Nothing But Ink (Montgomery Ink: Fort Collins #6)

CHAPTER 1

Riggs

I loved my bar, but sometimes I hated it.

My bartender for the night had called in, a head cold that wouldn’t go away.

As I wasn’t in the mood to help spread any germs or illnesses through anyone who entered the place, I was fine with them needing the night off.

I just knew that meant I would have to work the late shift tonight.

That was unless Rosie, my backup, actually made it in.

She was trying to find childcare for the night to get in a few more hours.

She’d recently been made a widow, having lost her husband in a car accident two months ago.

I had done my best to ensure that she got as many hours as she could, and I’d even found her other childcare through some contacts I had.

Only it didn’t always work out, especially at the last minute.

There was only so much that any of us could do for one another, and I would never begrudge my staff for having to take off for being sick or for their kids. It all made complete sense to me.

Yet all I wanted was a night off like I’d planned.

And I didn’t think I would get it. That was fine.

I loved Riggs’. I was the asshole who had jokingly named the place after myself because my grandma had liked it when we’d mentioned it in passing years before I even had the place.

It had been a placeholder while we thought of other names.

Then, I had run out of time to change it, so now people drank at Riggs’, ate the damn good wings, and enjoyed themselves at one of the most popular bars in Fort Collins, Colorado.

However, I just wanted a freaking night off.

“We have two Keystones on tap, a honey lager, and an extra-dry martini.”

I raised a brow. “That’s a mix,” I replied with a laugh as Kai, one of my servers, shook his head, putting the order in the system. When I was behind the bar and able, Kai liked to call out the drinks ahead of time, but we still keyed everything in since there was no way I could keep up.

At least, not tonight.

“They’re an interesting crew. I think it’s a double date or a first date. I’m not sure, but the two guys over there ordered the Keystones.”

“What a waste of beer,” I grumbled.

Kai snorted. “Unless you’re playing beer pong. I mean, Keystone Light is the beer pong beer of the nation.”

“Or at least of Fort Collins,” I muttered, pulling the taps as I worked to make the extra-dry martini. We had happy hour specials on well for the night, which meant I would make a decent martini, but still, it wouldn’t be as good as it would be with top-shelf liquor.

“Do you have time to make a frozen daiquiri with extra whipped cream?” Trudy asked as she came forward, her notepad in hand.

I held back an unprofessional groan. “Seriously?”

“And light on the rum. I’m pretty sure they just want a bowl of whipped cream, but they didn’t want to ask for that,” Trudy added with a laugh as she keyed in the order.

I went to work blending some ice and then made the next set of orders.

Considering it was a weeknight, I was glad for the busy times.

It meant that I would remain in the black this month and wouldn’t go into massive debt with this bar.

I still couldn’t believe I owned it. It was all mine.

I could pay my bills, and sometimes I even got days off. It was shocking.

I had gone through hell to get this place, to have it be mine where no one else could touch it.

When I had first built the bar, I would have given it all back to have my life before everything changed.

Now that I had been immersed in it for long enough to know the place and what it meant to me, I figured that, no, I wouldn’t trade these past couple of years owning Riggs’ to go back to a life that had almost broken me.

I sighed, pushing those thoughts out of my mind as I made up the next drinks.

Rosie walked in from the back as soon as I finished the whipped cream concoction, and I cursed under my breath. “Seriously? You show up after I’m done making the damn daiquiri?” I grunted, a small smile threatening to play on my lips.

She grinned. “You know I plan it like that. That way, you get to make them, and I don’t have to.”

“Sorry, babe, I have an order for four strawberry daiquiris,” Kai replied, tapping his black notebook. “Our sexy bartender over here made them look so good, the new table wants them now.”

I groaned as Trudy took the finished strawberry daiquiri away and looked over at the four women at the table next to Trudy’s, who all waved at me, flirting as they looked over.

“Looks like Riggs has a new fan club,” Kai teased.

“We all know that nothing’s going to happen there since they’re not a certain person,” Rosie singsonged as she pulled out the second blender. “I’ve got these, boss. There’s somebody near the back that asked for you. I didn’t recognize them, but since they can see you, they know you’re here.”

