AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What the hell are you doing here?”
The glass I’m holding crashes to the floor when Liz steps into the bar area. Her hands are parked on her skinny hips, and her usual snarl toward me is darker. I lean down and scramble to pick up the pieces of glass.
Great. Already dropping shit on my first day.
Maliki comes up behind her, towering over her small frame, and his eyes set on me. “I gave her a job.”
Liz backs away to face him and shakes her head. “Last time I checked, we weren’t hiring.”
“Someone needs to cover your shifts while you’re in Florida,” Maliki replies sharply.
I twist to grab a rag from a shelf to stop the glass from cutting me as I clean up and focus on their standoff.
“Have Mikey cover them,” Liz says, raising her voice. “Not a girl who’s probably never stepped foot behind a bar.”
I rise and toss the shards of glass into the trash. “I worked in one of the busiest clubs in the state.”
The glare shot in my direction tells me she either didn’t expect that answer or for me to defend myself.
Her face tightens. “Of course you have, Barbie.” She rolls her eyes, turning her back to me, and continues yelling at Maliki, “What happens when I come back?”
“She’ll serve,” Maliki bites out. His eyes drift to me in reassurance and then return to his sister. “Now, unless you have business to discuss other than my employees, I don’t want to hear it.”
“Whatever,” Liz huffs out. “Fuck up our family business because you’re thinking with your dick.”
Maliki’s jaw tightens in frustration. “It’smybusiness, and I’ll do with it as I fucking please.”
“Wow,” she draws out. “We’re going there now, huh? I’ll be back in a few weeks. Oh, and consider this my resignation.”
She storms away, and Maliki is running his hand over the stubble of his jaw when his eyes snap to me.
I smooth down my tank top and rush out my words. “You can fire me. I don’t want to cause friction between you and your sister.”
He chuckles, the stress slowly fading from his face. “Appreciate it, but Lizresignsonce a month.”
He squats down to clean up the remnants of glass I missed. I didn’t exactly want to crawl around on the floor by their legs.
He tosses the pieces into the trash can, and a relaxed smile crosses his face. “Now, get to work before I write you up.”
I salute him, and he drifts back to his side of the bar.
“Your brother is going to kick your ass, and I’ll take a Bud Light, please.”
I shift my attention from Maliki to Gage—Kyle’s best friend since childhood. They’re partners on the Blue Beech police force.
I groan. “Please tell me he’s not coming.”
“Last I heard, he was,” he answers with a smirk.
“Perfect.”
I was so concerned about my parents’ reaction to my job that I didn’t think about my brothers. Rex, my younger one, won’t give two shits about it. He’ll probably ask me to make him a drink. But Kyle, as the overprotective older brother, won’t be happy.
“I take it, he doesn’t know about this new gig of yours?” Gage asks.
“Nope, so I’d appreciate it if you kept your lips sealed and led him to Maliki’s side of the bar … or better yet, inform him the bar has shut down for the night and he can stay home.” I smile, reach into the cooler for his beer, and hand it to him. “Don’t forget my generous tip.”
He slaps cash onto the bar. “This is a shitshow I can’t wait to see.”
