I slide the tablet onto my desk, but the missing keg is playing on my mind.
Barrels must have finished the tour by now, and I decide to find him.
His office is at the other end of the metal walkway that overlooks the brewing tanks. The brewery floor is the heart of the brewery, and giant metal vats line one wall, each brewing up a different type of beer.
Before I get to the stairs that lead down to the brewery floor, the door to Barrels’s office opens, and he steps through.
“You got a minute?” I ask.
He frowns. “If you’re quick. I’ve got to help Charlie in the tasting room.”
It’s likely he doesn’t want to leave his wife alone for long if there’s a group of men in there. So, I get straight to the point.
“There’s another keg missing.”
He looks up sharply and stops. “Which one?”
“From the IPA line. The order going out on Friday.”
“Shit.” He runs a hand through his short hair. “That’s two in one month.”
I press my lips together, not liking what I have to say next. A lot of the staff working here are from the club, and if I voice my suspicions, it throws suspicion on everyone.
“I think someone’s taking them.”
I expect Barrels to be upset, but he nods once. “Perfect timing. I just hired extra muscle.”
Viking steps through the office behind Barrels. His large frame and height mean he’s as wide as the walkway. His eyes lock on mine, and a corner of his mouth tilts.
My stomach drops. “You’re hiring him?”
Barrels holds his hands up. “I don’t have time for this. Whatever is in your past, you two need to sort it out. I’m needed in the tasting room. Sydney, show Viking around and take himthrough the security protocols.” He lowers his voice. “And fill him in on what you just told me.”
Barrels heads down the staircase to the brewery floor and disappears into the tasting room, and I’m left facing Viking. He towers over me, and I refuse to strain my neck to look up at him.
“I’ll show you the cellar.”
To get to the cellar, I need to get down the metal stairs on the other side of Viking. I glare at him pointedly, but he doesn’t move.
“The cellar is down the stairs.”
I stare at him, wondering when he’s going to take the hint and move out of the way. He doesn’t.
“The stairs are behind you.”
Viking smirks. “I know.”
Instead of going down the stairs first like a polite human, he shifts his body sideways and offers a hand, indicating for me to go first.
I squeeze past him so close to the railing it imprints on my back, but I still brush against him as I go past. There’s a moment of pressure when his hard body is against mine. His scent of leather and coffee beans encases me for a moment, making my head spin and my heart race. A hundred memories of his body pressed against mine flit into my brain.
“After you, cupcake,” he murmurs. And his voice is an echo from the past, scraping every raw part of me.
My head spins, my heart races, and there’s a tug in my core.
Then I’m past him and gripping onto the railing to keep my balance.
I inhale sharply and suck in long breaths as I descend the stairs. I don’t dare look back at Viking. I don’t want him to see the effect he’s having on me.
