by Alexa Davis
"Another," I said.
"I'm going to have to put my foot down and say that you have to wait thirty minutes before I give you another shot, sunshine," he smiled. "I know how you are, and I'm not going to have you pass out on my watch."
"Dammit, Billy," I protested. "I'm a paying customer and I can determine what's best for me all by myself."
"No, no you can't, sweetie," he said as he leaned across the bar and patted my head. "You're an impulsive hot head and sometimes you need someone with sense looking out for you. That's my job when you're at my bar. Thirty minutes."
"You're so unfair," I grumbled.
"I know, but why don't you pass the time by telling me what triggered this desire to binge drink yourself into oblivion?" he suggested.
"Men – you all suck," I said as I looked down into my beer glass.
"What awful offense did a member of my gender commit now?" he laughed.
"Stop laughing, it's not funny," I grumbled. "I just had an argument with Jake at the fire house in front of a whole table of my brother's coworkers. It was humiliating."
"Jake? The boyfriend you caught cheating with your friend on the night you thought he was going to propose?" Billy asked. "That Jake?"
"Don't be a smart ass," I warned. "Of course, that Jake. Only, he claims that he never cheated on me and I can't say anything about it because then I'll get in trouble for what I was doing that night."
"And what were you doing?" he asked.
"I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you," I said. Billy burst into laughter and walked down to the other end of the bar to get drink orders from two new customers. I sat sullen and brooding, staring at my drink as I thought about how pissed I was at Jake and how grateful I was that I wasn't now married to him. It was hard to be feeling hurt and relieved, but the alcohol in my system was easing the path to calm.
"Anyone sitting here?" came a deep voice from behind me.
"Huh? Oh, no, go ahead," I replied without turning to see whom the voice belonged to. I was pissed at Tommy for siding with Jake, but I knew that a large part of the reason was that Tommy had to work with the guy. I took another swig of my beer and decided right then and there that I would let it go. I blurted, "Okay, letting it go. Bygones."
"What? I'm sorry, did I miss something?" the man asked.
"No, just my decision to-" I turned and found myself staring at the face of a man who took my breath away. "Oh!"
"I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?" he asked. His brow was wrinkled with obvious concern, but I couldn't speak as I looked into the warmest brown eyes I'd ever seen. From the careless espresso-colored curls on top of his head to the five o'clock shadow that ran down the sides of his chiseled jaw, the man was gorgeous. He was wearing a leather jacket over a black t-shirt that clung to his well-muscled chest and was tucked into a pair of black jeans that revealed as much as they covered. I looked down and saw that he wore Harley boots and nearly swooned. Leather and boots – my kryptonite. And, he smelled like musk and danger. I was intrigued.
"No, I...just...I mean..." I stammered, trying to gather my thoughts and say something coherent. I could feel the two shots kicking in hard as I opened my mouth and asked, "Do you know you're incredibly handsome?"
"Um, well, no it's not something I ever stopped and thought about," he laughed. "But thanks, that's really nice of you."
"You're really gorgeous," I continued. "I'll bet your parents are incredibly beautiful, too."
"Well, they were a good-looking couple," he nodded as he fidgeted in his chair and looked down the bar trying to catch Billy's attention. It wasn't busy tonight, so Billy chatted with everyone and took his time. When he saw the man, he headed back towards us.
"What can I get you?" Billy asked as he flipped a towel over his shoulder.
"Whiskey with a beer back," the man said.
"Me too!" I said a little too loudly.
"You are on probation for another fifteen minutes, young lady," Billy scolded. "Be right back, sir."
"That's not fair!" I yelled as he grabbed the whiskey and pulled another IPA from the tap.
"Life's not fair, sunshine!" he called. "You of all people should know that."
"Why should you know that?" the man asked.
"Because I'm a legal...lawyer," I tripped over my words searching for the right ones. I knew it wasn't just the alcohol at work here. This guy had set my pulse racing and I was fighting to maintain control. "I'm a lawyer. I know it's hard to believe at the moment, but I am."
