“Oh, Miles?” Nessa says coyly. “He is just a friend. I arrested his brother, Trevor, not too long ago. Miles came into the station furious at Trevor, who was starting to become a regular. Petty crimes, mostly. Then, he started getting caught up in using the new drug that’s been making its way all over this damn city lately. Miles is tough on Trevor since he basically raised him. I told him I would keep an eye on his brother. So, he just thanked me for looking out for him, that’s all.”
“That’s all?” I nudge her arm, knowing she is leaving out major details here.
She giggles as a faint blush paints her cheeks. “And we may have hooked up once or twice … or ten times.”
“I knew it. Whatever, get it. He is fucking hot,” I say as we make our way through the long vestibule that leads to a set of long velvet curtains that separate the main entrance to what I am assuming must be the rest of the bar. The sounds of muffled music and laughter come from the other side of the curtains. Such a dramatic entrance for a bar, not that I am complaining, because it’s definitely unique.
The air is thick as we peel back the dark velvet curtains, making our way deeper into the crowded bar, toward the mixture of body heat and cigarette smoke. We find an empty spot at the bar, which is lined with skull-shaped ash trays spaced out every couple of inches, as do the high-top tables. It’s odd, since indoor smoking has been a thing of the past for a while now.
The Sandy Claws looks like it has been frozen in an early 2000s millennial time warp. Everything in this place screams emo bliss. From the Seether playing in the background to the dark baroque patterned accent wall against the otherwise all-black painted walls. The antique chandeliers that hang from the high ceilings provide a warm amber light, which adds to the overall ambiance.
The intentional disregard of trying to fit into today’s social media-saturated mold is noted, making me like this place already.I feel like I’m home.
“José!” Nessa shouts over the loud music.
José, the bartender, is just as tall and muscular as the bouncers. Older, but not any less attractive. He walks with a subtle limp, and as he approaches us, I notice a scar under his left eye, which makes me wonder how he acquired such a mark on his skin. When you grew up surrounded by men who made a living dealing and scheming like I did, you often saw scars like the one José is sporting. Though, if my assumptions are correct, men like José take the scars as a blessing. Better scarred and marked above ground than buried six feet under.
“Vanessa, good to see you,” José says, flashing a smile. His accent reminds me of Mama’s: New York mixed with a faint Caribbean accent. “What can I get you ladies?” he asks as he quickly wipes down the bar surface in front of us before he places two coasters there.
As Nessa leans over the bar trying to talk to José over the searingly loud music, I look down at the coaster on the bar top. A knot forms in my stomach as I pick up the heart-shaped coaster. There is a stitched design in the middle, with one-half of the heart black and white, the other half teal with accents of red, purple, and yellow. Suddenly, my mind is transported back to love-struck teenage Sienna. To a time when symbolism like this felt nostalgic, not heart-breaking.
I take a deep breath in and brush off the rush of feelings that have just overcome me. How fucking idiotic of me. It’s Halloween Eve, of course there would be Jack and Sally coasters. The whole place is decked out in Halloween décor. This is just part of the theme. I shake my head. I hate how, even after all this time, little lingering reminders of what I once had, when I had Leo, haunt me like the fucking succubus he was.
I put the coaster down and interrupt Nessa and José, “Vodka and tonic, with a round of tequila shots, please.”
Nessa claps with pride. “You heard my bestie!”
“You got it, ladies. Be right back,” José says, heading back to grab the bottle of Tito’s.
“I’m so happy you are finally here, Sienna. This is our time to take on the Big Apple, just two best friends,” she says as she gives me a side hug, with her arms stretched out around my shoulders.
José comes back with our drinks, and I try not to pay any more attention to the stupid themed coasters he puts the drinks down on. I have waited too long to leave the heartbreak that bound me to my hometown. Here I am, a new Sienna. Here, I will shed the misfortune of my family and life to finally start anew. But all that starts tomorrow. Tonight, I plan on getting fucking hammered.
Cheers.
Chapter12
Carmine
As I wait for Alex to meet me back at our table after a phone call he had to take, I sit, sipping on whatever number whiskey this is for the evening. I down the last of the watered-down amber liquid, as most of the ice has melted at this point, making it more of a Jack and water than a Jack on the rocks.
I feel a hint of unease as I see more and more patrons beginning to enter through the velvet entry curtains. While I appreciate the business beyond our usual suspects, who have made this their go-to watering hole, I’m not used to crowds like this.
When Alex comes back to our spot, I’m going to wrap things up here and head to the brownstone to try to get in the proper headspace for what andwhoawaits me tomorrow.
Like clockwork, José catches me putting my now empty glass back down on the table. He waltzes over, ready to give me a refill.
“Another one, Boss?”
I hand him the empty glass. “Thank you, José, but I am good. I need to get back home to walk Nada soon, anyway.”
Nada, my albino pit bull, surely has been walked plenty of times by now by the private dog walker, Noel. But I miss him and enjoy taking him out myself to spend some extra time with him, since I tend to work double time these days.
José nods and heads back to the bar just as Alex reemerges, looking less on edge than before his phone call. Practically beaming, Alex seats himself where his still-full whiskey is awaiting him.
“Good news?” I ask.
Grabbing hold of his glass, he lifts it just a few inches from his mouth while he raises a cocky brow, tilting his glass up slightly.
