Marie smiled and laughed herself. It was good to see her staff getting along. Those playful laughs and smiles would carry the mood to the customers.
She let her young, attractive staff work as she drifted through the bar. She took more orders, checked in on customers, even took advice from some of them. With Erica's help, things finally moved from overwhelming to busy to manageable. The game ended, taking some of the crowd with it, but Marie was still happy with the numbers.
She was in the middle of taking a food order when errant words found her ears from the other side of the bar.
"…Please, I'm trying to be nice, here. Leave me alone…."
Marie scanned the floor as she slowly walked to the kitchen doorway. She saw the small disturbance, not far from the front door. A group of college-aged women stood in a group, laughing and talking. A man who obviously had one too many was being a nuisance. He leaned in close, invaded their personal space. The group was handling it as best they could, but Marie could see the situation ending badly. The last thing she wanted was for a drunk to ruin the good atmosphere they had going on.
She handed the order off to Nia to deliver to Jerry. Resting her elbows on the bar, she kept an eye on the man, trying to decide what to do.
Rob leaned in close. "I guess that's one person you didn't think about hiring. A security guard."
"Yeah. I see it, too."
"Want me to go talk to him? See if I can urge him out the door gently?"
"No, that's okay. I'll handle it."
He looked up her and down. "You? Uh, boss lady, he looks pretty big."
"Don't let the feminine physique fool you."
Rob let out that crooked smile, obviously enjoying admiring her. "Oh, believe me, I won't."
There was a small shriek, followed by some cursing. The drunk had spilled some of his drink on one of the women. She marched angrily to the bathroom to clean up while her friends argued with the man.
"You'd better use that feminine physique in a hurry, boss lady."
"I'm on it. And stop calling me boss lady."
Marie took a deep breath as she approached. She could rip the man limb from limb if necessary, but that probably wouldn't encourage repeat business from the patrons nearby. Subtlety would be required.
She laughed to herself. A werewolf with subtlety.
She looked at the group of women first. "I'm so sorry," she said, frowning. "I just noticed what was going on." She eyed the drunk, who barely kept his balance as he leaned against the wall. "Sir, I think you've had enough for the night."
"Bullshit," he said, slurring his words. "I'm just getting started."
Placing a hand on his shoulder, she tried to gently steer him toward the door. "Let's go. Give me your keys, and we'll sit you in your car. I'll call a taxi."
He tried to smack her hand away. "Don't you touch me!"
Marie caught his wrist easily, bending the thumb back in a direction it wasn't meant to go. He dropped his beer, which she snatched as it left his hand.
"Holy shit," one of the young women said. "You gotta show us how to do that."
She simply smiled and held up the beer. "Would you mind putting this on that table next to you?"
After one hand was free, she held it out to the drunk.
"Keys, please."
He obediently fished out his keys and dropped them in her hand. The group of women clapped, the last thing Marie wanted. Attention she didn't want funneled her way as she led the man outside.
*****
Rob watched from behind the bar as Marie expertly handled the drunk. It was definitely impressive. Truth be told, he was impressed with everything she'd accomplished. Turning a dump into a bar, a bar that people actually came to, was nothing short of amazing. Part of him felt the whole thing would crash and burn, that opening night would bring zero people. But the atmosphere of the place told him people were definitely coming back. He wouldn't complain one bit. He'd already made more in tips in a few hours than he made at the part-time job he'd just quit.
Erica nudged his shoulder. "Did you see that?" she asked, gesturing to the front door. "That was nice."
"Yeah. I was going to double as a bouncer, but looks like I won't have to."
"He would have beat your ass."
"You're probably right. Do you think I should get those ladies some free drinks to make up for all that?"
She laughed. "Would that be for the bar's benefit or yours?"
"Both, of course."
Rob eyed Erica briefly as she served another customer. What he wouldn't give to slip a hand under that skirt. He already took a swing when Marie first introduced them, but he missed. It wasn't hard to see the signs. She obviously just went through a bad breakup. He hoped he could have served as the rebound lay, but Erica showed no interest.
Nia stopped at the bar after dropping off a food order. She gave a flirty wave to some guys at the pool tables.
"This is nice," she said. "A lot busier than I thought it'd be."
Rob pointed at her. "Now you won't have to work the street corner anymore."
"Oh, shut up."
The three laughed, and watched Marie through the door. Not only did she set the drunk in his car, but actually talked to him. She gave him time, and listened to whatever sad story he had to share.
"Wow. She's pretty cool," Nia said. "She really pulled all this off."
Rob nodded. He supposed he shouldn't have been too surprised.
Long ago, he learned never to underestimate a werewolf.
