Kelly was off.
The moving had started this week. Most of her stuff was gone. Her clothes went on Tuesday. Her kitchen items, her photos went on Wednesday. Her bed and couch went yesterday. She didn’t have much else at the place. But considering they were doing the move, I thought she’d talk more with me than she had. She’d been quiet all week. It had me wondering if Justin had said something about seeing me with Trace. Either way, I was working at Katya and keeping my eye on him in the section next to me.
So far, he was normal. He gave a chin lift to me in greeting and came over, shooting some small talk bullshit before the first wave of customers came in. We had some breathing room today, but that’d only last for one more hour, and it would be customer after customer after that.
Maybe that was why he came over ten minutes later, leaning with his back to the counter, watching me work. “So . . . can we talk?”
Here it was.
I gave him a small nod. “Sure. Here?”
“Yeah. I mean.” He gestured behind him and toward his section. “Both of us can’t leave.”
I knew so I kept working, casting him a sideways look. “This about last weekend?”
“Um.” He drew in a breath, raking his hand through his hair. He stood up but moved closer to me. “Listen, I know who you left with.”
Right. This was the talk. For a brief moment, I’d hoped it was about him taking my roommate from me.
I was still eyeing him, still working. “Yeah?”
“I’m aware of who he is, you know. Our families . . . there’s a connection there, and I figured out what Viv did. She never told me, but she used me to try and get in with Walden.”
“Right. Okay.” I was still waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“My, uh, brother, you know what he does.”
I stopped taking orders and straightened up.
So did Justin, putting a little bit of distance between us, but not much. He indicated farther back so the customers couldn’t overhear. I went, and he dropped his voice, his head bending toward mine. “I don’t know the reason why a West would be giving you a ride back to the city, or why you lied to Kelly about it, but I can only imagine, and I’m hoping I’m getting all of that wrong. I did talk to my brother more about West and Walden. Look, all cards on the table? I mentioned this job to him, and he said if I happened to overhear anything, let him know. That was it. I’m not here snitching for him. I don’t want you thinking that.”
It was more alarming that he was explaining he wasn’t a snitch to me.
“Look, what I’m trying to say is that I don’t have a good feeling here anymore. Tonight’s my last night. So’s Kelly’s. I had a long talk with her about who the owners were, but I kept it quiet about who your ride was with last Saturday, though I’m not sure why I should keep that quiet. Since you’re the one who lied, and since you’ve always been up and up, I’m assuming you had your reasons. My brother told me that there’s another family trying to move in on New York. That means they’re going against our bosses, both of them. I don’t know the specifics of how involved our owners are with their families, but I know they are involved. That’s enough to worry me. I want you to resign with us. All of us can go somewhere else. Kelly would love that. She’s been upset all week, thinking about leaving you behind. It’s double since she’s moving out and now quitting here. I know someone at Octavia. They can put in a good word for us—”
“Octavia’s owners aren’t active in New York, but don’t think for a second they aren’t connected either.”
He stopped talking, startled by my statement. “You serious?”
I nodded. “I’m guessing your brother didn’t tell you about that place.”
“Shit. No.” He shook his head, raking his hand over his head one more time. “It doesn’t matter. We’re resigning. Come with us.”
God.
I should. I needed to.
Common sense dictated I do exactly as he said, but . . . even now I wanted to look up where his private box was. I wanted to check my phone, see if he’d sent me a text. I couldn’t stop replaying being in the car with him.
My throat felt stripped raw as I patted Justin on the arm. “I’m a sucker for what’s familiar. It’s my downfall. I’ve stayed this long; I’m going to stick it out. I like working at Katya, but it means a lot that you want me to go with you.”
Regret tightened his face, his mouth pressing in a firm line. “Are you sure?”
I dipped my head down. “I’ll be okay, Justin.” I indicated Kelly, who was watching us from a level above. “You take care of her. All right?”
He drew in a deep breath, resignation settling over his shoulders. He raised his head up, but he didn’t look at Kelly. He kept watching me. “I can’t change your mind?”
I gave a small shake of my head.
He nodded, giving in. “Okay. Come on. Give me a hug.”
I didn’t object as he drew me in, and he squeezed me tight. “Be safe. I don’t know why you were in the car with him, but please be safe. Be smart.”
I couldn’t promise on the smart part, but I hugged him back. “I’ll watch my back. Don’t worry.”
He stepped back, letting me go. “You’ve become family, so I’ll worry.”
I gave him a crooked grin. “Guessing that means what I think it means.”
He grinned back, a half one. “I love her. A lot.”
