Password to Her Heart (The American Soldier Collection 9)

It had been three weeks since Keith had stopped in to see her. Since then she had been paranoid about every single person who came into the bar and flirted with her or tried to ask her questions. Tonight was no different as two Hispanic men watched her from a table and then headed over for a closer inspection.

She jumped the second Mike bumped her elbow. “Hey, sweets, what’s with the angry expression on your face? That’s no way to get the big tips.”

She locked gazes with him. “Angry? I look angry?”

“Hell yeah, but still sexy as anything. You sure you won’t take me up on the friends-with-benefits thing? It could work well for both of us.” He winked and she rolled her eyes and then gave him a slap with the clean white rag she had just pulled from her waist.

He gave a nod toward the bar, and she didn’t have to look to see the two Hispanic guys were there. “You got two new ones. They’ve been watching you all night. Maybe a ménage is what you need?” he teased and she felt her cheeks warm.

“Can you take them?” she whispered as a group of four people walked up to Mike’s side of the bar.

“Hey, Mike, we need some fancy drinks for the ladies. Can you hook us up? Marley asked for your Mikey special,” one of the guys stated, and Mike waved then looked at Shawna.

“Forget it,” she said. “Go ahead and take their order, I’ll handle these two.”

“Hey, you let me know if they bother you.”

She gave a wink. She may have been five feet six and petite, but she was well trained by Keith. Not that she was cocky, but she could put up a hell of a fight if the circumstances called for it. She swallowed hard. God, she hoped the circumstances didn’t call for it. She just wanted to live her normal, boring life alone. Why was she feeling on edge tonight of all nights?

“Can I get you gentleman something to drink?” she asked, wiping down the bar as both men eyed her. One had a very dark expression on his face. His cologne was pungent and she had to hide her distaste so as not to be rude. The other was husky and sort of smiled or maybe smirked. When he spoke, he sounded like he had a thick Spanish accent.

“Three shots of tequila,” he said as he held her gaze and looked over her body. She was well endowed and it certainly helped in the tips department, but something was off about these guys.

“Why three?” she asked as she pulled the bottle from the top shelf and then placed the three shot glasses onto the bar.

“One for each of us,” the other guy said.

At first she thought he meant that they wanted her to have a shot with them, which wasn’t uncommon at the bar. But then she saw the big guy. Holy shit, he was huge. He was ugly. His

face sort of distorted maybe from overuse of steroids. The only thing that was attractive about him was his suit he wore. It was strange seeing a man that muscular and big in one. He stared at her and she felt that creepy alert go off inside of her. These men were not from around here. These men were trouble.

She continued to work at the bar, not really ignoring the three men but not exactly keeping too close. She served them their drinks and they tried having a conversation with her. As the night went on and the bar became less and less crowded, she started to worry about them leaving when she left. She had a three-block walk to her apartment and it was a late night.

“Hey, if you want to head out in another hour, I’ll close up,” Mike asked her.

She debated about what to do. Was she just being paranoid? She knew she had the backpack with her. The one that Keith told her to carry everywhere just in case she needed a fast escape.

“I’ll let you know in a few minutes,” she told him and he shrugged his shoulders as he wiped the inside of a glass he’d just cleaned by the sink.

She walked back over to the three men who had polished off a full bottle of tequila themselves. Never mind that they had beers in between.

“Another round?” she asked. The one guy nodded as she fixed the drinks and he placed a hundred-dollar bill down on the bar. She reached for it to get him change and he covered her hand with his. She looked up and tried to move her hand, but his large, heavy hand held hers in place. “Keep the change, Shawna.” He said her name and it gave her the chills. He could have heard Mike call her by her first name, but it was the way he said it and held her hand. It was like he was messing with her. She remembered what her brother said about how bad these men were if they came.

She smiled. “That’s so sweet of you. Are you sure?” she asked, and he lifted his hand and stared at her as if he were trying to figure out how to respond to her.

“He’s sure. You’re real sweet,” the other guy said. They each downed their tequila shots then stood up.

The one who lost his voice and had held her hand, telling her to keep the change, looked her body over again. “See ya around,” he said, and they headed out.

She released a sigh, aware of how truly unnerving the situation was now that they had left. She looked at Mike.

“Big tippers, huh? I thought for sure they were going to hit on you,” he teased.

“Nice. I guess they realized I’m not easy,” she stated sarcastically. Mike raised his eyebrow at her.

“You sure as shit ain’t. Far from it actually. I’ve been trying to get you to go out with me for nearly a year and I never hear you talk about any boyfriend.”

She smirked as she wiped down the bar. Truth was, she wished she could have a boyfriend, someone to cherish her and love her, but she just couldn’t seem to trust anyone. She knew it was because of her past, and she could forget about trusting anyone now. Not with Keith in trouble and the possibility that she may have to skip town in a hurry.