His cell phone vibrated in his pocket. The caller ID wasn't a surprise. It'd been a while since they last spoke, but the timing was terrible.
"Shit. It's my mother," he lied. "I need to take this."
Erica shooed him away. "Go ahead. Nia and I can handle this."
"Okay. I promise, I won't be long."
He answered the phone on the way out of the bar and got the first word in.
"Don't say a word. Hold on."
Marie was halfway across the parking lot, having left the drunk in his car. She frowned in confusion as he held up the cell phone, but didn't seem angry.
"I'm sorry. A tiny emergency. Five minute break?"
"Sure."
"Thanks, boss lady."
She smiled and mockingly punched her open palm, indicating what would happen in the future if he kept calling her boss lady.
Rob feigned terror. Little did Marie know, it was her own future she needed to worry about.
He climbed in his car and rolled up all the windows. The radio was the next step, just enough noise to add another layer of sound. Werewolves had great hearing, but he imagined the bar setting was throwing her off, no doubt why she needed the occasional break in the kitchen.
"Okay, I'm here. What's going on, brother?"
"Hey, how's everything? You haven't called in a while."
"I know, I know. I've been busy."
"Mom told me to say hi. Where the hell are you at?"
"I'm at my new job. Is everything going okay over there?"
"Yeah. We're finishing this hunt up now, and then we're heading up that way. What's the word on the target?"
"The target is about one hundred feet away. She's finally got her bar up and running, and I work for her."
"What? Say that again? You work for her? You take a paycheck from her?"
"Exactly."
"Ah, Jesus Christ, Rob. You were supposed to watch her. Damnit, if you fuck this up—"
"I'm not gonna fuck anything up. I know where she lives, where she works, I know when she likes to do her little runs out in the woods."
"Do you know anything about her pack?"
"This will sound weird, but I'm not sure she has a pack, Sean."
"They've always got a pack. It might only be two or three, but she's got a pack somewhere."
"I don't think so. I've been watching. She just hangs out by herself all the time. And that's a shame, too. If I really tried, I bet I could get in that."
; "You want to fuck a puppy? Are you out of your mind?"
"Hey, I'm just saying. She's not a puppy all the time. She's outright gorgeous. Got a hell of a body on her. Her lips, and that smile—"
"Of course she's beautiful. You want to know why? Because she's not fucking human. You do know that, right? I'm sure she's real sweet and gives a mean blow-job. But we're coming up there, and we're gonna kill her and her pack. Is that okay with you? I'm not ruining any plans to stick your dick in a dog, am I?"
Rob gripped the phone tighter. He didn't play by the rules, was certainly looser than his brother and the rest of the organization.
But he was serious about killing werewolves.
"Don't talk down to me. I know what has to be done. What I'm doing, getting right up in a werewolf's face, that's the type of shit the organization needs to do. No one there has the balls." Rob paused a moment. "So, am I in or not?"
Sean sighed. "You know I'm trying to get you in. And I will, but you have to be patient. You can't do boneheaded shit. But…you did get a lot of intel, and I'll make sure the bosses know about that. I'm doing what I can. But it might not happen until after the hunt."
He grimaced. He was tired of wolf watching. He wanted to be a part of the wolf kill.
"I'll keep doing my part. You'll know what time her period comes by the time you get here."
"Female werewolves don't have a—"
"I know, I know. It was a figure of speech."
"You keep doing your part," he repeated. "That's exactly what the bosses want to hear. You stay safe, little brother, especially if you're playing in the dog's backyard."
"Not a problem. Remember, keep putting in a good word for me over there."
Rob hung up. He watched Marie in the bar, moving from customer to customer, and even walking a few to the front door. If she were human, he'd give much more effort to convince her to remove her clothes.
But she wasn't human. Everything about her was an illusion. Even her age didn't match her looks. She certainly wasn't anywhere near thirty years old.
It was a shame she had to die.
*****
All the voices were finally gone. The only sound that plagued Marie's ears was the almost nonexistent three in the morning traffic that passed outside. There was a couple making out in the parking lot against a car, whispering what they were going to do to each other, but whispering was more than okay by Marie.
The bar was empty, except for one person. The scents still lingered, but didn't bother her. She placed the stools upside down on the bar so she could sweep. A strange mix of fatigue and excitement ran through her. It took a lot to exhaust a werewolf, but she was nearly there.
Erica stepped out of the bathroom. She smiled and let out a deep breath, not having to say a word.
"Tell me about it," Marie said. "Do you think it'll always be this busy? Or was it just the novelty of a new place?"
"I hope it stays busy. I could use the money."
"Did you do alright on tips?"
She smiled sheepishly. "I did okay."
