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Or worse, Pavel.
My upper lip curls with disdain as I raise my glass to my mouth.He’s biding his time with me, toying with me like a cat with a mouse.
I sip my bourbon and close my eyes for a second, focusing on its taste, the sting of bourbon, and the rich notes of almond lingering on my tongue. Another sip relaxes my shoulders. A second sip causes me to slump toward the counter.
When the glass is empty, I set it down, looking for the scarecrow bartender who should be paying attention to his patrons. But he’s been swallowed by the sea of sorority chicks, the businessmen, the hippies. Tits and ass bounce everywhere. It should cheer me up.
But it doesn’t.
One of the sorority girls has dark brown hair with caramel in it. And I almost launch from the stool, thinking it’s my selfish-ass sister having a good time with my money.
But it’s not.
I sneer.She’s up in her ivory fucking tower with her Prince Charming.
I roll my eyes while knocking on the counter. “Mikey!”
She’s lucky Pavel was there. I slap the counter again, glaring at the bartender when he finally decides to make an appearance. Mikey pours my drink, smiles while I push a couple of bills toward him, and then waltzes away.I bet she talks back to him, too. She’s fucking spoiled in that place.
I snatch the glass from the counter, inhaling my drink in two gulps.
I’ve taken care of Liya her whole fucking life. And what do I get for it? Attitude, ungrateful backtalk, and a wad of cash from her snotty husband. Silence money. That’s what it is.
It was the least he could do to throw me some money as payment. Theveryleast he could do. But it’s not enough. It’s not the promise he made. It’s not the seat owed to me at the top of Citta Nostra. It’s not the deal we struck.
While I sit here and drink what Pavel paid me, that murderous bastard Cardona is prancing around the city with my throne.
And my sister has the nerve to pretend like it isn’t happening.
Someone bumps into me and knocks over my empty glass, sending ice skittering over the counter. The rowdy guys behind me laugh and jostle each other, inspiring me to flip around. I’m about to throw down when I notice a petite woman with black hair and striking blue eyes puffing up at the guys behind us.
“Take it outside!” she shouts.
The sharp tone draws their attention, glazed eyes blinking through confusion. She points to the back door and barks, “Outside.”
A couple of the jocks cackle and tease her while the others hustle to the back. The one closest to her makes a lewd gesture with his tongue. She doesn’t back down. As soon as the guys are gone, the woman plops down on her stool and spins around, facing the three bottles of beer seated on the counter. Two are empty. One is nearly gone.
Looks like I’m not the only one drinking alone.
I wave for Mikey and point at the girl.
“Hey, thanks,” I say to the chick. “You drinking by yourself?”
“No problem. And yeah.” She chugs the remainder of her beer and accepts the one Mikey hands her, tipping that one back as well. “Fucking idiots.”
I nod. “Yeah, idiots.”
I study her carefully. That milky skin and those silver bangles around her wrist keep my attention, inviting me to look over the rest of her. She’s familiar. But I can’t quite pin where I’ve seen her.
But it doesn’t even matter because her body is incredible. She’s petite, wearing a short black skirt and a tight black crop top with a silver belt draped around her waist. The sparkling black heels she’s wearing look like they could be weapons. Smoky shadow decorates her eyelids, lashes heavy with criticism as she stares at me.
She knows I’m looking. But she doesn’t seem too bothered by it.
I shrug off the look and say, “Hi.”
“Hi.”
“You come here often?”
