“They don’t treat you right down at that place. I don’t know how you stand it.”

Baby Jade sighed. “Well, that’s easy. It’s because this place isn’t free.”

“True that, honey. You’re a good daughter.” Ang covered Baby’s hand and gave a gentle squeeze. The simple gesture made her crave a mother’s touch. Not that she had ever known what it felt like in the first place.

“Speaking of which, how’s she doing today?”

“Oh, that girl. You know she likes to keep us on our toes here.” Ang offered a strained smile.

“Great …” Baby Jade rolled her eyes. “Do you think she’ll see me?”

Ang’s face fell. “Honey, you know as well as I do, that’s not a good idea. The last time you saw her, she had to be sedated for a week.”

“I know, but I have to keep trying. To be honest, I think it’s easier for me to keep coming because I know I won’t see her. If she finally said yes, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself.”

“It’ll happen, sweetie. I don’t know what got her agitated a few months ago, but it’s messing with her something terrible. We had to increase her meds and add an additional sleeping pill. We’re all still working through the adjustment.”

Baby’s lips twitched as her anxiety was in full force. “Be honest, is she ok?”

“You know I would tell you, honey. Other than that, Rozalie’s ok. She doesn’t want to see you. I wish I could explain why, but I don’t have any answers. She doesn’t seem to have any problems with Ma’Linn.”

Lowering her head, Baby swallowed hard. The rejection was too much to handle. Baby Jade hadn’t seen her mother in almost a year. Before that, she only saw her every couple of months. It came in waves, and right now, it was clear that Rozalie wanted nothing to do with her daughter.

The cycle exhausted Baby Jade. “Ok, well keep me updated. Can you give her this for me?” Baby pulled a plastic bottle of Barq’s. She hoped the bottle of her mother’s favorite drink might spark something positive for her.

“Of course.” Ang gave a sympathetic smile.

“Thanks.” Baby pulled open the heavy door. She stopped by the corner market to pick up some necessities, a bottle of Moscato and fresh tomatoes. Other than the meals that Ma’Linn left on her doorstep, she lived on tomato sandwiches. It was quick, easy, and more importantly … cheap.

She carried the sack and walked toward her tiny apartment on North Rampart St. The rundown neighborhood never changed, with the same old riffraff hanging out on the streets, hollering the same old snide comments in her direction. The thunderous roar of a motorcycle caught her attention. She glanced up in time to spot the memorable bike pull into Rodney’s Garage.

Mr. Tats climbed off the bike and placed his leather jacket across the seat. He must have recognized her when he drove up because once again, his chocolate brown eyes were locked on hers as if they were the only two people in the world. She tried to busy herself by walking faster, but she sensed his gaze still scrutinizing her every move. Baby fought the urge to glance back, and forced herself to stare ahead. She didn’t want him to see the effect he had on her.

Baby Jade’s apartment complex sat next to an old abandoned brick warehouse. The only way inside was through an alley. It was dilapidated and appeared to be ready to cave in at any moment. The owner happened to be Mickey, who had recently upped the rent again, claiming he had no choice with only six apartments. He had to keep up with the going rate. Of course, he was able to get away with being a slumlord because the inspector and some other city officials enjoyed the perks at Bottoms Up.

There was a time when Baby Jade was one of those perks, a lifetime ago when she was a pawn in Mickey’s little game. As a newbie, it was easy to give in to the free buffet of drugs and alcohol. It made it easier to get up on the stage and take your clothes off in front of strangers. Mickey was kind in the beginning, pretending to care about her wellbeing, always saying he was trying to help her get over her fears. He told her she was beautiful, and with her exotic Creole looks, she would go far. To make matters worse, Baby Jade believed him when he told her that he knew people in high places, and life as a stripper was only a stepping-stone to something greater.

It didn’t take long for Mickey to have her knee deep in the underworld, but it wasn’t until she needed a safe place for her mother that he latched his meat hooks into her.

Over the years, Rozalie had been in and out of facilities, some places were such shitholes that Baby Jade couldn’t allow herself to think of the things that went on behind closed doors. They kept her drugged up. She couldn’t walk herself to the bathroom most days.

Rozalie was notorious for running away, leaving Baby Jade searching every drug den and bar in New Orleans trying to track her down, starting the vicious cycle all over again. She would beg and scream, pleading with Baby not to send her back. Rozalie swore up and down she would run away again, and if half of what she said was true about the facilities, Baby couldn’t blame her.

When Mickey offered to help get her mother into Pecan Grove in exchange for a few private parties, she jumped at the opportunity. The parties began once or twice a month, but soon became a weekly event. The money was insane and way too easy for a few private lap dances. It seemed innocent enough, and eventually she was hooked.

Everything went to hell in a handbag when Mickey decided it was time to up the stakes. After a few months of working the parties, Mickey approached Baby Jade before her set to tell her that one of the men wanted to take her on a date.

When Baby told him she wasn’t interested in a relationship, she thought he might fall over dead from laughing too hard.

“No, honey. A date. Not take you out to dinner. Come on, you ain’t stupid.”

“I’ve been dancing every night. The men are getting grab happy, and that’s not what I signed up for.”

Mickey grabbed her chin. “What you signed up for is a safe place for your mother. Am I right? And she’s been in that fancy little room of hers for months now and loves it. You haven’t had any problems outta her. Now’s not the time to get all holier than thou on me, Baby. The guy wants a date with you and he’s not the kinda guy I wanna be pissing off. Besides, it makes for a good payday, for both of us. You understand what I’m saying?”

Baby tore away from his grip. “Who’s the guy?” She silently prayed it wasn’t the 300 pounder who sat in the corner rubbing on himself. Mickey was right about one thing. Her mother has been like a whole new woman since being at Pecan Grove.

“Slade.”

That explained why Mickey was bending over backward to make sure the date happened. “Why a date? I dance for that guy at least twice a week.”

“Yeah, and he’s ready to step it up. He’ll pick you up at the club on Tuesday. I told him you need your weekend tips.”

“Well, aren’t you the perfect example of a daddy figure, taking care of me and all?” Baby Jade rolled her eyes.

His jaw tightened. “You got a real smart mouth, you know that? Make sure you keep it zipped on Tuesday.”

Baby Jade didn’t remember a lot about that first date night. She drank anything she could get her hands on, leaving the night a blur, but it must have been a success. Slade became a permanent fixture around the club after that. The other girls complained about him showing Baby favoritism, which led him to mix things up from time to time. However, he became obsessed with Baby Jade. He lavished her with gifts and extravagant toys. He surprised her with trips and expensive jewelry. He leased her a Lexus IS 250 C. He finally took it back after she refused to drive it and it sat on her street for three months. Slade made sure she never wanted for anything. It was a good thing too since Mickey took 70 percent of the money she made from date nights, claiming it was to help offset the cost of her mother’s living expenses. Since she wasn’t in a place to argue, she agreed.