe, secretly, she w

e. The people around her formed an admiring circle and Annabelle smiled, basking in the light of their attention. But behi

g arc, splashing all over Annabelle's white clad form. Annabelle paused for a

known Annabelle could

e turning to see this new entertainment. No one else would be able to pull this off, but A

ry movement was part of the dance, and it was hard to look away. Her undershirt, a complicated camisole done up her front with little

cleared away as she moved towards a buffet table. Her hands busy

. Annabelle remained mostly in plac

r and rowdier crowd came around the table, and Annabelle worked with t

azing pair of breasts. If the crowd hadn't been excited before, they certainly were now, and someone clue

oofy skirt she'd been wearing. Not much more than she wore to work at the strip club where she had her s

mirers and glided across the parquet to the stage where Anna was

his hand. Anna

ands with the biggest star in New Olympia, and blowing kisses ov

, Nikki 's staff cleaned the champagn

r. Nikki staggered backwards, nearly falling on the steps under th

otten to survey the crowd. The DJ's music ended and the crowd crush forward to cheer. And amid

looked up at the man who blocked his progression to her. She waited long enough to s

rprise left Mario 's fa

ened next. Slipping out of her shoes

At the top of the stairs, Nikki slipped past

ss for trespassing. Escape was more important at the moment. She hurried down the