“Also guessing that’s what was behind our trip last weekend.”
“My aunt loved her. I wanted her to meet Kelly before I proposed, but I have the ring.”
“Give me a heads-up when you do, okay? I want to make sure I’m by my phone.”
He snorted, starting to back away and go to his section. “Uh. You’re going to be there, and I’m going to be needing your help in planning the whole thing.”
That was total BS, but I liked that he was pretending he needed my help. “I told her you were good people from the very beginning, you know.”
He flashed me one last grin. “I know.”
He turned to his customers, and I did the same, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that tonight was the first ending before a whole lot of other endings. I didn’t know what the others were, and the dread sitting firm in my gut didn’t know either.
I checked my phone on my break and saw the text there waiting for me.
Trace: Want a ride back to your place after work?
Me: I have my own car here.
He’d sent his text an hour ago, but he responded right away.
Trace: So maybe I could get a ride instead? Or you can leave your car for the night. We have a secure parking spot. You can park it there.
Trace: Anthony said Justin stopped by his office earlier.
So he knew.
My heart was heavy, and I clicked out of his messages, spotting there were thirteen more texts from my mother. I hit them, wanting to make sure nothing was wrong, and, spotting the first words of her most recent text were you bitch, I clicked out of them.
I responded, knowing I was making a mistake.
I was going to make it anyway.
Me: I’d like a ride.
Kelly came over at the end of her shift. “Justin said he talked to you.”
I was still packed with customers, so I didn’t stop working. “Yeah. I’m staying.”
She nodded, her eyes sad. “I can’t change your mind?”
There it was. I gave her a grin, seeing she’d been quiet because of the change. I finished this guy’s order and went over to her to give her a hug. She wrapped her arms tight around me, hugging me fiercely. “We need to do more than Easter Lanes on Sunday.”
I pulled back. “We’ll do so much more than Sunday bowling.”
She flicked a hand at her eye, blinking away what had been there. “Why do I feel like this is permanent this time?”
“Because hopefully it is.” I saw that Justin was half watching us as he kept doing orders. I flashed him a smile, and he gave me a nod back. “Your path is with him. We were great roommates and better friends. You bet your ass I’m not letting go of our friendship. I need it. You balance all the other bullshit in my life.”
“I worry about you.”
Oh. That was making my chest hurt. I pulled her in for one more hug. “Text me tomorrow, and let’s set up the next time we get together. We’ll do a weekly thing.”
“You promise?”
I was nodding when I heard behind me, “I cannot fucking believe this.”
Kelly’s response was immediate, twisting around. She’d handled her fair share of female fights in the past, so she was the first to snap back: “Can we help you, ma’am?”
Ma’am. I almost started laughing. This chick, whoever she was, was obviously younger than us. And smart, because she registered Kelly’s insult. The young woman had straight dark hair, model-like long legs. She was dressed in high-waisted skintight jean leggings. A black corset crop top. Hoop earrings that I thought had gone out of style when I was in college, but they looked good on her. Her makeup was on point, too, but the sneer directed at me was taking away from everything else.
“I know who you are.” She slapped a hand on the bar, her long red nails distracting even me. Also, those looked painful in a fight, for her. I’d go right for them.
“Excuse me?”
Kelly started to move in front of me, but I held her back. “I got this.”
Justin was looking over, and I waved for him to take her. He gave me a nod, and as I moved toward the woman-child, I saw Justin moving Kelly away. I could handle this. I didn’t need to worry about my best friend getting a nail in her eyeball.
“Ma’am.” I was using my PO voice. It came out loud and assertive as fuck, and it had an effect on everyone around me. They all sat up and sat back.
I gave her the hard eyes too. Those worked wonders on most offenders. “If you have a problem with me, state it. But I’m going to warn you that if you make any more aggressive moves toward me, we’re going to have a completely different type of conversation.”
“Oh yeah?” Her sneer had faltered when I first started speaking, but it came back. She folded her arms over her chest. “What kind of conversation would that be?”
“You’ll find out. Now. What’s your problem with me?” The level of hatred in her eyes was next level. It was like I’d personally destroyed her childhood, or wait. Maybe I had. “You know anyone in prison?” Better question, was I part of the team that put them in there or back in there? That would make more sense.
“No. Well, yes, but that’s not why I’m going to have your job tonight.”
“You want my job, ma’am?”
She flushed, some confusion chipping away at the loathing. “What? No! God. Who are you?”
“I believe that’s the question here. Who am I to you, and why do you have a problem with me.”