"Brooke is the best lawyer in Los Angeles," Billy said as he set the man's drinks down in front of him. "She's smart and fearless when it comes to getting the job done. If I were ever in trouble, she'd be my first call, that's for sure!"
"Aww, Billy, you're so sweet!" I laughed. "But you know that I don't do liquor violations, only the serious stuff, so you'd have to start running drugs or kill someone for me to be motivated to come bail you out!"
"I should be so lucky," Billy laughed as he swung the towel off of his shoulder and snapped it at me, stopping just short of my hands. "But still, you're a great lawyer."
"Yeah, well, we'll see about that," I said as I sipped my beer. "How are we doing on time, Billy?"
"Ten more minutes!" he called as he moved back down the bar and away from the stranger and me.
"So, you're a lawyer," he said before picking up his shot glass and tossing back the drink.
"Yep, that's me," I nodded. "A brilliant legal mind..." I giggled as I took another big swig of my beer.
"Huh, that's interesting," he said as he picked up his glass and drank deeply. I couldn't keep my eyes off him. His mouth curved around the edge of the glass in a sensual caress and my alcohol addled brain suddenly had a flash of what that mouth could do on my skin. I shifted uncomfortably on my stool and as I did, I knocked my glass over, spilling the amber IPA all over the bar.
"Hey, hey, hey, sunshine!" Billy yelled as he raced down the bar and began mopping up the mess with his ever-present towel. "You don't have to go full-on rebellion! I'll bring you another drink."
"I wasn't trying to make you bring me a drink!" I protested, then gave in and just laughed.
"Nice job," the man said in a stage whisper loud enough for Billy to hear.
"Oh, I get it! You two are conspiring against me," he said as he set another whiskey and a fresh IPA down in front of me. He added a second whiskey in front of the man and then walked away.
"Here's to conspiring against the bartender!" the man toasted as we clinked glasses and downed the shots.
"Ahhh, such a good burn!" I sighed as I flipped the glass over and slammed it on the bar. I turned to the man and asked, "So, what's a nice guy like you doing in a bar like this?"
"I had a fight with my brother and I needed to get away from him," the man admitted. I studied him as he sipped his beer and noticed that his jaw was flexing even when he was trying to project resting mode.
"Must have been quite a fight," I said.
"He's a fuck up," the man said as he drank deeply. "But he's my brother, you know?"
Tongue-tied by this handsome stranger and unable to find the nerve to employ my legal training to grill him, I simply nodded as we drank in silence.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Dax
"I'm Dax," I said as I offered my hand to the stunning woman occupying the barstool next to me. She was more than half way to drunk, but that didn't at all detract from her looks. She was the epitome of a California girl – tall, blonde, and shapely, with a megawatt smile. I didn't want to like her just on principle, since these were the girls who had tortured me when I was a teen. They always maintained a distance that kept them just out of reach.
This woman was different from those girls, though. She seemed less severe, less judgmental. Her long blonde hair had been wound into a loose bun at the back of her neck, but was now trailing loose pieces that she kept blowing out away from her face in a comical way. She was wearing the uniform of every Los Angeles l
awyer, but somehow, on her it looked both sexy and professional, and I had a difficult time keeping my eyes up above the gap in her blouse that revealed the tops of her rounded breasts as she leaned forward to grab her beer glass.
"I'm Brooke," she said, shaking my hand as she looked at me with her intensely blue eyes. There was something about her that was open and yet mysterious. I wanted to turn on the charm and seduce her, but there was an air about her that told me if I did that, I'd blow it and that if I blew it, I wouldn't get a second chance. So, I held back and waited.
"Nice to meet you, Brooke," I replied and then let go of her hand. "What brings you here on this fine evening?"
"Stupid men," she said as she picked up her glass and drank from it. She didn't sip like so many women do. She actually drank her beer. I watched her for a moment, unable to take my eyes off of her lips and the way they wrapped around the edge of the glass. Then, I closed my eyes and tried to think of car engines, greasy fries, and road kill – anything to keep the blood from flowing too far south and making me uncomfortable.