All thoughts of their teasing fled my mind since I knew that whoever Rosie was talking about wouldn’t be someone I wanted to see. It wouldn’t be a Montgomery or one of their friends. Because if it had been, Trudy and Kai would have teased me even more.

I turned towards the back area and grimaced, my hands fisting at my sides. “You got this, Rosie?” I asked as she frowned.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Something’s wrong. You’re snarling.”

I let out a breath. “Nothing’s wrong. I just need to talk to this person. Thank you for coming in tonight. I take it you found a babysitter?”

Rosie tilted her head but nodded. “I did. And I want to thank you again for helping me get in touch with so many different people. I truly appreciate it.”

“It’s no problem, Rosie. We’ve got you. We’re family.” I hugged her absentmindedly and then braced myself for what I needed to do.

I looked around the rest of the bar, ensuring that even on a busy night like tonight, my staff could handle what was needed, and then I walked towards the man waiting for me.

Neil looked the same as always. Dark hair coiffed perfectly, the right amount of gel and product in it so it didn’t look overdone but as if he had a two-hundred-dollar haircut.

He wore a stone-gray suit that only highlighted the blue in his eyes.

I knew it was bespoke with its clean lines. The man had a talented tailor.

Neil knew how to dress, and he definitely knew how to undress.

He also knew how to cheat, call someone a fuck boy, and try to take everything out of a person, including their bank account, heart, and whatever dignity they had left.

Only he did it with that growl of a voice and a charming smile.

I had been young, a teenager who’d thought he was an adult and, therefore, my world. He had put a ring on it, and I had been the dupe who’d gone along with everything the jerk wanted.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, doing my best not to cause a scene.

It was my bar. Anyone who knew me—or didn’t know me—didn’t need to see me lose my cool.

They didn’t need to see me grumble and push and beat the crap out of the man who had never truly laid a finger on me but had taken nearly everything just the same.

“Really? That’s how you’re going to talk to me? It’s been a while, Riggs. You look like you’re doing...well.”

It was the pause before well that made me want to slam my fist into his face.

I wasn’t going to be a violent man, I had never been, and I wasn’t about to start now.

I hated my ex-husband more than I should.

I should probably hate myself more for making the decisions I did, but there was no taking it back.

There was no doing anything when it came to Neil and his selfish ways.

“What are you doing here, Neil?” I asked once more.

“Can’t a man just get a drink?”

“What did you call my place when I said I was going to build it? A countryfolk redneck bar in the middle of Colorado?”

“I may not be your perfect clientele, but you’ve done well for yourself.”

Tension crawled up my spine as what he said hit home. “Too well?” I asked, knowing there had to be meaning beneath his words—there always was.

Neil just smiled, that pleasant one that didn’t quite reach his eyes but also didn’t go as far as if he wanted to take candy from a child.

That strategic middle ground was always a bad sign.

“Are you sure you want to do this out here where anyone can see? I mean, you’ve been doing well for yourself.

It’s so strange that things work out this way, don’t you think? ”

“Why don’t you just say what you want to say?”

“I’d prefer privacy. Perhaps, you would, as well.”

He gave me a pointed look, and I sighed before rubbing the back of my head. “Come on. My office is back here.”

“I was sure you would see it my way.”

I held back a grunt and let him follow me to my office. I didn’t want him at my back. Didn’t want him anywhere near me. The quicker I listened to his drivel, the quicker he would be gone and I could focus on cleaning him out of my system. Again.

“What is it?” I asked, not bothering to close the office door. He gave it a pointed look, and I shook my head. “Get on with it, Neil. Then you can leave.”

“I just wanted to say I missed you.”

I snorted. “Okay, that’s a lie, you don’t miss me. I thought you and Justin were doing just fine.”

“Justin and I have an understanding.”

“Nope. We’re not doing this. If all you wanted to do was come here and pretend that you want me, then this conversation is beyond over. We’re not doing that. You can go now.”

“Come on, baby. You know you miss me.”

“Nope. Not doing this. Out.” I turned and pointed towards the door. “I’ll remove you physically if I have to, but I wouldn’t want to damage your suit.”

“You’ll be hearing from me soon. Don’t worry. I’m sure you miss me.”

Neil turned on his heel and left, smoothing out his suit as he did.

I crossed my eyes, then let out a deep breath. I didn’t know why I let that man get to me.