Smelled like it too.
My nose wrinkled at the powerful aroma.
Music pulsed, almost drowning out the rowdy crowd already forming despite the early hour.
I did my best to scan the room without being obvious.
Bikers sat together in a shadowed back corner.
Mugs of beer covered the tabletop and more than one of them sported ruddy cheeks and sloppy expressions.
This might be a total failure, and it might be exactly what I needed to break this story wide open.
Drunk men often said more than they should.
I’d have to be careful.
Too curious and I’d get noticed.
I slid onto a barstool and raised my hand, silently asking the bartender to come over.
Cold eyes latched on me, sizing me up. “Not our usual type. What brings someone like you in here?”
My stomach clenched at the obvious scorn. “Checking out the place.”
I pasted on my sincerest smile. “I’m new in town. Looking for the best place to settle in.”
A scoff and a roll of his eyes preceded his grabbing a mug from beneath the counter and filling it to the brim with a foamy beer.
He slammed it onto the bar and leaned toward me.
A tall man in a leather vest and a sharp jaw stepped closer.
His shadow cut over my face, and a chill danced down my spine. “I’ve seen you before. Always asking questions.”
His speech slurred.
Did I excuse my behavior or lean into it?
I sipped my beer and raised one shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. “What can I say? I’m a curious sort of person.”
“Mm-hm.” His eyes jigged from side to side, and he blinked slowly.
Definitely drunk.
Probably too drunk to remember this conversation later.
But not the bartender.
He watched the whole thing with mild interest.
I took advantage of the beer in my hands, using it as a shield and a distraction to hold off my response as I took a deep draught.
“I’m a reporter. My boss has me doing these idiotic reports on local business. Infrastructure, all that sort of bullshit. I’m bored out of my mind, and people are interesting.”
The small bag I’d hung over one shoulder fell open, revealing my notebook and phone.
“Just covering all the basics. Like the bars and local scenes. This one is my favorite so far.” The lie rolled off way too easily.
