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Dragging the wet towel away from my nose, I shoot him a dirty look. “Yes, boss.”
Starting in the far corner, I gather an alarming number of bottles and shot glasses for 6 p.m. on a weekday, and steadfastly ignore all questions about who I am and where I came from. I share only a first name, keeping the flirtiest and most persistent patrons satisfied. I’m happy to engage in banter and inane chat, but I doubt Leon wants the entire clan knowing the details of his operations. There’s no way I’ll risk pissing him off.
All around me, the whispers and curious glances continue.
“Another wolf. Where does he keep finding them?”
“He’s knocked up all the women here already. He’s getting creative.”
“I’d get creative with that ass, too, if I could.”
“I wonder why he’s letting this one out and not the others.”
As I move through the room, dodging handsy patrons and nosy questions with equal determination, I force myself not to react to the baiting and lewd comments.
The others.
My heart is racing as I return to the bar and force myself to place all the bottles down gently, making sure my excitement doesn’t make me clumsy.
“Billy,” I hiss at his back as he rings up something on the till, “what other wolves are they talking about?”
He spends an unnecessarily long time fiddling with the rows of liquor behind the bar. Finally, when I don’t go away, he sighs and turns around. “There are, or were, two other wolves here recently.”
He says it so casually, for a moment I wonder if I’m overreacting to this nugget of information. But no: judging by the guilty look on his face, he knows this is something I would have wanted to know. He chose not to mention it.
“And where are they now?” I demand, my voice rising a little more than it should.
From the corner of my eye, I see an older, grey-haired man watching me with a sneer on his lined face. Billy smirks, a mean looking smile, and speaks directly to the old timer like I don’t even deserve a direct response.
“I think this one thought she was special.” Billy rolls his eyes dramatically. “Not happy to hear she has some competition.” Still ignoring me, he pours his friend a new beer.
Even though I know it’s for show, Billy’s words sting, and I bite my tongue to stop from lashing out. The old guy laughs a hoarse, throaty laugh before giving me a hard look that suggests I keep my mouth shut while the men talk.
“They always do.” His lip curls in disgust and he turns back to the bar and his new drink. “They’re only special to Leon Lennox when they’re ripe for breeding. So right now, she’s a nobody. But her time will come.”
Grinding my teeth, I inwardly fume. Billy studiously avoids my gaze as I try to get him to look at me. I need to find out more about the other wolves and what they were doing here.
“Hey, new girl. Is Leon paying you to stand there and make goo-goo eyes at Billy, or to wait tables?” That shout gets a few laughs from the crowd, and I spin, snatching a tray off the counter to collect glasses as I go. Plastering an obviously fake smile on my face, I head to the corner where the jeering originated.
“He’s not paying me,” I quip with a quirk of my brow, adding a little extra pep to my step to go with the attitude. The man guffaws, knowing full well that’s probably true, and his rudeness disappears when I arrive at the table to take his order. Each time I return to the bar, Billy has the orders ready for me, his back turned as he pretends to work the till or re-stock the shelves.
The party gets louder and more raucous as the evening wears on. I don’t have time to think about why Billy didn’t disclose the others, here somewhere. I’m too busy throwing out the drinks and earwigging any snippets of conversations I can get close enough to overhear.
Most of it is just plain old gossip and I sigh, frustrated by this whole situation. What did I expect? That my first night here, someone would openly discuss their criminal masterplans in a busy public place? At one point, Leon entered, but disappeared into a back room with his buddies to talk business, out of earshot of the rest of the clan. He’s not an idiot.
This is a long game and I need to take my time. I berate myself for not having patience, even though I know the real reason why I’m so annoyed: Ethan. I want to get back to him, to see him, even if he doesn’t want to see me.
The two heavy, ornate wooden doors on the side wall swing open and Leon sticks his head out, scanning the bar until his shrewd eyes land on me.
“Belle. Get in here.”
After completely blanking me for the last few hours, Billy’s eyes immediately find mine as Leon ducks back inside. He looks as confused as I feel. Setting my tray on the counter, I look up into Billy’s concerned face, concentrating on staying calm.
“Maybe he just wants drinks? Do what he says and don’t give him any cheek,” Billy warns.
Nodding, I square my shoulders and suck in a deep breath, walking slowly toward the still-open doors. A sense of foreboding washes over me. I feel very much like I’m walking into a trap, and my legs fight against my efforts to move forward with every step. As soon as I pass the threshold, someone slams the doors shut behind me, and I wince. It doesn’t feel like I’m just here to take their bar order.
“Sit.” Leon gestures to the last remaining seat, an empty chair at the very end of the table, directly opposite him.
