Chapter 25
The crowd parts, but the stares don’t stop. “Get back to your own fucking business,” the bartender yells.
“Thanks, Smitty,” I tell him as he pushes two beers across the bar toward me.
“Don’t know what the lady likes,” he says, shrugging.
Neither do I, which goes on the long list of things I need to know about this woman.
Vera lifts the beer off the bar and inspects the label like it’s a check register. “I’ve never had this.”
“It’s nothin’ fancy.”
“No, I mean, I’ve never had beer.”
My mouth hinges open and snaps shut. “Do you drink booze?” I find myself asking.
“Barely any alcohol.”
“Wine?” Smitty asks. “I think I got some of that around here, left over from some party.”
I hold up a hand.
“Vera, do you drink?”
“Um,” she blinks. “Of course I drink. Water. Tea. Coffee, as you know. Wine makes me do things like sign up for the wrong auction.”
I take the beer from her hand. “Let’s not start this right now.”
She picks up the beer. “Why not? When in Rome.”
Everyone’s watching again. I give them all glares.
Carefully Vera lifts the beer to her lips and takes a small sip. “Mm. Not bad. Not what I expected.”
Smitty’s leaning over the bar watching this like it’s the science channel. Rio’s hiding a grin behind his own bottle as he takes a slug.
“Enough,” I take it away with a grunt. “We’ll do that later. When we’re alone.”
“Are you afraid I’m going to get tipsy.”
“Yep.”
She gives the bartender a little head shake. “Papa Bear here is a bit controlling, can I get a glass of water?”
Smitty nearly chokes as he reaches for the glasses. “Sure thing, anything Papa Bear’s girl wants.”
Jesus fuck. I’m the meanest bastard in the club. My hands look like I’ve beaten someone to shit, and this straight-laced woman is calling me Papa Bear in front of everyone.
“Rio,” I grunt. “Get on with it.”
He motions to a table in a far corner. Quiet. As if anywhere in this place is quiet, but he can talk without ears tuning in.
The instant Smitty sets down Vera’s water, I snatch it off the bar and drag her away from everyone.
I scoot her into the booth, blocking her in with my mass. She’s grinning.
“What’s so funny.”
“Oh, just taking it all in.”
I look around. It looks like a scene out of a bad movie. The kind where the cops raid the place and everyone gets arrested for sex, drugs, and everything else. This is my life, and I’ve dragged a vintage-dress-wearing accountant right into the middle of it.
Rio taps the table. He slides his phone across, showing a photo to Vera. “Know this guy?”
She turns the iPhone around to study the screen.
“I’m not sure. Numbers are my thing, people’s faces not so much.”
He swipes and another photo comes up. This time the guy is in a security uniform.
Vera nods. “Now that makes sense. Yes, he’s a security guard at the office building where I work.”
Rio grins, leans back, takes another drink of beer. “My guy was right.”
“About?” I ask, my trouble radar starting to ping. I’m finding I don’t like anything uncertain when it comes to Vera.
Rio glances between us. “He’s our in, and it’s going down tonight. And we want Vera to show us where the files are.”