"What did the stupid man do?" I asked.
"What do you think he did, Dax?" she asked as she turned her gaze on me. Her eyes were so intensely blue that I felt like I'd been cornered, but I couldn't look away. She held my gaze with an expectant look.
"I'm sure it wasn't good, I'll tell you that," I said, finally tearing my eyes away from hers and looking back at my glass.
"Damn right, it wasn't," she said as she wobbled a bit on her stool. I reached out and steadied her. Her silk blouse was soft under my fingers. It was transparent where the beer had splashed on her when she dumped her glass and I had the urge to slide my hand up her arm until I could cup her breast. She turned and looked at me and blurted out, "You hitting on me, Dax?"
"Well, let me put it this way, Brooke," I said as I leaned in and spoke softly into her ear. "You are one smoking hot woman, so I would say that yes, I am hitting on you."
"Oh, you're good." She grinned as she looked at me and then took a long drink from her glass.
"Thank you," I smiled.
"You're quite handsome," she said as she leaned close and rested her hand on my arm. "More handsome than any man has a right to be."
"Does that gain me any advantage?" I asked, leaning in close enough to smell the lingering scent of her perfume.
"It might," she whispered as she leaned a little closer.
"Either of you want another one?" Billy's voice broke the spell. "Sunshine? You okay?"
"Fine, Billy, I'm just fine," she said as she looked at me and smiled. "And, I think Dax here is fine, too, aren't you?"
"Fine, I'm fine, too," I said smiling back at her. There was something about her look that told me before long I would be pulling that wet blouse off of her and exposing those gorgeous breasts. It had been a while since I'd gotten laid, and I could feel how tight my pants had become since I'd sat down next to Brooke. I needed relief and she seemed like a woman who would enthusiastically seek it out with me.
"I like you, Dax," she said as she slid a hand up my thigh under the bar. "I like you a lot, I think."
"I like you, too, Brooke," I said in a low voice as I leaned closer and pushed a stray lock of hair away from her face. I was bending down to brush my lips across her neck as my phone buzzed in my pocket. I ignored it, but the sound continued, then stopped and then started again. I sat up, apologized, and then pulled it out of my pocket and looked at the screen. It was Riza. "I'm sorry, I have to take this. It's business."
Brooke waved me off with an understanding nod, and I stepped away from the bar and answered the call.
"What's up?"
"Bad news, boss," Riza said.
"Lay it on me, then," I replied.
"I found Lydia," she said.
"So, bring her back to the club and we'll dry her out. She's got a bail hearing for Pook and Jimmy in the morning," I told her.
"Well, that's gonna be a problem, boss," Riza replied.
"Why? She's been on benders before, and we've always sorted her out and gotten her clean before court. No biggie."
"Boss, she's dead."
"What the fuck?"
"She's dead," Riza repeated. "The Coast Guard pulled her body out of the water about an hour ago."
"Riza, who did this?"
"Not a clue, boss. They won't let me get anywhere near the body before the coroner gets here, so I can't check to see how she was offed," she explained. "I'm gonna hang out here and see what I can find out, then I'll swing by the club and let you know."
"Find out who did this, Ri," I said. "I'll take their sorry asses out and leave them laying in the street as a message to all the rest of those lousy fuckers who think this shit is okay. Fuck!"
"I know, I know," she said. “Chill out, I've got it covered. I'll be back in the club in a couple of hours."
"Okay, see you then," I said and disconnected. I walked back over to the bar and gave Brooke the best smile I had, then said, "I gotta run. Business calls."
"Oh, I see," she said as her smiled faded and she looked down at the scratched wood on the bar. "Well, it was nice talking with you, Dax."
"Brooke?" I said as I slipped my fingers under her chin and tipped her face up so those blue eyes were locked on mine. "I'd like to take you to dinner, maybe tomorrow night if you're not busy?"
"Oh, you are good," she smiled up at me. "I'd like that."
We stood there staring at each other like a couple of lovesick teenagers until Billy said, "Brooke, please give Dax your phone number so that he can call you and arrange for a pickup time."
