Dirty Truths by Renee Miller Page A

his gaze from Kristina’s back and met the unsettling dark eyes of his boss. He forced what he hoped was a friendly smile to his face. “Fancy seeing you here.”
    “A guy needs a drink now and then,” Thomas smiled. “New girl?”
    “Yeah,” Wade grabbed the bottle of bourbon beneath the counter, Thomas’s bottle, of course. It was an effort not to look back to Kristina. If he had any luck, she’d stay at the far end of the bar until Thomas left.
    “She’s cute,” Thomas said. “Young… but cute.”
    “Daughter of a friend,” Wade set Thomas’s drink in front of him and picked up a towel to occupy his hands. While Thomas was Wade’s boss, they were friends first. Thomas would never hurt anyone who didn’t threaten the Brotherhood. If Thomas suspected his feelings for Kristina, it could cause problems.
    “This isn’t the girl who was married to the Riley, is it?”
    As if he didn’t know. Wade’s gut tightened. Thomas didn’t associate with many people, and yet he seemed to know everything about everyone in town. “It is.”
    “Arrogant prick. I never liked the guy.”
    “No arguments from me.” Wade smiled. “So why are you really here?”
    Thomas lifted his glass and drained the contents. He opened his mouth to speak, but a crash turned their attention to the pool tables.
    Kristina stood in the middle of her mess. Bottles and broken glass littered the puddle of liquid at her feet. Her lip trembled as she knelt to pick up the pieces.
    Thomas chuckled. “Might be more trouble than she’s worth.”
    “She just started the other night. Still a little nervous.”
    “Never pegged you as a sucker for a pretty face.”
    “She needed a job, so I gave her a shot. Sheila breaks shit all the time and I haven’t fired her yet. I should help her get that cleaned up.”
    Thomas nodded. “Of course you should. I scheduled a meeting. Usual place, usual time, tomorrow night. I expect to see you there.”
    “Something up?” Wade hated Thomas’s meetings. They always ended in Wade doing something nasty.
    “Not really. This is just precautionary.”
    “I’ll be there.”
    Thomas stood, his gaze traveling once more to Kristina. She turned, catching the two of them staring. Wade looked away first, but Thomas didn’t care if he made the poor girl uncomfortable.
    “Is that it?” Wade asked.
    “This better not become a problem.” Thomas pointed to Kristina. “Don’t make me do something unpleasant, Wade.”
    “She’s just an employee.” Wade lied.
    “Keep it that way. You’ve got enough complications in your life.”
     
    ***
     
    Near the coat racks, Kristina paused to catch her breath and stare at the crowd filling the dimly lit barroom. She stood at the back by a polished wood counter that ran nearly the entire width of the space, filled tonight with players from a local golf tournament. Maybe Wade wouldn’t notice she still struggled after two weeks of training.
    Toward the small stage and dance floor, on the left side of the bar, patrons sat at tables pushed close to take advantage of every inch of space. The right side held four pool tables and little else. Smaller versions of the main bar divided the room; pine-topped islands surrounded by stools. The rest of the furnishings were of the same pale finish as the main bar, with green leather seats on the chairs. They had tiled the floor in a black and white checkerboard pattern. Kristina found it dizzying to look at, but Amy said it made the old bar look modern. She didn’t have the heart to tell her nothing could make the place modern.
    One waitress had to cover the entire room and it took Kristina a few nights to figure out a pattern that worked for her. She took orders on the right side as she cleared empties. Then after delivering those drinks, she worked her way up the left.
    Wade had been patient after she messed up horribly the first night and dropped more drinks than she managed to sell. He told her to come in the next afternoon when