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I frowned. “Is this your bar?”
“It is.”
“I’ve been here for hours, and I haven’t seen you.”
“The game is on,” he said, leaning closer. “I’ve got a TV in my office. You want to come watch it with me?”
“I thought it was Cherry’s bar.” I pointed at her drunkenly. “I’ve been here for hours. She’s been doing all the work.”
A shadow blasted through his thoughts, and he stiffened. If he didn’t get rid of Cherry soon, legally, she would have a claim on his bar. Not that she would try. He’d broken her spirit, as well as her body. But the monster didn’t like to take chances.
Cherry was pouring a drink, her back to us, but her shoulders were so stiff they looked like they would shatter if someone knocked her the wrong way. She was terrified. The monster eyed her lazily for a second and smirked.
“Well, you know, I gotta keep Cherry busy,” he rumbled. “She’s like one of those farm dogs. She needs to work.”
“Charming,” I snorted, throwing back the last dregs of my wine. “Since you’re here, I’d like a refill, please.” I waved my empty glass at him.
The monster chuckled darkly, imagining the fun he’d have breaking my body in two. He turned, picked up the bottle of white from the fridge behind him, and filled my glass almost to the top. “So where are you from, honey?”
“The depths of your nightmares,” I slurred, throwing half the glass straight down my throat. I’d have to leave now, anyway. Remove myself from the equation.
Just then, I sensed a presence behind me. Smash glass on bar, thrust to the carotid.
The monster was still talking to me. I forced myself to concentrate on his words. “I’m going to hazard a guess and say you’re from LA,” he said, his tone oily. “What are you doing in our little town?”
“Don’t bother, Javier,” a man’s voice said from behind me. “Her daddy is on the way to get her.”
The monster—Javier—looked behind me and scowled at the man who had spoken. “Nobody asked you, Jeff.”
A stocky, middle-aged man with greying stubble shuffled in next to me. One of the wolves. “Oh, I’m just doing you a favor,” he said, chuckling. “Looking out for a friend, y’know? She’s a military brat.” He gave me a sleazy smile. “Her daddy is some bigwig marine or something.”
I threw back the rest of my wine. The edges of my vision were completely blurry now. “That’s right,” I said thickly. Glancing up, I made eye contact with Cherry, who had clearly lied to the werewolves when they asked about me while I was in the bathroom. Javier and the werewolves might risk messing with me if my dad was some pencil-pusher, but if he was high up in the military, they would definitely think twice.
She’d made up a lie to protect me. How sweet.
I waved my phone. “He’ll be here in a minute,” I slurred, meeting her hard blue eyes.
She blinked and turned away. Poor Cherry.
Javier’s thoughts boiled. He’d been hoping I was some spoiled runaway; someone he could trap and slowly ruin just like he’d done with Cherry. But, like me, he knew when to retreat. “Well, I hope you enjoyed your time in our town,” he said, turning away. He walked straight back through the door to his office.
Cherry let out a soft breath and topped up my water glass. “Sober up a little before daddy gets here, would ya?”
I nodded, my chin bouncing off my chest.
The werewolf—Jeff—slid himself onto the seat next to me. “It’s a shame you’re leaving.”
“Really?” I swung around to look at him. Werewolf thoughts were a little more snarly, harder to make sense of. I couldn’t really understand the faces that whirled around in his aura. Or, it could have been because I was absolutely hammered.
“Yeah,” he grinned at me. “Me and the boys caught the craziest thing.”
“Wh–what? You mean the thing in the cage?”
“Yeah.” His smile grew wider.
“What ish it?”
“It’s a battle goose.”
