Relinquished (11 page)

Pouring ice into several glasses, she shook her head, appearing lost in thought.

I took a quick glimpse around and noticed both Sam and Trudy were missing, probably arguing in his office over April’s presence. Disgusting that they would even sneak away together while she was here.  My expression probably gave me away, but I was trying my damnedest to look innocent.

She swished Holden’s drink back and forth in a shaker while giving me a pointed look. “Yeah, I’m well aware of what’s going on with Sam and Trudy.”

I wasn’t sure what part I was apologizing for, but an ‘I’m sorry’ slipped out of my mouth anyway.

Pouring the expensive mixed drink into one of our fancier glasses, she added, “I don’t blame you one bit for not saying anything, honey. It’s not your problem. I’m gonna have to deal with that cheating asshole on my own. I’ve seen enough here tonight, so I’ll be heading out to take care of some things after I finish making these.”  She poured whiskey on top of the ice in the second glass, then placed the drinks on my tray.

I blinked at her in surprise, relieved that she knew and that she wasn’t mad at me. “Thanks, April.” I reached to pick up the tray when her plump, soft hand patted mine.

She stared at me with distressed eyes. “Don’t ever let a man control you. There are plenty of good ones out there, but never forget that you’re in charge of your own life.”  Then her lips turned into a slight smile, and I wondered if she was speaking to me or herself. Tilting her head to see around me, she added, “Now go take this drink to that gorgeous man that can’t seem to keep his eyes off you and tell him his drink is on the house.”

I peeked over my shoulder, catching Holden gazing in our direction before pulling his phone out of his back pocket and looking at the screen. I rolled my eyes, imagining who was probably calling him.

“Oh and Jules, from now on, you’ll be seeing a lot more of me around here.” She nodded for effect, and for the first time since this morning, there was a lightness in my chest.

“I look forward to it.” I smiled at her as Sam came storming down the hall toward us, rudely telling me it was time to get a move on. Whatever.

Maneuvering myself between tables, I dropped off one of my customer’s drinks before heading toward Holden. Irritated, he tapped on his cell as I approached and quickly set his drink down.

Before I could walk away, he said, “What the hell did Dante say to you?”

My stomach sank. Damn. I twisted at my waist and touched the edge of the table with my fingertips, avoiding eye contact. “Please, Holden.  I need this job. I can’t talk about it here.”  Darting away, I moved around my designated section, picked up empty glasses and wiped down tables, all the while keeping my back to him.

The low background music called my attention, and I chuckled sadly at the irony of it.  Appropriate enough, Nathan Angelo’s “Love Sucks” filled the space, making me wish this day would finally end.

Before I’d met Dante and Holden, I hadn’t really paid attention to men watching me. However, there was no ignoring or denying either of their commanding stares. My heartbeat and breathing picked up speed as I closed my eyes tight, swiping the wet rag across the empty table top. When I finally gave Holden a sideways glance, I noticed his narrowed eyes were focused elsewhere.  Dante had walked in. And he was glaring back at his brother in some sort of silent alpha male showdown.

Of all times, this shit was going down on a night when my boss was already in a fucked up mood. I was contemplating running out the back door for a breath of fresh air when a hard slap landed across my ass.

“Hey, sugar. Give me another bourbon.”

It took everything I had not to turn around and punch the asshole, but as much as I fucking hated it, he was a customer, and I had to be civil.

Whirling around, I gritted my teeth and calmly said, “Don’t touch me.”

“You know you loved it,” he slurred, burning my eyes when the alcohol vapors escaped from his mouth. This guy needed to be cut off. Why the hell hadn’t Trudy done it when I was on break?

This wasn’t the first drunk jackass I’d had to cut off, and I could do this without any help, but I was already irritated. “I’m sorry. I can’t serve you any more alcohol tonight, but I can get you some coffee or a soda instead. Maybe some water?” I offered a tight smile as his alcohol-induced eyes attempted to focus on my face.

“I said I want a fucking bourbon. Now go get it for me, bitch.” Spit flew out of his mouth, landing on my face as he spoke.

Rubbing my cheeks and mouth with my shirt sleeve, I jumped when I heard a deep voice reverberating above me. “She told you what you could have, now take it or get the fuck out.”  

It was Dante.

I turned slightly to see him standing only feet away from us, his chest puffed out as he stepped closer to the customer.

A second later, Holden was at my side, pulling me protectively behind his body and adding his two cents. “And keep your fucking hands to yourself. Show some respect.”

Oh shit, this is not happening.

I braced my forehead between Holden’s shoulder blades as my heart flipped over in my chest. It wouldn’t surprise me if the guy crapped himself before he got up, scrambled past us and out the front door. Apparently all it took was a customer leaving for Sam to pay attention.

He stalked up to me, barking, “What the hell, Jules?  Why did you let Johnson out of here drunk like that?  He’s a liability for us now.”

All eyes were on us as Dante turned to Sam. “A better question is, how did he get so drunk in
your
bar?  Weren’t you watching him?” Lifting his eyebrow, Dante continued to challenge Sam as Holden moved me into his arms and held tight. “No, you weren’t watching him, or you would’ve seen that he was disrespecting your employee. Her safety is your responsibility while she’s at work.”

Double shit.

My eyes were wide as I watched the standoff. I was so sucked into the scene playing out in front of me, I wasn’t thinking about the consequences of this entire clusterfuck.

“You okay?” Holden asked softly.

