beer as they laughed with each other. A handful of guys sat at the bar with her, nursing their woes as they watched the soccer game on an overhead TV.
A minute later, the bartender returned with a mischievous grin on his face. “Looks like it’s your lucky day. Boss man is on his way in.”
She shot him a sarcastic look. “Or maybe it’s his lucky day.”
The bartender seemed to consider her words and then nodded. “Maybe so.”
Eliana took another sip of beer as a commotion sounded behind her. She hesitated and then glanced over her shoulder.
A handsome man with startling dark eyes moved toward the bar with an entourage of men in his wake. He walked with a predatory grace, tall and sleek, his hair a short shock of brown on his head. He caught sight of her almost immediately and headed in her direction.
As he drew nearer, pockmarks on his skin, most likely meth scars, became evident, and an evil edge destroyed the beauty of his dark eyes. He glanced down his nose at her, his ego more than evident, looking like everyone should know he owned the world.
She hated men like him.
She didn’t buy into a better-than-thou attitude. In fact, people with that demeanor really pissed her off, and she usually made it a point to frustrate them instead of bowing.
“You must be the lawyer lady.” He flicked his gaze over her, like a hyena tasting its food before devouring it.
“I’m sorry. You are…” She kept any hint of warmth from her gaze.
He paused as though truly offended, and she wondered if he’d have her removed from his bar. Instead, he snorted. “Feisty. I like it.” He reached out to touch her hair, but she knocked his hand aside, earning another surprised look from him, which he was quick to hide.
He glanced at the group behind him and laughed. “Redheads, you gotta watch them, or they’ll burn your asses. Isn’t that right, Miss Conway?”
“It is.” She glanced at the group behind him, her heart leaping into her throat when she spied Howard’s killer amongst them.
The punk narrowed his gaze at her as though trying to place where he might have seen her.
She held his look without blinking until the boss man followed her stare and landed on the felon. “You two know each other?” he asked his flunky.
“Nah. Too high class for my shit.” He denied knowledge, but she could see in his eyes that he recognized her.
“Damn straight,” Gideon agreed and then pointed to the lot of them. “All of you get your sorry asses out of here. You got work to do.”
She pretended she didn’t pick up on the word “work” or the way they all headed to the back room together. It was obvious he hadn’t hired them to tend bar or work in the kitchen, not so many of them, so exactly what kind of work would they do? If Victor was right, they were all tied to organized crime.
She might have stumbled onto something much bigger than she’d expected.
“Another round for us, Floyd,” Gideon said without taking his gaze off Eliana. He slipped onto the barstool next to her. “What’s a pretty girl like you doing in a place like this?”
“Really?” she asked, her voice heavy with sarcasm. Like he couldn’t come up with a better line than that? Lame pickup lines seemed to run rampant in that place.
He chuckled and then sobered. The speed with which his expression changed from friendly to serious surprised her. “Seriously, what are you doing here?”
She tried a friendly laugh as a way to defuse the situation. “What, a girl can’t come in here for a drink?”
“Look around, honey. Not many in here are ordering cosmopolitans.”
She steeled her own gaze as Floyd placed their drinks before them. “Does it look like I’m drinking a cosmopolitan?”
He eyed her beer and then refocused on her face, letting her know that wasn’t a sufficient answer.
Under any other circumstances, she would have walked out immediately, but she’d quickly realized that the kid who’d pulled the trigger was only a
A minute later, the bartender returned with a mischievous grin on his face. “Looks like it’s your lucky day. Boss man is on his way in.”
She shot him a sarcastic look. “Or maybe it’s his lucky day.”
The bartender seemed to consider her words and then nodded. “Maybe so.”
Eliana took another sip of beer as a commotion sounded behind her. She hesitated and then glanced over her shoulder.
A handsome man with startling dark eyes moved toward the bar with an entourage of men in his wake. He walked with a predatory grace, tall and sleek, his hair a short shock of brown on his head. He caught sight of her almost immediately and headed in her direction.
As he drew nearer, pockmarks on his skin, most likely meth scars, became evident, and an evil edge destroyed the beauty of his dark eyes. He glanced down his nose at her, his ego more than evident, looking like everyone should know he owned the world.
She hated men like him.
She didn’t buy into a better-than-thou attitude. In fact, people with that demeanor really pissed her off, and she usually made it a point to frustrate them instead of bowing.
“You must be the lawyer lady.” He flicked his gaze over her, like a hyena tasting its food before devouring it.
“I’m sorry. You are…” She kept any hint of warmth from her gaze.
He paused as though truly offended, and she wondered if he’d have her removed from his bar. Instead, he snorted. “Feisty. I like it.” He reached out to touch her hair, but she knocked his hand aside, earning another surprised look from him, which he was quick to hide.
He glanced at the group behind him and laughed. “Redheads, you gotta watch them, or they’ll burn your asses. Isn’t that right, Miss Conway?”
“It is.” She glanced at the group behind him, her heart leaping into her throat when she spied Howard’s killer amongst them.
The punk narrowed his gaze at her as though trying to place where he might have seen her.
She held his look without blinking until the boss man followed her stare and landed on the felon. “You two know each other?” he asked his flunky.
“Nah. Too high class for my shit.” He denied knowledge, but she could see in his eyes that he recognized her.
“Damn straight,” Gideon agreed and then pointed to the lot of them. “All of you get your sorry asses out of here. You got work to do.”
She pretended she didn’t pick up on the word “work” or the way they all headed to the back room together. It was obvious he hadn’t hired them to tend bar or work in the kitchen, not so many of them, so exactly what kind of work would they do? If Victor was right, they were all tied to organized crime.
She might have stumbled onto something much bigger than she’d expected.
“Another round for us, Floyd,” Gideon said without taking his gaze off Eliana. He slipped onto the barstool next to her. “What’s a pretty girl like you doing in a place like this?”
“Really?” she asked, her voice heavy with sarcasm. Like he couldn’t come up with a better line than that? Lame pickup lines seemed to run rampant in that place.
He chuckled and then sobered. The speed with which his expression changed from friendly to serious surprised her. “Seriously, what are you doing here?”
She tried a friendly laugh as a way to defuse the situation. “What, a girl can’t come in here for a drink?”
“Look around, honey. Not many in here are ordering cosmopolitans.”
She steeled her own gaze as Floyd placed their drinks before them. “Does it look like I’m drinking a cosmopolitan?”
He eyed her beer and then refocused on her face, letting her know that wasn’t a sufficient answer.
Under any other circumstances, she would have walked out immediately, but she’d quickly realized that the kid who’d pulled the trigger was only a
Similar Books