“Are you kidding me? You don’t know who I am?” She slapped a hand back down and leaned over, doing her best to intimidate me. She was tall enough—it might’ve worked on someone who hadn’t gotten cursed out by every which word, and that was just this afternoon.
“Ma’am. If you do not state your business for being here, you will need to leave.”
She barked out an ugly laugh, standing back again. Those arms crossed over her chest. “That’s hilarious, especially considering the fact that my brother owns this place.”
Wh—oh. Oh no.
Recognition hit me, and Trace’s earlier conversation filtered back to me.
He’d talked about his sister.
Shitty situation. Family.
“Who’s your brother?”
“Tristian West, but it doesn’t really matter because Ashton’s just as much of a brother figure to me too.” She was loving telling me this, drawing it out with a smug smirk. “Trust me, bitch. You’re going to regret stepping into this place. I’ll have your job by the end of the night, and then I’m going to come after that whore of a mother too. I’m going to make it my mission to put you and your slut of a mother out on the streets.”
This was Trace’s sister. Who knew my mom somehow.
Well. If we were showing all of our cards, I reached up and drew the chain from around my neck until my badge came up. I took it off and put it on the counter, ignoring the effect it had on the customers around us. I cared only about her reaction, and the shock that was quickly veiled and shoved down was what I needed to see. She had no clue who I actually was. She came in all emotion and no plan.
“Let’s see you try to make me homeless. And while you’re at it, why don’t you educate me on how you know my mother? Because that’s news to me.”
I glanced over her shoulder, seeing Ashton coming toward us. I couldn’t get a read on him, but as he passed Justin’s section, I saw Kelly giving me a discreet thumbs-up.
The woman-child drew back, giving me a more assessing look, but anything she said was cut off because Ashton was in my section. She turned to him. “Ash—what are you doing?!”
Her voice rose up in a screech as he took her arm, a hold just under her elbow, and he gave a slight jerk of his head. “Excuse us.” He began to lead her away, like a parent removing a child who was throwing a temper tantrum.
“Ashton! What are you doing?! Do you know who that is?!”
They went a little more distance, past Justin and Kelly, and by then the music drowned her out.
I continued watching them go, because what the hell was that about?
“This real?” One of the customers was inspecting my badge, and I grabbed it, put it back around my neck, slipped it inside my shirt.
I ignored that question. “What do you need to drink?”
It was after closing, and I was cleaning my bar when Ashton came back.
I straightened, the washrag in my hand. “What was that about?”
His eyes narrowed. “You honestly don’t know?”
“No.” I was done with this. After tossing my rag into the sink, I moved toward him until I was standing a few feet away. I crossed my arms over my chest. “She called my mother a whore and a slut and said she wants to make us homeless. We’re past games right now. What was that about?”
First things first. I wanted to know.
Ashton was going to tell me. I knew it. I was banking on it.
He stared at me, long and hard, and I was aware of the attention we were getting from the other workers because it was not often our owners came down to the floor after we’d closed, or at all. Like I said before, I’d worked here for how long and had had no clue who really owned the bar. That spoke volumes.
“Your mother had an affair with Dominic West. It was before your father died, and no, Trace has no idea, but he will after tonight. He was told just moments ago. Your mother was the reason their mother killed herself. She found out about the affair.” He moved closer. “It’s the reason your father stopped working for Trace’s.”
Jesus.
I was rocked.
I was wheeling.
My mother . . . their mother.
I kept hearing Trace’s words earlier today.
The coincidence was too much, but . . . my father had worked for his. I was never told the specifics. I was kept out of it on purpose, my mother saying on more than one occasion that I didn’t need to bother with that “stuff.” That’s what she said. Stuff.
But she had affairs. I knew she did, and so did he. My father.
He was in that world before he died.
It could be true. It could all be true.
“For what it’s worth, Dominic is a piece of shit. I’m told your mother is cut from the same cloth. My advice? Stop fighting and just fuck Trace. It’s getting old, this whole torture episode the both of you have going on.” He drew back, his face firming again. “Remmi won’t bother you again, and we took the liberty of moving your car into the secured spot. Your ride is waiting outside when you’re done.”
I was still reeling from the mother/father thing, but right. Okay. Back to business as usual.
Trace was waiting for me, because I had texted him earlier, agreeing to the ride home.
“Jess.”
I drew upright, focusing back on Ashton. He was waiting.
“Yes?”
“I don’t care what kind of badge you’re carrying. You need to be aware of what I’ll do if you hurt him. If you hurt my best friend, I will kill you.”
With that said, he smiled, waved, and left.
Right. Okay.
Trace: Are you coming?
