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Adalynn goes back to serving drinks while I watch her like a hawk. Sometime later, Bender comes up on stage and announces the new cover band. I’m all for finding new talent, but these screechers are hurting even my well-trained ears. “Thanks for helping out.” Bender walks up and slaps my back.
“I didn’t have much of a choice.” I turn on my barstool and smirk at him. “You’re holding my mother’s disregard for my well-being over my head.”
“You’re named after your uncle. At least she didn’t use it as your first name.” Bender laughs. He always had a soft spot for my mother.
I roll my eyes and glance around to check on my goddess. My fucking heart drops to my feet when I see her usual spot behind the bar is empty. “Where is she?” Panic cuts through my soul as I stand and grab Bender by the front of his shirt.
My MC brother curses under his breath before slamming his hand down on the bar to get the other bartender’s attention. “Where’s Adalynn?” he demands.
“We’re out of Hennessy and almost out of Jack.” The unconcerned fucker shrugs. “She must’ve run to the storeroom.”
I grab Bender’s arm. “Where is the fucking storeroom?”
“Follow me.” As we rush through the crowd, I want to kick my own ass. How in the hell could I have let my goddess out of my sight. Never the fuck again. I’m going to spank her ass for leaving without telling me, and then I’m handcuffing her to me. Forever. Literally. After I give her my last name.
CHAPTEREIGHT
ADALYNN
“Shit,” Tyler groans, holding up an empty bottle of Hennessy. “We’re out.”
“We’re almost out of Jack, too,” I tell him. The bar has been crazy busy since I got here. No wonder Bender decided to risk Razor’s wrath to call me in. It’s a madhouse in here tonight. I feel bad that Bender fired Roger because of what he said to me. At least, I felt bad about it until Razor told me everything they found when they looked into him.
He’s a sexist jerk with a long history of being a sexist jerk. Bender and Jackson don’t need him here causing problems for the bar. I probably shouldn’t be glad someone lost their job, but I am relieved I won’t have to deal with him any longer.
Graduate school isn’t cheap, and I make too much working here to quit because of him. I know Razor thinks he’s paying my way, but that is so not happening. I worked too hard to get where I am to just give it up now. I love him so much for wanting to take care of me, but it’s important to me to be able to contribute. I’ll never be a millionaire like he is, but I want to pay for my education. I want to be able to look at my degree and say I did that.
Besides, he’s a caveman. If I don’t tell him no once in a while, he may run right over me. I don’t think I’d like that very much. And I don’t think he would either. He likes when I dig my heels in, even if he won’t admit it.
“I’ll cover the bar while you go to the storeroom and get…” I start to say to Tyler, only to see a line of bridesmaids rushing him. “Guess not,” I mutter, shaking my head. I cast a quick glance at Razor, who is deep in conversation with Bender.
He won’t even notice if I run to the stockroom and back real quick. It’s not like I even have to leave the bar area to go, anyway. He can’t possibly get upset about that.
I toss the bar rag down and hurry through the batwing doors into the kitchen. My stomach growls as the smell of fried foods and spices waft toward me. The chef here makes the best cheese curds and nachos. He should really be working at a Michelin-rated restaurant instead of in an upscale bar in Silver Spoon Falls, but Bender and Jackson pay him a small fortune, and he says drunks are far more appreciative of his skills than uptight critics.
“Hi, Javier,” I say, waving.
He glances up from the onions he’s mincing to wave.
I sail through the kitchen and then into the stockroom.
“What the heck?” I mutter, frowning. The back door stands open, light from the alley spilling into the room. If the delivery people left it open, Bender is going to lose his mind.
I hurry forward to close it, and then I see him out of the corner of my eye.
Roger.
He steps from between two shelves, slamming the door between the kitchen and stockroom closed.
My heart lodges itself in my throat, the first inklings of fear whispering through me. He looks… bad. His eyes are wild and unfocused. His hair is messy, and his shirt is wrinkled.
“Roger, w-what are you doing here?” I turn slowly to face him.
“You mean since you got me fired?” He sneers, stepping between me and the door to the kitchen, effectively blocking my only way back into the bar. My only way back to Razor.
Razor. Please. Oh my God. Please be a caveman and come looking for me.
I inch toward the left, trying to position myself close to a shelf so I can grab a bottle. There’s no way I can outrun him. I don’t want to be in a dark alley alone with him anyway. But I can hit him over the head and scream bloody murder. Even if no one in the bar hears me, Javier will.
