Chapter 3: Archeron

*Seraphina*

My relief was short-lived.

I had a split second to be grateful that the door was unlocked and all of thirty to realize that I’d gone from one potential danger to another. I looked around, trying to figure out where I was when the pieces started coming together.

I was in a sweltering kitchen, one that didn’t look like it could pass any legal health inspection review. The cold white tiles were streaked with soot and dirt, and the smell of hard liquor was strong enough to singe my nose hairs. But that wasn’t the worst part.

The image that sent my heart plummeting to my stomach was the group of heavy-set, muscle-bound men draped over various surfaces, hinting that I’d just walked in on their break. They turned to look at me, hard-lined and dangerous faces that offered not even the pretense of safety.

I swallowed hard, trying to decide whether I should take my gamble in here or out there. I knew the men following me were probably still lurking outside and waiting for me to come out. But even though this appeared to be some kind of business establishment, I was unsure whether I'd be any safer where I stood.

“Oy.” One of the bald-headed men nodded at me. His voice suited his looks —loud, booming, and deeply intimidating. “What do you think you’re doing here?”

His question drew my attention to the tattoos on his upper bicep, and I noticed that all of the men wearing short or sleeveless tops were sporting the same one. It was an insignia, one I recognized only because I’d come across it in prison. I knew it was associated with an underworld gang and only then did I realize the extent of the situation I was finding myself in.

Whatever place I’d just wandered into was more than likely doubling as a home base and a business. Those weren’t uncommon in the criminal underbelly of Star Lake City, colloquially dubbed the Underground. I swallowed hard, trying not to express my fear. These men were definitely the type to be able to smell it on me. Instead, I racked my brain for a solution.

My eyes scanned the room quickly, and I took in a stack of “help wanted” ads waiting on a counter. There usually tended to be other advertisements set up around the city, and from what little I could read off of the top page, this was a bar called Archeron, and the noise coming in from the patron area told me they were not unpopular and probably understaffed.

I cleared my throat. “My name’s Seraphina. I’m here for the billboard ad? I came to see if you had any waitressing positions available.”

The bald guy grunted, waving me over with cupped fingers. As I made my way through the kitchen, I could practically feel the leers coming from the other men, and I did my best not to pay them any attention despite the roiling nausea in my stomach. My nose pulled up automatically as the stink deepened, the further into the building I walked.

Baldy led me to what I assumed was the head boss’s office, located in a narrow, dark hallway. He ushered me impatiently toward the door before banging a flat hand against the wood twice, then flinging it open.

Huh. Interesting decorum.

The office was even darker than the kitchen but definitely cleaner, and while it still smelled of spirits, I could tell that whoever made regular use of this space had a taste for the finer things in life. A man was seated behind a large desk, spread over with paperwork and cigarette butts. He had short-cropped salt-and-pepper hair and, despite his age, was still built like a tank. Unlike his men, he wore a suit, the jacket slung across the back of his chair, and his sleeves rolled up to the elbows to reveal a string of tattoos lining both forearms.

He looked up with a bored expression that seemed to change once he noticed me. He took me in with interest, his eyes scanning the length of my body and making no secret of what he was thinking. I shuffled uncomfortably from one foot to the other, trying not to make it obvious that I didn't like the way he was staring.

His mouth curled into a smirk. “I appreciate the surprise, Jax, but I told you I’m busy. There’s no time for distractions, no matter how… tempting.”

His raspy smoker’s drawl made my skin crawl.

“Actually, Boss, she’s here for the job opening. Fancies herself a waitress,” Jax said, nudging me forward with a prod to the center of my spine. I was instantly transported back to the many similar experiences I had in Star Lake Correctional, where I’d been sized up and presented with a clear hierarchy of authority. Back there, Tina had been the “boss,” and her lackeys did her bidding. This wasn’t that different, and I realized that, just like then, I needed to be careful about how I would go about this.

There were no guards here to break up any scraps, no one who would care to intervene if anyone decided to mess with me. I was on my own.

“Is that so?” The man leaned back, putting his hands behind his head as his gaze raked me over once again. “You have any work experience?”

“No, but I —”

“It actually doesn’t really matter,” he cut me off. “You’re just the kind of face we need out front to bring in more customers. But we have enough waitresses. Jax, set her up as a bartender. Give her the night shift.”

Jax nodded and was about to lead me out when I spoke up. “Wait. There’s something you should probably know. I… I’ve spent the last three years in prison. That’s why I’ve been struggling to get a job.”

