Chapter 5
brIELLE
It’s about half past midnight, and I’m sweating like a fucking dog.
Susie said she was taking the trash out, but before she could make it outside, a man with a motorcycle cut on slams his hand on the double doors, halting her steps.
She stands still, and the man leans down to whisper in her ear.
Susie only nods before turning around and heading to her office, the man in tow.
I’ve seen him before, and the cut he’s wearing tells me he’s part of the MC that’s here tonight.
It’s not odd that Susie’s talking to him, but the way the color drained from her face when he whispered in her ear is. I tip my chin toward Bexley, then toward Susie and the biker slipping through her office. She follows my look but only shrugs, going back to making a drink.
Pulling my attention away from whatever the hell that was, I look back at the waiting customers, and my eyes land on the one person I don’t want to see right now.
“Chase, what the fuck are you doing here?” I ask, my tone harsh.
“I’m here for the rent money you owe us,” he states as Morgan walks up behind him and grips his bicep. Chase’s eyes roam down my body even when his face is plastered with a look of disdain. If there wasn’t a countertop separating us right now, my knife would be buried in his gut.
“Hurry up, Chase. I want to leave this nasty place,” Morgan pouts, her grip tightening around his arm.
“Pay up, Brielle.”
“Do you really think I’d be carrying that much cash on me at work, you fucking imbecile? You’ll have to wait until I get off.” I cross my arms over my chest, my heart pounding. Of course, they’d show up here. It isn’t the first time, and I should’ve known better.
Bexley catches my eye as I wait to see if Chase is going to throw a fit or not. She doesn’t interfere, but she will if she thinks I need her to.
“Well then, if you can’t give me the money right now, I guess you’ll have to see if you still have a place to live when you get off.
” He glares at me before turning and taking Morgan with him.
She doesn’t waste the opportunity to look over her shoulder, a smirk on her face as if this is what she wanted.
I let out a deep breath when they disappear from view and try not to panic. They don’t need the money. Chase is probably full of shit and trying to scare me.
It’ll be fine.
“You okay?” Bexley asks, stepping up next to me just as a drunk man snaps his fingers at her, telling her to make his drink. She flips him off and turns, giving me her full attention.
“Yeah, I’m good. Just Chase being Chase.” I shrug, knowing there isn’t anything I can do right now.
“My offer still stands, Brielle. You’re always welcome at my apartment. It’s small, but there’s more than enough room.” Fuck, she’s amazing—but that’s the exact reason I could never live with her.
I won’t make her take on the burden of me as a roommate. I start to refuse her offer, but she places her finger over my mouth, silencing me.
“Don’t say anything. Just know the offer is there if you ever need somewhere safe to go.” She doesn’t let me get a single word out before turning and arguing with the drunk man who’s mad he had to wait.
A few minutes later, Susie and the biker exit her office. They go their separate ways, but before he gets too far, his eyes lock on mine as if he sensed me staring. A smirk takes over his face as he looks me up and down.
Gross.
“Hey.” Susie’s voice forces my focus from the creepy biker to her.
“I need to leave now. It’ll only be for an hour or so.
” She glances down at her watch. “Can you guys hold down the fort while I’m away?
” Grabbing her coat from the hook behind the bar, she doesn’t wait for a reply before she rounds the counter.
“Yeah, we got it!” Bexley sends her a smile, and Susie nods.
“Oh, can one of you run the trash out in the back? I was going to, but I didn’t realize the time. It’s starting to overflow.”
“I got it, boss,” I tell her, knowing the cool air might help me collect myself after the shit with Chase and Morgan.
Susie leaves, and it’s only Bexley and me now.
“Okay, I’m going to run out to the dumpsters before we get another wave of drunk assholes,” I announce, and Bexley gives me a thumbs up over her shoulder.
I make my rounds to each trash can and tie the bags before I push through the double doors into the kitchen. I head straight for the back door that opens to the alley. The freezing air hits me in the face, and for the first time tonight, it’s like I can breathe a little easier.
I grip the bags and walk to the dumpsters before placing them down to hoist the lid open, which is harder when you are barely five feet tall. Gripping the trash bag, I hike it up and manage to get it in the dumpster on the first try. I drop the lid closed, dust my hands off on my jeans, and turn.
Instead of getting a few minutes to myself, I’m met with a man towering over me. His face is hidden by a mask, concealing all his features.
He grabs my arms, and I do everything in my power to rip free. I swing at him, my fist slamming into his stomach, but it’s like I’m hitting a brick wall.
He laughs.
Fuck. What the hell is going on?
He slips up for only a moment, but it’s enough to dodge his next grab attempt on my wrists. But as I step back and try to run, something slams into my head. The last thing I see is the blinking exit sign above the back door of The Whiskey, and then everything goes dark.