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However, they hadn’t figured out how to move forward with showing her that they wanted more than a boss-employee relationship with her. Then he caught sight of her eyes. Her pupils were enlarged.
“Has she been drinking?” he asked, looking over at Nate. “What is she even doing here?”
She should have gone home hours ago. Shit. Why hadn’t he checked in with Raul that she’d gotten home? He’d been running around doing shit all night at some of Steele’s other businesses and had barely had a minute to spare.
Steele was talking to his lieutenants about some stuff that had been going on around the city lately. In particular, he wanted to warn them that Wolfe and a few of the Rykers were still around and to watch out.
So he hadn’t checked to make sure she’d gotten home safe.
A mistake.
“She’s been filling in,” Nate told him. “Vanessa didn’t turn up.”
Grady frowned. “Lucy, call her. Tell her she’s fired.”
“All right, Mr. Grady. But what do we do about Effie? She’s been acting strange for the last half hour.”
“Hey, Grady? Tell you a seecit,” Effie whispered loudly.
A seecit?
She gestured to him and he leaned down. Did she mean a secret?
“Lucy isn’t such a bitch,” she told him.
He was fairly certain that she’d meant to whisper it. Unfortunately, she’d ended up yelling it.
“I think she’s delusional,” Nate said dryly.
“Shut up, Nate,” Lucy snarled.
“She’s been filling in for Vanessa? You mean she was serving drinks?” Grady asked.
“Yeah, I tried to send her home,” Nate told him. “But she reckoned it was her job to fill in for Vanessa.”
Fucking bullshit. And he’d need to ensure that she got over that sort of thinking quick. There was no way she should be on her feet serving after having worked a full day. And he’d be telling her that as soon as she was in her right mind.
Grady wrapped his arm around her waist as she swayed.
“Will you dance with me?” she asked.
He tightened his hold on her, worried she might fall.
“No dancing.”
She pouted. “Meanie.”
“Has she been drinking?” he asked Nate.
“I poured her a water. But Lucy got her an orange juice.” Nate frowned. “What’s this?” He picked up an empty glass.
“I made her a Virgin Pina Colada,” Lucy defended. “And it was just an orange juice. She kept saying she was thirsty. Do you think she’s taken something?”
Grady narrowed his gaze at Lucy. He didn’t trust her as far as he could throw her. Then he turned back to his girl.
“Effie? Can you look at me?” he asked.
“Aren’t all the lights pretty? And the dancers? I love to dance. Will you dance with me, Grady?”