"Oh! Yes, of course," she laughed as she looked down and opened her purse. She pulled out her card, flipped it over, and wrote her cell number on the back. "Call or text, whatever is easiest."
"I'll give you a call in the morning and confirm the time," I said. Then, I leaned down and gently kissed her cheek before I turned and walked out the door.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Brooke
"Sunshine, I think it's time for you to head home," Billy said as he collected the abandoned glasses from the bar and immersed them in the soapy water.
"I don't wanna go home," I pouted as I shredded another napkin and added it to the substantial pile in front of me.
"I know, but I need to close this place up and get home to my wife," he said gently. "I'll get you a cab."
"I don't need a cab, I can walk," I protested stubbornly.
"I'm going to have to overrule you on this one, kiddo," he smiled. "I already called, the cab will be here momentarily."
"Why you gotta be like that, Billy?" I asked.
"Like what?"
"Like my brother!" I shot back. "All of you are so protective. I can do this on my own, you know."
"I know you can," he said. "But sometimes we all need a little help, and tonight it's your turn. Maybe next week it's Teddy's or mine, okay?"
"You'd come to me if you needed help?" I asked.
"Without a doubt," he nodded. "No question."
"Okay then," I said as I got up off of the stool and did my best to walk in a straight line to the door. The cab driver honked, and I turned and waved to Billy before I walked out and got in to the waiting car.
Less than five minutes later, I was getting out of the cab in front of my apartment building. Billy had already paid the guy, so all I had to do was get in the front door. Luckily, Fred, the doorman, held the front door open for me and then helped me to the elevator.
"Heya, Fred!" I said in a still drunken voice.
"Hey yourself, Missy!" he laughed. "What have you been up to tonight?"
"I had a drink with a guy at the bar," I said. "He was cute."
"Well, that's good," Fred replied. "I'd hate for you to be drinking with an ugly fellow."
"Oh, Fred," I laughed. He steered me into the elevator, pushed the button for my floor, and then wished me a good night.
Fifteen minutes later, I was passed out on my bed.
CHAPTER THIRT
EEN
Dax
"Ri, what the hell happened?" I shouted as she walked through the door. "How in the hell did Lydia end up being pulled out of the Pacific by the Coast Guard? What happened to her?"
"Easy, easy, Dax," she said, holding up one hand to fend off my questions. "I don't have a lot of answers, but I did the best I could to make some connections with the cops out at the recovery site. I'll check back with them later and see what I can find out."
"How did she die?" I asked.
"Execution," Riza said without emotion. "Bullet to the back of the skull. They must have dumped her off a boat or something because she was too far out to have floated in that short of time and the currents were moving in the opposite direction, so she might have been dropped even farther out."
"Fuck." I ran a hand through my hair and tried to think about how I was going to deal with the bail hearings this morning without my lawyer.
"I called Lydia's office and they said they would send a lawyer over to handle Pook and Jimmy's bail hearing this morning," Riza said as if reading my mind. I nodded. One less thing to worry about.
"Whoever did this knows that getting rid of Lydia would put a crimp in our business," I said. It wasn't that I couldn't hire another lawyer. That would be the easy part. In Los Angeles, lawyers were a dime a dozen and I could easily replace the legal counsel, but what I couldn't replace was the trust and loyalty. Lydia knew things about the business that I wasn't eager to share with anyone else, and she knew how to keep her mouth shut.
"Do you think they got anything out of her before they killed her?" Riza asked.
"Shit, I don't know," I said. Riza’s face was blank. While the fact that she rarely gave anything away was good for doing business, sometimes I wished she would give me a little more so I could tell what she was thinking. Not knowing bothered me. But Papi had taught his daughter well, and she had put those lessons to use.
"I'll do what I can to find out what they know," she said.
"Ri, what does your gut tell you happened?" I asked.
"Honestly, from what I could see, they tortured her, boss," she said. "She looked pretty beat up. But then again, it could have been from the water. I just don't know."