Levi
Arrested.
I growl at the poor girl without meaning to as the cops try to hustle her toward the exit. Honestly, when she walked through the door, for the first time in a good long while I felt something—a prickle, a tickle, hell a fucking hard-on. Whatever it was, I felt it. I hadn’t felt anything in so long it was almost foreign to me, like a beautiful invasion on a cellular level. And she’s pretty, too. Hell,she’shot.
Ever since we opened The Sloppy Pelican a few months back, girls have been hitting on me by the droves, but not one of them invoked that spear of surprise, oflustin me the way she did. Or maybe I was just intoxicated with the idea of getting a good review that it wouldn’t have mattered what she looked like. Maybe I would have had the same responseanyway.
But The Sloppy Pelican isn’t getting a good review tonight by one of the most sought-after food critics in the area because the girl turned out to be a fraud. Only someone with my fucked-up luck could have a fraudulent food critic show up on the most important night oftheyear.
If this place doesn’t pick up soon, I’ll be forced to borrow over and above what I’ve already borrowed, and God knows there’s not a bank on the planet that will offer me that muchleverage.
“You can’t arrest me!” she howls, digging her feet into the wood floor, leaving two thick tracks in the wake of her heels. Great. Not only did she essentially steal two hundred dollars’ worth of food, but she’s marking up the floors to forever remind me of this horrible night and her gorgeous body. I couldn’t help but notice those perfect tits. I’m a pig. I was salivating before she ever saidhello.
Brody slaps me over the arm and nods to the bar where just about everyone is standing at attention with their phones held out documenting the debacle. Perfect. I wanted publicity, and I sure as hellgotit.
Shit.
The girl struggles with the officer until her hands slip free and she makes every effort to run back in this direction. Her dirty blonde hair is tousled as if she just rolled out of my bed, and the makeup around her eyes is smudged just enough. And that body. A girl with that body in that dress with those sky-high killer heels probably does deserve to get arrestedtonight.
“Levi!” she screams, and I straighten at the mention of my name. Our eyes lock momentarily, and instantly I not only regret introducing myself, I regret showing up at all. That face, those eyes. Whoever she is, she’ll be haunting my dreams for years to come. “You can’t let them do this!” They hustle her to the door once again, and a part of me isrelieved.
A couple of patrons shout at her to get lost, and she chokes with anger in their direction. “Screw you! I bet the food you’re eating was once a lump of plastic! Microwaved to perfection by the haughty, uptight Gestapo who runs this place. All BPA dinnerware is included for your dining pleasure! Would you like an extra serving of xenoestrogens with your food? Because that’s what you’re getting! You’ll all be girls bymidnight.”
At least three different men let the fork slip from theirfingers.
“Shit,” I hiss indisbelief.
Brody shakes his head as he makes his way over. “She may as well have put a curse on this place. The sooner this loon is out of our lives, the better for everyone—most likely her as well. She’s probably some college kid who’s been scamming the local restaurants for a free burger for months. I bet kids pull this crap all the time at theBlackBear.”
“Levi!” she screams once again as they get her on the other side of the door, and the atmosphere in the restaurant decompresses to subnormal levels. It’s unnaturally quiet, and then spontaneously an applause breaks out atthebar.
Brody lifts a finger to say something, but the door blows open once again and it’s her again, struggling to get that cop’s arm off from around herwaist.
Her eyes meet with mine, wild with rage. “Raven is going tokillyouforthis!”
The cop nods over to me with a nonchalant look that suggests this isn’t his first coed rodeo as he whisks her out the door with a markedfinality.
“What did she say?” I look to Brody just as Axel, the third partner in the Sloppy Pelican disaster,comesover.
“I talked to the cops.” Ax lands a hand on my shoulders. “I knew she wasn’t the right girl the moment I laid eyes on her. I dated Lex a while back.” He shrugs as if it were no big deal, but something about the way his eyes cut to the bar suggests it is. “Anyway, glad wegother.”
Brody tips his head my way. “Ditto, but that was sort of odd the way she seemed to know Raven. You think it was a luckyguess?”
“Raven.” I tick my head back a notch. “Yes. I thought that’s what she said.” My heart thumps wild. “I’ve got a very bad feeling about this. I’d better see what that’s about.” I take off, and by the time I get outside, the squad car has already disappeared out ofsight.
I pluck my phone out of my pocket and put in a quick call to my little sister. I know she’s in New York for business, but it’s after hours, and I need a few answers to the bizarre puzzle this night is quicklybecoming.
“Hello, handsome!” she answers on the first ring. Raven has been treating me with kid gloves for the last few months—nine months to be exact. But being extra cheery and calling me all the right things has always been a part of her charm. She’s my little sister, my only sister, and I love her more than anyone on this planet—my mom is just about neck-in-neck. “So, how’d you like her?” I can hear the faint hint of a giggle onherend.
“Like who?” The night air cuts through me, but I’m numb with shock and don’t feel the chill the way I should. “Did you have something to do with what just went on in here?” My voice hikes a notch. I have never raised my voice with Raven, but on a night like tonight, when I had so much riding on this, it makes me want to roar into thereceiver.
“Hell yes, I did. Now behave yourself. This isn’t a setup. In fact, I forbid you to even look at her without the chastest intentions. Why don’t you think of her like more of a little sister?Ha! That’s perfect! Congrats! You’ve got a new sibling! And it’s a girl!” She trills with glee, and I’m far more baffled than I was when I picked up thephone.
“Wait. Are we talking about the same person? I just had some chick come into The Pelican pretending to be a foodcriticand—”
“Hold on—Low just sent me a text.” She goes silent a moment. “Holy shit!” she barks so loud I’m forced to pull the phone from my ear. “You had her ARRESTED? What the hell is wrong with you? If I were in North Carolina, I’d drive right over to Hollow Brook and kick your ass! Right after I bailed her out. And since I’m not there to do so, get in your truck and get your wallet ready, because nobody puts my bestie in a corner—or in a prison cell!” she riots into my ear until I do as I’m told, and before I know it, I’m attempting to drop all charges, begging the booking deputy to reverse this nightmare, but he sets bail instead and I quickly pony up twogrand.
“Shit,” I mutter as I wait for him to usher her through those irongates.
