Part 29 (1/2)

”See you tomorrow at six,” Clarice said, and got into her car.

She started it with a roar and pulled out of the lot, leaving Neesha alone in the shadows.

One more night of h.e.l.l, and she'd finally be free.

Jenn woke up to the sound of raised voices from the living room.

”What the h.e.l.l is this this?”

”Oh, my G.o.d, did you actually go through my things things?”

Danny and Eden.

”Is this really how you get your money?” Dan asked his sister as Jenn scrambled to get out there. ”By wearing this s.h.i.+t and selling selling yourself?” yourself?”

The lights were blazing and Eden and Izzy were still in the little entryway, as if they'd just come back home from searching for Ben's friend.

Even though the mall had to have closed several hours ago.

Dan was standing there, too, just inside the living room, at the edge of the air mattress Jenn had helped Izzy set up, back when they'd thought they'd be bringing Ben home with them tonight. Dan had taken some of the be-sequined costumes-if they could even be called costumes, they were so insubstantial-from the drawer in the bedroom. They lay glittering, on the floor, where he must've thrown them at Eden's feet.

Oh, Danny. ”I thought we decided we'd do this in the morning,” Jenn said, ”when everyone wasn't so tired...?”

But Dan didn't even look at her-his full attention and his outrage were focused on his sister.

”I'm willing to do whatever I have to do,” Eden shot back at him as she bent down and picked up her things, her movements jerky with her anger. ”To help Ben.”

”Oh, you do this for Ben, Ben,” Dan said. ”I'm sure he'd be so so proud.” proud.”

”It's not like it's illegal,” Eden pointed out, which was something Jenn and Dan had talked about extensively before they'd decided to go to bed and leave this discussion for the less murky light of day. Or rather, she'd she'd decided that. And apparently she hadn't noticed when Danny hadn't agreed. decided that. And apparently she hadn't noticed when Danny hadn't agreed.

Earlier, Jenn had surfed the web, using the wireless from a nearby coffee shop to research Nevada's laws that legalized prost.i.tution. It was pretty mind-blowing.

She wasn't sure whether it was a good or bad thing-the fact that the s.e.x trade in this state was regulated, and that there were rules that, at least on the surface, seemed to protect the women who rented out their bodies.

It also seemed pretty obvious to her that prost.i.tution was going to exist, regardless of whether or not it was technically legal. The sale of s.e.x flourished all around the world, even in countries where it was punishable by death-to the woman, that is. Men tended to get off with a much lighter penalty.

But in a society like the one here in Nevada, where prost.i.tution was acknowledged and regulated-at least in some of the state's counties-there were a.s.surances that the women who did the work, who were normally exploited, would actually be paid a living wage.

Maybe.

Danny had seen the entire subject in a more definite black-and-white. He believed-absolutely-that it was wrong to pay or be paid for s.e.x.

But the bottom line was that, in parts of Nevada, it wasn't wasn't illegal for a woman to sell her body. Just as Eden had pointed out. illegal for a woman to sell her body. Just as Eden had pointed out.

”But it should should be,” Dan said now. be,” Dan said now.

Izzy, meanwhile, was shaking his head as he stooped to help Eden. ”It is is pretty uncool, bro, to go through her things like that. Considering you're a guest here...?” pretty uncool, bro, to go through her things like that. Considering you're a guest here...?”

”Why don't you just stay the f.u.c.k out of this, bro bro?”

Izzy straightened up to his full height and got in Dan's face. ”Why don't you just dial it down, a.s.shole a.s.shole? It's just not not that big of a deal.” that big of a deal.”

”It's a huge huge deal!” Dan was incredulous, and on that point, Jenn had to agree. ”I can't believe you actually deal!” Dan was incredulous, and on that point, Jenn had to agree. ”I can't believe you actually knew knew about this, Zanella. And you didn't fricking about this, Zanella. And you didn't fricking tell tell me? What the h.e.l.l is wrong with you?” me? What the h.e.l.l is wrong with you?”

He shoved Izzy, who b.u.mped into Eden, nearly knocking her over.

”Hey!”

”Danny,” Jenn said, stepping forward.

He didn't look at her, he just looked-briefly-toward her. ”This doesn't concern you, either,” he said tightly-ouch-before turning back to Izzy, who'd moved right back to where he was before Dan had shoved him.

”It's none of your your business,” Izzy told Dan, with an edge to his voice that Jenn had never heard before. Not to that degree. And it scared her. Both of these men were trained to kill with their hands, and she did business,” Izzy told Dan, with an edge to his voice that Jenn had never heard before. Not to that degree. And it scared her. Both of these men were trained to kill with their hands, and she did not not want this fight to become physical. ”What your sister does, the choices that she makes. It has want this fight to become physical. ”What your sister does, the choices that she makes. It has nothing nothing to do with you. It never has.” to do with you. It never has.”

”Except she's my sister,” Dan shot back. ”And she's doing...what she's doing, and everyone knows that she's Eden f.u.c.king Gillman.”

”I use a stage name,” Eden said defensively, but then glanced over at Jenn and gave her the strangest, almost apologetic look. ”Sort of.”

Stage name was a weird thing to call it. Jenn would have expected her to use the word alias alias. Except maybe Eden saw the whole thing as a performance, which it was, Jenn supposed, on a very basic, very disturbing level.

”I can't believe you're okay with this,” Dan lit into Izzy again. ”Jesus, I expected you to have a meltdown when you found out. But no, you're such a twisted twisted son of a b.i.t.c.h, you probably son of a b.i.t.c.h, you probably like like that she's getting paid for-” that she's getting paid for-”

”I realize that this doesn't concern me, concern me,” Jenn said loudly over him, ”but I honestly believe this entire conversation will be far far more productive if we have it in the morning.” more productive if we have it in the morning.”

Izzy's voice got even harder as he got into Dan's face. ”What I like or don't like doesn't play into it, because I don't own your sister.”

”Obviously not.” Dan turned back to Eden. ”What the h.e.l.l are you going to say if we have to have an interview with Child Services? They're going to ask you where you work. Do you just think they're going to be like, Great, let's just put the kid in the custody of the wh.o.r.e. Great, let's just put the kid in the custody of the wh.o.r.e.”

”Don't call her that,” Izzy warned.

”I have a second job,” Eden said. ”At a coffee shop.”

”Am I even here?” Jenn asked. ”Or am I invisible?”

”Of course you do,” Dan told his sister, speaking over Jenn. ”Because there are two things that you've always been good at. Lying and being a wh.o.r.e.” He looked at Izzy. ”Hard not to call her that, when that's what she is. Starting back when you were, what? Fourteen. With John f.u.c.king Franklin. Giving it up for a beer, in the back of his car.”

And, oh, dear G.o.d, he couldn't have issued a more formal and direct invitation to be punched if he'd handed Izzy an engraved card saying Daniel Gillman the third requests the honor of your fist in his face Daniel Gillman the third requests the honor of your fist in his face.

The only thing that stopped Izzy was the fact that Jenn moved quickly and stepped in front of Dan. Apparently, she wasn't invisible after all. At least not to Izzy, whose face now matched the scary edge to his voice. She wasn't so sure that Dan could see her, though.

He was already egging Izzy on. ”You want a piece of me, douchebag,” Dan said. ”I'm right right here. Come and get me.” here. Come and get me.”

”Don't do this,” Jenn said. ”Please. Both of you just step back and take a deep breath.”

”Jenni, stay out out of this,” Dan ordered her. of this,” Dan ordered her.