“She’s a thief,” he says bluntly. “Catch her in the act.”
His words steal my breath. I frown. “And if I catch her . . . what do I do?”
“What we do with all thieves, Shadow. You’re my enforcer. Deal with it.”
He breezes past me, and I rush after him. “Wait . . . how do you know she’s a thief?”
“She didn’t pass the test.”
“You set a trap?”
“Ialwaysset a trap, Shadow.”
“But you hired her, knowing she was desperate. I told you not to.”
“Never bite the hand that feeds you, ain’t that the saying?” He doesn’t wait for an answer and heads out.
I turn to Remi. She’s wiping the bar like it’s coated in grime, so focused, she doesn’t notice me take a seat.
“Youimaginarycleaning?” I ask. She jumps slightly, meeting my gaze.
“What can I get you?”
“A penny for your thoughts?”
She turns away to grab a glass. “You’re a Scotch man, right?”
“Water, actually.”
Her eyes narrow. “You don’t drink?”
“Sometimes.”
She slides the glass across the bar. “Why only sometimes?”
“You tell me first, then I’ll tell you.”
She pauses, considering. “My stepdad liked to drink. I hated the smell. Put me off.”
I lean over the bar and spot the crumpled twenty under the usual vodka bottle. A smirk tugs at my lips as I sit back, watching her carefully. Her cheeks flush faintly, and I wonder if she knows what I was looking for.
“You put it back,” I state, voice flat but attentive.
“Put what back?”
“Smart move,” I say, letting a hint of a smile creep in.
She scoffs. “Is that meant to scare me?”
“Why did you put it back?”
“Look, I wasn’t stealing it,” she begins, her cheeks burning redder. “I needed some food, so I borrowed it. I was going to pay it back the second I got paid.”
“When did you last eat?”
“This morning, at breakfast,” she mutters.
I frown, thinking back. “No, you didn’t, not properly. A few mouthfuls at most.” She begins to wipe the bar again. I snatch the cloth. “You already did it,” I snap. “When did you last eat a good meal?”
