I glance to my side to see a local but not one of the locals I’m looking for. This one is named David and is actually sort of decent. His family owns the mechanic shop in town. I’ve never seen David hanging out with Brian.
“No, thanks,” I tell him and go back to my brooding.
It’s only a few more minutes before I’m offered another drink. This one by an off duty officer. It looks like Moretti’s is bumping tonight. Everyone is here. I turn in my stool and survey the place. I’m not used to this kind of attention. Normally, I go into a place and everyone makes a point of ignoring me until they don’t and that’s only because they’re ready to start tryingtheir hand at pretending to be a bully in an Eighties John Hughes movie.
There’s none of that here now. It’s like the last two years have melted away by magic and just like that I’m Maris Martinez again, the most eligible bachelorette and richest heiress in town. I frown and turn away from the cop.
“Another time,” I tell him before dismissing him.
I’d prefer no one noticing me. It would make surveilling this place easier that’s for fucking sure. I pull out my phone and debate on calling it a day and getting back inside my house to hunker down and wait for Julian. He still hasn’t contacted me. I swallow hard and stare down at his contact on my screen. That stupid fucking heart next to his name taunts me.
“Brought you one. Looked like you could use a refresh.” A glass appears in front of my nose. It smells like bourbon and soda, but there’s something else. Something sour. I look up from the glass to see Ben, Brian’s wife beating brother.
Bingo.
This fuck knows where Brian is. I lean back on my seat and look him over. “What makes you think I want a drink from you?”
He sucks on his teeth and chuckles. “I’m hurt, Maris. I know what my brother did and I’m sorry. Wasn’t right. Everyone in town is talking about it.” He gestures around the bar with one hand when he says that. It’s true the entire town is, just like this entire bar is.
“Where’s your brother?” I ask.
“I don’t fucking know. He’s crazy. Why would I know where he is? Now, I came here to bring you something to drink. If you don’t want it,” he moves like he’s going to put it down beside me but when he does, I notice something. He isn’t breathing. There’s a stillness to him. One that I felt in Julian. I grab the glass from him, making sure to brush my hand against his, and sure as shit his hand is freezing.
“I changed my mind.”
“Nice. Once you finish that, why don’t we head outside to talk?”
There’s no fucking universe I would ever go anywhere with Ben to talk, let alone outside after his brother tried to kill me…again, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
“Why don’t we go now?” I offer and put the drink down with athunk. I hop off the seat and grab my bag. The gun inside makes me feel…okay. I saw how fast Brian was, not very, which means yes, Ben might be strong but he’s not faster or stronger than the bullet I’ll put between his eyes.
Ben doesn’t move when I go towards the door. Instead he grabs my arm and hauls me back. “Finish your drink.”
I look at the drink. It looks fine but it smells wrong. That fucker drugged it. That’s why he wants me to drink it.
“You seem awfully eager for me to drink that. You trying to get me drunk, Ben?”
He smiles what I bet he thinks is a charming smile at me. “Just a shame to let it go to waste is all.”
I slide the drink his way. “Why don’t you have it then?”
Ben’s smile goes slimy as an oil slick. He leans in close to me, one hand on the bartop beside me. “You want to know about Brian? Drink the drink, Maris,” he whispers.
Fuck.
My choices are stay here and risk losing info on Brian, and possibly get jumped on the way home, or drink the drugged drink, definitely get jumped but probably get a lead on Brian. If I find Brian, I find Julian. I’m not a fucking idiot. I know who made him a vampire and it’s that psycho maker of Julian’s. It doesn’t take a genius to put two and two together about where Brian fucking came from.
In the end, I decide to go for the possibility of getting info on Brian. Whoever is waiting out there for me is going to bethere no matter the way I slice it. Might as well see if I can get something out of it.
“Fine. This better not be bottom shelf,” I mutter and throw back the drink. I finish it in two swallows. I cough when I’m done. “Jesus fuck, a well? Your family really is cheap.”
“Shut the fuck up and let’s go,” Ben mutters. He turns on his heel and stalks towards the back of the bar. The bathrooms are back that way and so is the back door. It leads to a small patio area and then out to the docks, hidden from Main Street. Of course he’s taking me back there.
I sigh and follow after him. The move gets curious looks for me. Everyone is wondering why I’m following the brother of my almost killer outside but I pay them no mind. I’m passing the bathrooms when I hear Minnie’s annoying voice.
“What the fuck are you doing here, you bitch!”
I look to the right and see her. She’s just coming out of the bathroom. She looks decent, at least in the low lighting of the bar she does. Minnie’s red hair is pretty enough but her face is plain and she knows it. Heavy makeup has been applied by her to play up her features. I have to do a double take when I realize she looks…holy shit, she looks like me, or at least what I would look like through a circus mirror.
