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I’m so fucked.
Before he can say anything else, I spin on my heel and take off for the stairs. I need to get to the staff room and take a moment to calm down before I get myself in more trouble.
“I’ll take care of them,” Kennedy says as she passes me with a towel in her hand. “Go take a breather and then come back out when you’re ready.”
“I’m going to get fired.”
She smiles and takes me by the shoulders, holding me in place. “No, you’re not. Just go take a breather. I promise that everything is going to be fine. It’s just a spilled bottle. On my first night, I nearly lit a woman’s hair on fire when she asked me to light her cigar for her.”
Despite the turmoil making my stomach toss and turn, the tight feeling in my chest eases. Kennedy lets go of me and takes a step back, tucking the towel into her pocket.
“Everything is going to be fine, Hadley. This is just one bad night.”
“One bad night on a night when I needed everything to go right.” My voice breaks as I look down at the ground. “I can’t do this. I should have known better.”
“Go get yourself cleaned up.” Kennedy moves to the side, giving me enough room to pass her. “I’ll handle this. It happens to the best of us.”
The lump in my throat cuts off all words. I nod and take off down the stairs and into the staff room.
As soon as I’m alone, I drop down onto one of the couches and run my hands down my face.
Working at The Brazen was supposed to be the answer to losing my full-ride scholarship.
Living in a car and fighting for everything I had nearly killed me, but I got out of that life.
My parents died, life went to shit, and I figured it out.
I can figure it out again, even though I don’t know how much worse tonight is going to get.
2
JOVAN
I don’t know who the hell hired her, but I’m going to be the one to fire her.
“What the fuck crawled up your ass tonight?” Alessio says as he leans back against the couch cushions. “She said she was sorry and it was clearly an accident. You’re just in a pissy mood tonight. Have you thought about getting laid?”
“Screw you,” I say, though the corner of my mouth twitches. “You may be one of my closest friends, Alessio, but that doesn’t mean that you can step into my territory and start running your mouth. This is my business and I will deal with her how I see fit.”
“You’re acting like an ass.” Alessio crosses one leg over the other.
He might think I’m being dramatic, but I’m tired of shit like this happening at my business.
If Alessio wasn’t the leader of the Italian mafia in Atlanta, I would have kicked his ass out of here tonight.
He may drive me insane, but he is one of my oldest and closest friends.
These days, it’s feeling like he’s one of the few people I can trust.
I’m about to respond to him when Kennedy interrupts us, walking over with the shirt I asked for. I glare at Alessio as he rolls his eyes.
“Sorry for the accident, sir,” Kennedy hands me one of the black T-shirts the bartenders wear. “It’s Hadley’s first night and she didn’t mean to spill the bottle on you. Is there anything else I can get you? Do you want me to take over service or comp the drinks?”
I sigh as I take the shirt from Kennedy. “Do you have more towels to clean this up too? You can tell your friend that she is as good as fired once I find her.”
Kennedy gives me a pleading look, clasping her hands together. “Please don’t fire her.”
Kennedy turns to the bar and waves over one of the waitresses after piling the glass in a dustpan. Another waitress hurries over with a stack of towels in her arms. Kennedy trades the dustpan for the towels and puts them down.
