stage? She had been so confident, sure that the experience wouldn’t faze her. How wrong she had been.
Dancing in front of a small group in class, with a friendly, supportive instructor calling out directions and fellow classmates shouting encouraging words was a completely different experience from the real thing. The shouts had been lascivious and lewd, the encouragement had been vulgar, and the atmosphere had been anything but friendly.
Jake had been in that crowd. Of course she hadn’t been able to see him but knowing he was in the audience had eased the feeling of aloneness as she’d stepped out onto the stage. That reassurance changed quickly. He had witnessed the crowd’s reaction. She had known it wouldn’t be easy for him but what she hadn’t anticipated was how hard it would be for her, knowing he was watching it unfold.
Had he lost respect for her? Right now, friendship and respect were all they had. Would this mission she’d fought so hard for cost her that?
“Everything okay, ducky?”
Angela turned to see Monique, a tall, slender redhead whose stage name of Chili Pepper suited her.
“I’m fine. Thanks.”
“First time?”
“Yes.”
“You’ll get used to it.”
“Did you have problems the first time?”
“Oh yeah, cried for hours after. Told myself I wouldn’t come back.”
“Why did you?”
“Because I’m good and I make a lot of money. It got easier.”
“How?”
She stared above Angela’s head for several seconds and then said, “Distance. It’s a job, not who I am. When I’m out there, I dance to the music, I think about a lover…” She shrugged and added, “Guess I go somewhere else.”
That’s what she had thought she could do too, but somehow that hadn’t worked out. Not only had she been aware of the gawking, salacious eyes of the audience and Jake’s overwhelming presence, she had been acutely conscious that one of those lust-filled gawkers might well be a serial killer. All of that was a bit much to handle for a first-time gig.
The sound of her cellphone pulled Angela back to the here and now. This was a job, nothing more. She had to keep that in mind. Thanking Monique for her advice, Angela reached for the phone she’d left at her dressing table.
“Hello?”
“You okay?”
Angela closed her eyes as Jake’s deep, steadying voice soothed her. She wasn’t alone in all of this. He was her partner and her friend.
“I’m fine.” And because she was vain enough to want reassurance, she asked, “So how did I do?”
The long pause before he answered made her tense up. Had she done that badly?
“If you were any better, I would’ve had to jump up on the stage and carry you away.”
She laughed, relieved to hear her nervousness hadn’t shown through to ruin her performance. “To protect me from all the ravenous wolves in the audience?”
Another long pause. Angela could almost feel the electricity coming through the phone. When he answered, his voice was deeper, thicker. “The ravenous wolves had nothing to do with me wanting to carry you away.”
“Oh.” Amazing how one could become aroused in an instant. If Jake had been anywhere within touching distance, she would have been wrapped around him.
“You’re not on for another hour. I think it would be best if you stay in the dressing room till your next set.”
“Best for whom? You or me?”
His sigh exploded in her ear. “I’ll see you after your performance. Stay with the plan.”
Disappointed but not surprised, Angela answered coolly, “Will do.”
She ended the call and dropped the phone onto the dresser. She shouldn’t push him, she knew that. It didn’t matter that he hadn’t explained his reasons for not wanting to get involved. She knew his reasons. That should be enough to keep her away, but it wasn’t.
Chapter Nine
The night was too damn dark, almost eerie. Even the sky gave no relief of moonlight or stars. It was as if a black blanket covered the earth. The only light came from the soft glow of evenly spaced streetlights along the path. Cobblestones glistened beneath his feet while wisps of grey mist danced and spiraled around him like ghostly marionettes. Jake wasn’t much of a horror movie buff but he’d seen enough as a kid to recognize a great atmosphere for a werewolf or vampire to pop out. Somehow, he’d rather deal with that kind of monster than the one they were hunting.
Angela, approximately seven yards ahead of him, was open, easy prey. Jake’s focus was on his partner and their surroundings. She looked exactly as she needed to appear—alone, vulnerable,