A Family Reunion
1126 Words
Chapter 12
The Red Curtain Club was not true to its name.
It wasn’t a club and it wasn't filled with people dancing and getting drunk with their friends. It wasn’t polished or loud in the way normal clubs were.
No.
It belonged to Miguel Ricardo.
Miguel didn’t believe in class, and he certainly didn’t believe in making his dirty business look clean. He had no interest in high-end aesthetics or running a legitimate front to disguise where his money came from. His wealth was built on brothels, hired killings, and cocaine, and he saw no reason to pretend otherwise.
In fact, he enjoyed it.
He liked that the police knew exactly what he did and still couldn’t touch him. After all, you would have to be incredibly stupid to think you could take down the Mexican cartel and its mob boss, Miguel Ricardo.
Gloria stood outside the entrance, staring at the building with a tightening chest as she tried to decide if stepping inside was the worst decision she could make, or if seeing her sister after so long was worth the risk.
A full minute passed before she finally exhaled and pushed the rickety door open.
The moment she stepped inside, loud pulsing music hit her, vibrating through her body so intensely she was convinced it was doing damage to her bones.
*This place should honestly be illegal on health grounds alone*, she thought, wincing as the bass rattled through her ribs.
The inside did nothing to calm her nerves.
Women wearing almost nothing walked past her in just tiny thongs, their breasts jiggling free.
Some of them had their hands shoved into men’s pants, while others moved around poles as money was pushed into their bras and panties without hesitation.
“What the hell,” Gloria muttered under her breath as she moved further inside, her nose wrinkling in disgust as she tried to take it all in.
*What could Giselle possibly be doing in a place like this? Please let there be a normal explanation. Please let this not be what it looks like.*
Her answer came faster than she expected.
A woman slid down a pole, her body moving with practiced ease as she turned—
And Gloria froze.
It was Giselle.
For a second, her brain completely stopped working.
*No. No, no, no. That is not... that is not my sister. That is... oh my God, that is my sister.*
The shock didn’t last long because a hand suddenly grabbed her ass.
Gloria spun around instantly, her face filled with anger.
“I do not work here,” she snapped, glaring at the man.
He grinned at her, his nicotine-stained teeth catching the dim light before he raised his hands in mock surrender and stepped back.
When she turned again, Giselle had already spotted her.
She waved.
Then, like nothing about this situation was strange, she stepped off the stage and walked toward her with an easy confidence, her hips swaying in a way that told Gloria this was not new to her.
“Hey,” Gloria said, the word coming out awkward and misplaced, but Giselle didn’t respond with words. She pulled her into a hug instead.
Gloria stiffened immediately.
Her mind betrayed her again, filling in details she didn’t want to think about, and she couldn’t help the brief, uncomfortable thought about where her sister’s hands and body had been before they were now wrapped around her.
Guilt followed right after.
“What are you doing here?” Gloria asked as they pulled apart, her voice lowering slightly. “Why are you working here?”
Giselle only shrugged, like it wasn’t a question worth answering.
“You’ve changed so much,” she said instead, stepping back to really look at her.
“Of course I have,” Gloria shot back, her tone harsher than she wanted. “The last time you saw me, I was thirteen, and you ran away and left me with our insane parents.”
Giselle’s face faltered.
“I was young,” she said quietly. “I couldn’t take you with me. You know that. And look where I ended up anyway.” She turned away slightly, her voice dropping.
“Maybe if we had stayed together, you wouldn’t—”
“Don’t,” Giselle cut in quickly, shaking her head.
“Don’t do that, Ria. Your life is better now. You’re engaged to Viktor Koshnov. You’re lucky, trust me.”
Gloria scoffed under her breath.
Lucky? She almost laughed at that.
She considered telling her sister the truth. That there was no engagement, no fairytale situation, no “better life.”
But what would it even change? Nothing. It would only complicate things more.
Silence settled between them for a moment, heavy and uncomfortable, before Giselle spoke again.
“You need to get me out of here, Ria,” she said urgently, stepping closer. “I can’t survive another year with him. Your fiancé… he’s rich. You need to make him help me.”
Gloria frowned, her chest tightening.
“Who’s he?” she asked, grabbing her sister’s hand instinctively.
But Giselle didn’t get the chance to answer.
A hand suddenly grabbed Giselle’s arm from behind and spun her around.
“What are you doing talking?” the man growled. “You should be on that f*****g stage.”
Giselle’s expression shifted instantly. A smile slid onto her face, forced and practiced, as she leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to his lips.
“I was just catching up with an old friend,” she said smoothly, holding onto his arm like nothing was wrong.
The man’s attention shifted to Gloria immediately.
“How do you know Giselle?” he asked sharply, cutting straight to it.
Gloria hesitated.
“I… I—”
“From my days in Brooklyn,” Giselle interrupted quickly, squeezing his arm as she spoke. “Be nice to her.”
The man’s gaze didn’t soften.
“Gloria, this is Miguel Ricardo. My boyfriend,” Giselle introduced.
Gloria nodded slowly, taking a mental note of the man's name and face.
Before she could extend her hand to shake him, Miguel stepped forward and grabbed her face making Gloria freeze instantly.
His grip was firm as he studied her for a long moment as if she was some kind of specimen, before his hand moved down and landed on her ass.
“What are you doing?” Gloria snapped, trying to twist away from his hold.
“Just copping a feel,” he said casually, leaning in till Gloria could feel the whiskey on his breath.
His hand didn’t move still.
But then, just as quickly, a hand shot in from behind and struck him straight across the face.
- Writer
