I scanned the area with a frown. Taliyah wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Just as I was about to ask another bartender, she came through the swinging door, plates in her hands. I watched as she slid them in front of a couple of patrons, then poured fresh beers for them. She was polite and smiling, although I was certain it was more of an act than real. She wiped the counter while talking to the customers, and I studied her.
Her hair was piled on her head, the curls still escaping in corkscrews over her shoulders. The “uniform” she wore consisted of a tight, logo-emblazed green T-shirt and a pair of black shorts. She wore an apron cinched at the waist, and she had a towel thrown over her shoulder. When she bent to pick up something, I had an unobstructed view of her curvy ass and the backs of her luscious legs. The thought of anyone else seeing them didn’t sit well with me, and I made a noise in the back of my throat. The man next to me glanced my way, picked up his beer, and moved.
Taliyah looked across the bar, her eyes growing round when she met my stare. She picked up a menu and headed toward me, a bemused smile on her face.
“Julian,” she greeted me.
“Taliyah.”
“What are you doing here? It’s late.”
“I needed a drink.”
“And you happened to stumble into the bar I worked at?” she teased.
“Of all the gin joints…” I trailed off with a teasing grin. Then I shrugged.
“I live around the block. It was convenient.”
Three blocks, but whatever. Close enough.
“What can I get you?”
“Double scotch. Neat.”
She nodded, sliding a glass in front of me and pouring in the amber liquid.
I lifted it, tilting the glass in her direction.
“To forgetting.”
I downed it in one long swallow.
I tapped the bar, already feeling the warmth of the liquor curling around my chest.
“Hit me again.”
She frowned and filled my glass. I picked it up and sipped this time, but the glass was empty by the time she filled a few drink orders and came back to check on me. The alcohol had softened the painful edges of my mind, and I smirked at her.
“Hi. More please.”
“You need to eat something.”
“You’re not my mother, Tally.”
“Oh, now I’m Tally again?”
I crooked my finger, and she leaned over the bar, meeting me partway.
“You’re always Tally in my head when I think of you.”
“And you do that a lot, do you?”
I tapped my forehead. “In here.”
“Have you eaten today?”
“Momma Tally. I’ll make you a deal. Bring me something to eat and another double scotch.”
“I should cut you off is what I should do.”
I waved my hand. “Later. You can cut me off and pour me into a cab.”
“I’m getting you food.”
“And scotch,” I called out, watching her walk away, the shorts clinging to her like a second skin.
I hated that other men could see what I was looking at, but I had to admit, I was enjoying the view.
So I kept watching.
CHAPTER FOUR
Julian
Tally slid a plate in front of me, along with a glass of water and a shot of scotch.
“I like doubles.”
“You get a single until you’ve eaten.”
Earlier, the thought of food made my stomach clench, but now that I smelled the cheeseburger in front of me, I was starving.
The words were out before I could stop them. “You get a break?”
“In about fifteen minutes.”
“Join me.”
She frowned. “I’m not sure—”
I cut her off. “It wasn’t an invitation.”
She narrowed her eyes, studying me. Then she shook her head. “Fine. Eat.”
I attacked the burger, the hot meat and melted cheese greasy and perfect. I ate the fries, adding lots of ketchup to them. I drank the water, feeling some of the despair and lethargy lifting. I also downed the scotch, plus got the other bartender to hit me with another double. When Tally sat down next to me with a cup of coffee, I smiled.
“See, I can be good, Momma T.”
She laughed. “How are you feeling?”
“Better.” I picked up my scotch. “Much better.”
She looked at the glass with a frown, figuring out I’d snuck more scotch.
“What happened, Julian?”
I could never tell her. Never say the words to describe the horrors and atrocities I saw all the time. Although Evie knew what he did, Matteo had shielded her from it, and Marcus had tried to do the same with Missy, although she had already been involved. But Tally was different. She was completely unaware of what I did—of the secret organization I was part of. What we did to try to clean up the world of the evil that lurked below the façade of everyday life.
“Just a bad day.” Then I smiled, still drunk enough to say stupid shit. “I missed you in the office today. No one straightened my files or made me a cup of coffee.”