“I thought I might need to rescue you again.”
Her eyebrow rose. “You can put away your armor, Sir Galahad, I’m perfectly capable of dealing on my own.”
“Apparently.” Her actions impressed him. “I heard this was the place for a drink and some night life.”
A crooked grin lit up her face. “Well, we’ve got that. Most popular place on the strip.” She turned to the bartender. “Dave, give this guy a beer and put it on my tab. He saved me from the manager at the hotel today. Caught me using the pool again.”
“Katie.” Dave glared at her. “I’ve told you before you’re gonna get tossed in jail.”
“At least in jail I wouldn’t have to wear these stinkin’ shoes. Now give me my drinks.”
Her tray filled, she smiled at Chris, swung her ponytail over her shoulder, and walked off. He stared at her feet, frowning. “Those can’t be comfortable.”
Dave leaned on the bar. “Boss makes all the ladies wear ‘em. Makes ‘em dress like that, too.” Disdain rang in the bartender’s voice.
Chris glanced around. All the waitresses wore the same thing--snug, white, hip-hugger shorts that barely covered their ass, cropped tops tied under their busts and low in the neckline, then the killer high heels.
The sassy brunette delivered the drinks, along with a large dose of charm and playfulness, to a loud group of customers. She flirted, smiling mischievously, until several of the crew threw some bills on her tray, then she walked away to take orders from another table.
This was more like the woman he’d originally run into, the one who’d knocked him into the pool after she’d kissed the stuffing out of him. Okay, the kiss hadn’t been that intense, but thinking back to when her lips first touched his, certain parts of his body had registered the chemical heat. The soft silkiness of her body hadn’t hurt either.
The push in the pool with a casual ‘oops’ had been a downer as she hightailed it out of Dodge. He didn’t care for people who used others for their own purposes. So why had he helped her? The look in her eyes that screamed of despair? A touch of innocence and helplessness that called out to the hero inside? Trying to help people didn’t always work out to everyone’s advantage. He’d learned that the hard way while serving in Afghanistan
“Katie don’t deserve this.”
“Deserve what?” Chris took another sip from his bottle.
“This kind of life.” Dave waved his hand at the crowded bar. “She came here a while ago with some guy who promised her the world. Naïve and innocent. Still is in some ways. Not so much since she’s had to work here.”
“So, where’s Prince Charming?”
“Who knows.” Dave filled drinks for another waitress. “This creep gets into a high-stakes poker game in the back room and loses fifty G’s to Moreno. Course he ain’t got the money. Moreno offers to let him work here to pay it off. Katie offers to help out by waiting tables. The boss jumps at the suggestion since he knows her cute little figure will attract customers. After a few days, the loser takes off leaving Katie holding the bag. She swears he’s gone off to try and get the money somehow and he’ll be back. It took a few months to realize he ain’t coming back.”
“It’s not her debt. Why doesn’t she leave?”
“She’s afraid of Moreno and what he’ll do to her if she tries. He has eyes everywhere. Could be he has something on her to make her stay. She won’t say though. Never says much about her life before coming here.”
More curiosity about the pretty waitress simmered inside. He listened carefully as Dave continued.
“Moreno thinks since she waswiththe loser, it’s her responsibility to pay off what he owes. She’s only allowed to keep part of her tips so she ain’t got any kind of money to even get bus fare out of town. And she’s real proud. She won’t take anything from anyone else that she hasn’t earned. Said she’d eventually work her way out of here. On her own.”
Chris clenched his jaw. “How much has she paid back at this point?”
Dave poured a few more drinks, scowling. “Boss tells her almost halfway, but the scumbag keeps tacking on interest. Or docks her pay if she’s even a tiny bit late or makes a mistake in any way. She ain’t never getting out of here. He owns her. She just don’t know it yet.”
Chris nodded and moved to a corner table to keep his eye on things. That explained her little theatrics this afternoon. She was afraid of Moreno. Understandable.
Shortly after nine, Moreno showed up. He spent a half hour chatting with a few people, introducing them to some pretty ladies. Chris watched closely as he approached Katie, her eyes widening with alarm. Moreno stroked her arm, whispering something in her ear. She nodded deferentially, and tried to pull away. The man grabbed her arm, twisting it. Nothing overt, but then Chris was watching closely and noticed her expression.
He stood, wanting to rip Moreno’s hand from his body. But he couldn’t if he expected to succeed with his mission. Forcing himself to sit back down, he curled his fingers into fists, watching. Moreno ran his other hand down Katie’s backside, lingering much too long, then he abruptly disappeared into the back room. Over the next few minutes several other patrons followed him.
Katie often disappeared back there too with a tray of drinks. Sometimes she was gone for only a few minutes, other times she’d stay in there for twenty minutes or so. He needed to get in there too. Was she the key?
She came out and placed her tray on the bar for Dave to fill. As she waited, she rested her enticing bottom on a stool, her head dropping into her folded arms, exhausted. He could see why. She’d been on her feet since he’d come in and she’d already been here for hours.
When the tray was filled, she took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, hefted the tray into her arms, and moved to slide through the door into the back room again. What exactly was she doing in there all that time? He had to know because his imagination was working overtime.
* * * *