For a second, the boss just looked at me. Then he burst out laughing, a full-on guffaw that confused me. I knew this wasn’t the most above-board work environment, but I figured I’d let them know anyway. He wiped away a tear from his eye before clearing his throat and settling down again.

“That’s of no business to me, young lady,” he said, still sounding amused. “I’m sure whatever you were put in for —ripping off Girl Scouts or stealing makeup or whatever —that nothing is even a drop in the water of the ocean of criminal records you’re about to swim into, working for me.”

I nodded, feeling foolish but not wanting to say anything else that could make him change his mind. There was, however, one more thing I needed to bring up.

“Thank you for the opportunity, sir. I just had one more request,” I said.

He gestured at me to name it.

“Do you have any apartments or dorms where I could stay? I don’t have anywhere else to go, but I promise I’m good for it. I’ll pull extra shifts, do stock-taking, whatever I need to to earn my stay here. And it could be a hole in the wall for all I care. As long as there’s a roof, I’m fine,” I said, the words almost rushing out.

I hated that I was at the point in my life where I practically needed to beg for housing. But I couldn’t risk leading those men back to Caroline. I refuse to repay her kindness by bringing a threat to her door.

The boss seemed to consider this. “Well, I do love a hard worker. And lucky for you, one of our dormitories has just opened up. Take her to Vin’s old room.”

Jax grunted once more, then jerked his head toward the door for me to go out first.

I held in my sigh of relief. Trusting these men was a gamble, but it was much rather one I’d suffer alone than drag my friend into. Besides, surely, if they were planning on hurting me, they wouldn’t have waited this long to do something. None of them struck me as particularly gentlemanly.

I took my cue from Jax not to speak as he apparently had little desire for communication outside of the most necessary sentences and grumbles. But when he dropped me off at my new room, I thanked him anyway.

It was not much bigger than my prison cell had been, but there was a bed, a toilet, a rickety shower, and enough walking space to not go crazy. I’d miss the warm colors and softness of Caroline’s apartment, and I’d miss being comfortable with someone I could trust. But I knew that my options were truly limited. Even despite the threat of the stalkers outside, I just… I wanted to stand on my own two feet. I wanted to get out of the mess my naivety put me in.

“You’re on your own for meals. First shift is tomorrow, starting at 7 PM.”

Jax slammed the door shut behind himself, and after texting Caroline to let her know the basics of the situation, I tried in vain to lay back on the hard, aged, and suspiciously stained mattress. Sleep was elusive.

***

“Sera, are you sure about this? I’m not really comfortable with the idea of you staying with a bunch of gangsters.” The look of pure concern on Caroline’s face made my heart clench. I put down the suitcase I’d come to fetch and hugged her tightly.

“I’ll be okay,” I promised. “I’ve had enough time spent with criminals to know how to stay out of trouble with them. Plus, I need to do this on my own. You’ve been amazing, but I wouldn’t be able to live with myself knowing I’m sponging off of you.”

“If you ever need to get out, please know you have a home here,” she answered, squeezing me tightly before reluctantly letting go. “Any time. And remember the promise…”

“Whoever makes big money first, gets to let the other quit,” I said with a smile.

“Good luck, my friend,” she said, and with that, it was time for me to leave.

My heart felt heavier. The tiny bit of hope and brevity I’d cultivated spending time with her now gone once more. But I’d said this was what I needed, and I’d meant it. I was determined to make it on my own and save enough to either start my own business or find something better. Any plans of revenge I had against Eric were resting on that goal.

But my first week would be nothing close to easy.

I found out very quickly, that me being both one of the only few women employed at Archeron and so much weaker than everyone else, made me an easy target for bullying and foisting off any tasks the others don’t want to do themselves.

It wasn’t an unfamiliar scenario, but that didn't change how I would once again have to bear the rage that boiled inside whenever I was picked on. As I am, I had no real way of defending myself so I had to play it safe and subservient.

One morning, in the early hours, when most of the others had already clocked out of the night shift, Jax shoved a heavy box of wine bottles in my arms and jerked his thumb toward the waiting stack in the kitchen.

His wordless command made me press my lips together, but I knew that I had no choice. Trying to get the box down to the little “warehouse” we kept in the bar's basement took some doing, but I managed.

As I put the wine down and reached into my pocket to retrieve the key, I heard a sudden scuffling coming from inside the storage room. That was when I noticed the door wasn't locked, and I gently pushed it open. The lights were off, and I called out for anyone inside as my hand went to the switch.

Suddenly, someone rushed toward me with such speed and stealth that I barely registered it before a large, strong hand clasped my throat.