Free Revelations: Book One of the Lalassu by Jennifer Carole Lewis

to hang around in, waiting to see when she came back out.
    “Getting out.” He paid the driver and stepped out, coughing at the grit in the air.
    The building might have been a movie theater in the thirties and forties. The marquee proclaimed the Blue Curtain Club was the home of the Jewels of the Night, the city’s top burlesque act. The red and white paint was flaking away in patches. The brilliantly lit signs blinked to attract attention, tacked on after the fact like cheap costume jewelry. Swallowing his discomfort, Michael stepped up to the bored bouncer. Relinquishing his ID and a twenty-dollar cover, he pulled back his glove long enough to get a blurred stamp in return and permission to pass through the beaded curtains into the club proper.
    The business might not have spent much outside, but inside, the club was decorated in warm sensual reds and golds. Waitresses in tight corsets and heels clicked efficiently through their rounds. The bar stretched across one wall, and a small stage dominated one end of the club. Most of the tables were a mix of businessmen, frat boys, and, to his surprise, women in shiny club attire. Michael claimed a tiny standing bar table and ordered a beer. He took the time to survey the room, searching for his mystery woman. A heavy compulsion weighed him down, pressing his feet into the floor.
    Maybe she was in trouble. Or something could be about to happen to her, something he could prevent. Guessing why the compulsion wanted him there seemed futile. He shifted uncomfortably, wishing the universe had picked another time to play with his life. A pair of dancers on stage performed an improbable series of acrobatic maneuvers in lacy body stockings. Funny, in a crude and bawdy kind of way. Anticipation and amusement buoyed the crowd, lightening his spirits despite his attempt to stay focused.
    He shook his head as the dancers produced bananas from hidden thigh sheaths and the crowd broke out in laughter and applause. He disapproved of strip clubs in general. Too many women ended up in them, stripped of their choices along with their clothes. People shouldn’t prey on other people’s desperation. No one should have to accept humiliation for a paycheck.
    Of course, this one didn’t seem to quite fit the mental image he’d gleaned from various psychic intrusions. It was well lit. There were no booths along the back for private performances. The women on stage might be in provocative costumes, but they weren’t just wiggling and jiggling for the crowd. The crowd itself was light and cheerful, enjoying the show but not demanding more.
    The compulsion crawled along his nervous system as he sipped the beer he’d ordered. Why am I here? Curiosity added its own weight to press him into his seat. He felt as if he were on the cusp of a major change, the end of the world as he knew it.
    The acrobats accepted wild applause and cheering as they skipped off stage, waving gleefully at the audience. A hush of anticipation fell over the crowd. Michael glanced at the eager smiles around him. People hurried from the bar to reclaim their seats and the waitresses discreetly withdrew to the edges of the room.
    The lights dimmed, drawing his attention to the panels behind the small stage. The silhouette of a woman appeared against the panels, igniting applause. An unsmiling pair of men in tuxes appeared from the wings, glaring at each other.
    A familiar song began, and the panels slid aside to reveal a woman with her back to the crowd, her curves sheathed in a glittering black dress. She moved away from Michael, dipping her hand into the man’s pocket to pull out a long rhinestone-studded string. She held it up to the light and then tossed it away with a shake of her head.
    Michael smiled despite himself. Cute. As the singer turned to face his side of the audience, Michael’s jaw dropped as he recognized her. She looked very different with her black hair piled high in curls and wearing elaborate stage makeup.