I nodded quickly before Sam grunted and pointed to Dante. “Both of you, get the fuck out of my bar. Now!” And that was the shit I’d been waiting to hit the fan.

Panicked, I jumped between Sam and the guys, begging them with my eyes. “Please go. I can’t lose this job.”

“You don’t need this shitty job, Jules,” Holden growled. “Come with me, and we’ll work out the plan we talked about earlier.” He reached out for me, and it was one of those moments where you only have a split second to choose, but whatever the decision is, the outcome would change your life.

Dante narrowed his aggravated eyes at me, then snapped his head at Holden and grumbled, “I already told you she’s not working at the gym.”

Holden shoved Dante aside, ready for a fight. “Back the fuck up and stay out of our way. This has nothing to do with you.”

Sam barked from behind me, “Jules, you better get your fuck buddies under control before I send your ass packing.”

At that, I rushed both Dante and Holden out the front door, then began to pace before tossing my arms in the icy air. “Please just leave. I can’t do this.”

I hated the lost look on Holden’s face. “What’s going on?” he demanded.

I jerked away, wrapping my arms protectively around myself when he grabbed for my elbow.

Dante stood up straighter, fixing his jacket. “I told you to stay away from her. That she was trouble, but you didn’t listen and look what happened tonight.”

Furious, Holden pointed toward Dante. “Everything was fine until your ass showed up tonight. You’re the only problem here. Why don’t
you
leave?” His attention turned to me. “I’ll be back when you get off work, and we can talk.”

Dante glared at his brother, then me. “Decide, Jules.”

“I already made my fucking choice earlier!” I yelled. “I left. You should be fucking dancing right now. Just go!” Closing my eyes, I bit my trembling lip, willing them to go away. “Both of you.  I don’t want to see either of you ever again.”

“Jules…” Hurt laced Holden’s plea as he reached for me once more. But he must’ve thought better of it and dropped his hand to his side.

“Go,” I muttered, trying hard not to look at his face.

I puffed out a breath, allowing the pain of what almost was, to consume me. Staring at the pavement, I watched their feet as they walked away. Then right before I turned to go back into the bar, I made the mistake of looking at him as he rounded the corner to the parking lot. I’d gone through a lot of shit in my short lifetime, so I wasn’t quite sure why Holden’s disappointed face cut me so deep.

Two-thirty a.m. and another long shift was finally over. Tonight had been brutal, finishing out after everything went down with Holden and Dante. I was ready to take a shower, crawl into bed, and cry myself to sleep.

When I was done cleaning my area, I gathered my tickets and dragged myself over to Sam. Trudy smirked at me and headed down the hall, then the loud bang of the back door let us know she was officially gone for the night.

Good riddance.

Sam took his time, adding up my money while matching everything to my tickets. “You’re short like fifty bucks, Jules.”  There was something sinister in his expression.

My eyes bulged as I frantically glanced over the tally sheet. “What?”

“You still owe...” He punched the buttons on the calculator, and my heart pounded against my ribs.

$51.12,
the calculator said.

“But...that’s impossible.”  I scanned through my tickets once more and noticed a bill I hadn’t printed. “Wait, this isn’t mine.”

“That’s Johnson’s bill.  He left without paying, and you know I don’t let that shit just skate by.” Another menacing smile crossed his lips, sending chills down my spine.

What the fuck was his problem tonight?  He’d always been kind of a dick to me, but this was beyond belief. I’d had to pull cash out of my own pockets before, but those were my mistakes. I was being fucked over this time.

Oh shit, I hope he doesn’t think I said anything to April.

Beyond exhausted, I was now filled with too much panic to stand up to him like I wanted to. “I barely got that in tips tonight, and payday isn’t until Friday.”

He glared at me, not budging an inch. “I suggest you hand it over. You’re well aware I won’t carry charges to another day.”

“But that’s all I have.” I gripped onto the edge of the bar, hating that he could see my desperation.

“Well, I don’t give away free food and alcohol, so either pay me before you leave or don’t bother coming back. You should be thankful I don’t fire you after that scene you caused earlier.”

The room began to spin, and I felt like I was about to pass out. If I gave him the money, I would only have a few bucks left for the next two days. If I didn’t pay him, I’d be without a job for who knew how long. Refusing to cry, I pulled my cash out and slammed fifty-two dollars on the bar. “Keep the change.”

He didn’t even think twice before taking the money as I stormed off to grab my things.
I take it back. Sam isn’t a dick, he’s a monster.
If I could’ve gotten another job, I would’ve kept my money and just quit. As it was, it had taken me forever to get this one. I had an arrest record, no permanent address, no contact phone number, and no references. Nobody else was going to hire me, so unless I was willing to contact that sleazeball film director, I was stuck here.

Holden’s offer came to the forefront of my mind and that regret I was hoping not to feel washed over me.  Defeated, I headed for the exit. The late night air smacked me as I yanked the back door open, and another thought came to mind. I’d left the motel yesterday morning afraid that someone was going to rip me off. I had no clue the thief would be my own fucking employer.

The little respect I had for Sam was now completely gone, and for the first time, I considered giving April all the details she needed about what was going on.
I hope that cheating jackass gets his.

My steps faltered when I noticed a black luxury car parked on the side of the bar. With my heart beating in my throat, I picked up speed, ready to make a run for it when Dante stepped out of the driver’s side, causing me to stop in my tracks.