‘You don’t say,’ Liam agreed, his voice sounding as defeated as he looked. ‘So… if by any chance you’ve got any sort of poison behind that bar, Terry, just pour it and I’ll drink it. Neat. No ice.’
‘No poison,’ Terry replied with a sarcastic, disappointed look. ‘But I can mix you up something that’ll hit like a heavyweight champ.’
Liam smiled a smile that was small and tense… and it didn’t linger. ‘Sounds like it’s just what I need… times a whole bunch.’
Terry nodded. ‘Any drinks or flavors I should steer away from?’
Liam tried to chuckle, but it came out more like a cough. ‘Right now, my friend, I’ll drink dirty water from the devil’s barrel… I don’t much care. Just pour it.’
If I’d just lost seven and a half million dollars in one day,Terrythought, as he reached for the cocktail shaker,I wouldn’t much care what I was drinking either.
‘Heavyweight champ knockout coming right over, buddy,’ Terry announced, as he slid a few cubes of ice into a tall glass.
Liam didn’t look to see what spirits Terry was pouring into the mixer. Instead, he turned and allowed his gaze to move around the cozily lit drinking lounge.
At 9:55 p.m. on a Thursday evening, The Varnish was busy and getting busier. Two very attractive waitresses, dressed in sexy secretary outfits, took orders from customers sitting at the old-fashioned dinner booths scattered around the bar floor. As Liam observed one of the waitresses, a medium-height, short-haired man, also dressed in an expensive-looking pinstriped suit, entered The Varnish, walked over to the bar and indicated the stool to Liam’s right.
‘Is this seat taken, buddy?’ he asked.
Liam’s stare moved to him but he stayed quiet.
The man’s eyebrows lifted, inquisitively.
‘No,’ Liam finally replied. ‘I don’t think so.’
The man smiled and took the seat just as Terry placed a glass containing a dark-colored cocktail on the bar in front of Liam.
‘Hey, Terry,’ the new arrival said, with a nod.
Terry reciprocated the gesture. ‘Hey, Ken, what can I get you tonight?’
Ken eyed Liam’s glass. ‘What is that?’ He frowned at Terry.
‘I call it Amnesia,’ Terry said. His smile was aimed more at Liam than at Ken. ‘It makes you forget things for a while… a lot of things.’
‘Interesting,’ Ken nodded. ‘What’s in it?’
Liam lifted a hand at Terry. ‘I actually don’t want to know.’
Terry’s attention moved to Ken. ‘Neither do you, Ken. Believe me.’
Liam reached for the glass and had a healthy sip. As the drinkcleared his throat, on its way to his stomach, his cheeks puffed up with air and his eyes seemed like they were about to melt on his face.
‘Damn,’ Liam said, as he took a deep breath. ‘This thing could degrease engines.’
Terry nodded his agreement. ‘And then some.’
‘Yep,’ Ken said, his hands up in the air. ‘I’ll pass.’ He thought about it for an extra second. ‘For now, at least.’
‘Ken,’ Terry said, as he introduced the two men at the bar. ‘This is Liam.’
Liam and Ken shook hands.
‘I’ll have a beer with a chaser, please, Terry,’ Ken said, placing a hundred-dollar bill on the counter. ‘And just keep them coming, will you?’
As Terry turned away to fetch Ken’s order, Ken turned to face Liam. ‘It must’ve been a particularly bad day, if you chose to drink engine degreaser.’
Liam had another sip of his cocktail… or at least he pretended to.
