Alyssa

The building is painted in blood-red and white, its main entrance leading directly into a dimly lit strip club. Fully naked women in heels swing from poles and dance on raised platforms, their bodies cast in flickering lights as if they're putting on a show just for us.

It's unsettling. I've never been to a strip club, and I definitely didn't expect my first time would be here—with my brother. A swirl of horror, fear, and intrigue rolls over me.

We sit at a large ...