Free The Song Bird (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) by Beth D. Carter

hell, maybe even lower than the Chinese. I started spreading my legs when my father sold me for rent money when I was ten. And every day was a struggle until I was lucky enough to get hired here. I have a steady roof and steady food, but only if I make enough money every night to justify my keep. Do you get it now, Avilon?”
    Avilon felt tears gather in her eyes. First the attitude from the sheriff, and now this. It was almost more than she could bear.
    “Do you think upon yourself that way? That you’re nothing?”
    Annabel shrugged and ran a hand through her mussed hair. “Just get out of here. I’ve had enough of your holier-than-thou routine.”
    “What can I do to help you?”
    “I said get the fuck out of here! Are you deaf, too?”
    Avilon swallowed the lump in her throat and shook her head. “No. I just…Please, what can I do to help you?”
    “Come on, Avilon, a woman like you has no idea what it’s like for someone who was born a nothing.”
    “Don’t! Don’t use your past as an excuse. My sister wasn’t born a nothing, and yet here I am, figuring out her life and what brought her to a club like this in San Francisco. Desperation leads to desperate circumstances, I get that, but never think of yourself as less than a person.”
    “Pretty words, dearie, but Eli Masters only cares about the money I can make him.”
    Avilon frowned, suddenly unsure. She had no idea who Eli Masters really was, let alone if he would sympathize with the pain and hurt Annabel had endured. His words played through her mind. They move around, head to different places, and they sure as hell don’t leave forwarding addresses . And she knew, right then, he had meant someone in his life. Someone had left him.
    Avilon smiled at Annabel. “It’ll be all right,” she told the blonde. “I’ll talk to Mr. Masters.”
    Annabel just raised an eyebrow as she walked to the dresser and picked up the teapot.

Chapter Nine
     
    Avilon found Eli and Jason seated at one of the tables, and all the dealers encircled them as Eli talked. As she moved closer, she heard him explaining tricks people use to try to cheat the house. It sounded like a routine lecture, and she didn’t doubt the staff had to be constantly on guard.
    She stayed back, waiting patiently for a chance to talk to both men alone. Her gaze stayed on them, taking in how beautiful each man was in his own way. She felt gossamer threads pulling her, indelible bonds forming a path toward them, and it confused her. Where could these feelings possibly go? Could she eventually walk away when she found Amelia and forget Eli and Jason ever shared a part of her life? Already they tested parts of her resolve. Would that only deepen the longer she sang at the club?
    Finally, the men started to break up. Eli stood up, talking with Jason, and nodded to his workers as they moved to their tables. It was late afternoon, and the entire place was busy preparing to open. She took a deep breath and walked up to them.
    Jason flashed a devilish grin. “Good afternoon, love. Sleep well?”
    She flushed and cast her gaze from him to focus on Eli. “Annabel was hurt last night by one of her clients.”
    Though his eyebrows drew together in concern, his mouth firmed in annoyance. “Why hasn’t she reported this to me?”
    “She seems to be of the mind that you will throw her out of here if she can’t make her revenue for you.”
    She saw Jason’s eyebrows rise. Eli only scowled more. “Oh hell. I can just imagine what’s turning in that brain of yours, sweetheart, and no, I’m not heartless. For the time being, I can find other work for her to earn her keep.”
    Avilon folded her arms. “She’s hurt, Eli. She needs rest and respite from the harsh burden of this profession.”
    “You wish for me to absorb her lack of income?”
    “I wish for you to be compassionate.”
    He narrowed his eyes and mimicked her stance by folding his arms as well. “And what compensation will that give me?