Erica nodded. That was code for I did very okay. Marie could see why. Her attention was pulled in every direction throughout the night, but she saw many men giving Erica a second and third look.
"I'm really sorry I was late," Erica said again. "I didn't mean to put you in a bind like that. It's been crazy since I moved here, just trying to get on my feet, and then my car breaks down."
"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you showed up."
Marie's thoughts drifted to the next step. It was a great opening night, but would it last? If it did, she would certainly have to hire more people. She loved the bar, but even she didn't want to work seven days a week. Jerry did an excellent job in the kitchen, but he probably wouldn't mind some help as well.
"Hey, Marie," Erica said. "You mind if I stay inside until the cab gets here? This is a quiet town, but I'm not sure if I want to hang around outside this late." She smiled. "Or this early."
"You called a cab? Erica, go into my office and call them back right now to cancel. I'll take you home."
She wrinkled her nose. "I can't ask that."
Marie pointed. "Go."
Erica laughed and disappeared in the back. Marie could hear her on the phone. She'd just finished sweeping and turning lights off when Erica came out front.
"Thanks. I really appreciate it."
"Anytime. You ready?"
The two women left the bar. The couple was still making out in the parking lot. They drew the attention of the man as they walked to Marie's car.
"Hey, babies," he said. "Interested in a foursome?"
The woman slapped him across the arm. "You can barely keep me happy. What do you think you're gonna do to them? Bore them to death?"
Marie and Erica pulled out of the lot. Erica was quiet at first, content to be alone with her thoughts. Marie decided to take the opportunity to get to know one of her employees.
"So, how's life in Sandy Cliffs treating you? You settling in okay?"
"It's real nice, yeah. Thank you so much for giving me a job, even though I never poured a drink in my life. I kind of moved here in a hurry."
"You're quite welcome. You did great tonight."
"Listen, I'll be honest with you. I'm really trying to get a job teaching at the elementary school. So I don't know how long term this will be."
"I understand. Just give me some notice, okay? Don't leave me high and dry. Is that what you did back east? Teaching?"
"Yeah. I wanted a fresh start, but I don't know if I'll ever leave the classroom."
Marie nodded. She could identify with fresh starts.
They were quiet for a few minutes. Marie could see Erica had gone through something. She couldn't imagine what it was, but could see it wearing on her. Erica flashed a smile to the customers, laughed with the other staff, was great with people. But Marie could see it in the few moments Erica was alone in the bar. Marie wouldn't ask; it wasn't her business.
It turned out she didn't have to.
"It's cliché, isn't it?" Erica asked out of the blue. "To have your life turned backwards because of a guy."
"Well, they are evil creatures."
Marie chuckled at her own joke. Erica did not.
"This one might be," she said softly.
Marie stole a sideways glance at the scar on Erica's cheek. Erica noticed, and quickly shook her head.
"Oh, no, he didn't do that. That was an accident from my bar-hopping days." She managed a smile. "And now I'm on the other side of the bar."
"I'll do my best to make sure you don't get one on the other cheek."
"I'd appreciate that."
They shared a laugh. For a moment, Marie thought Erica was loosening up, if only a little.
Erica sighed as they passed a car stranded on the side of the road.
"And there's my hunk of junk," she said. "My apartment's right up here."
"You walked all that way? Tomorrow, I'll pick you up. And I know a guy who does towing. I'll call in a favor, get your car in a garage somewhere."
"Marie, really, you don't have to do that."
"Don't worry about it. Believe me, I know what it's like trying to start over."
Erica directed Marie to her apartment building. Erica leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes, not ready to get out just yet.
"It's been a long time since I've been up this late," she said.
"If tomorrow is like tonight, I'll definitely hire a few more people. We'll set a schedule, rotate people out. I don't want to kill you guys."
"That place is important to you, isn't it? I saw pictures of it before you cleaned it. You put a lot into it."
"Yeah, it is. It's been a dream of mine for a while."
"I'll help out however you need me to."
Marie smiled. "Thanks, Erica. I need all the help I can get."
Erica opened the door and climbed out, but didn't close it. "Thanks again for the ride. And for picking me up tomorrow. And everythin
g else."
"Sure. What are friends for?"
Erica shut the door and headed for her building. The old saying slipped out, and Marie found herself chewing on the words. It'd been a long time since she had a friend, especially a human friend. The problem with humans was they tended to age and die. It was hard to maintain a relationship as one friend developed wrinkles and gray hair, while the other remained the same.
Still, she wondered if she'd just made a friend.
CHAPTER 12
"Tiff! Let's get a move on, sweetie. It's starting to get dark."
"I'll be right down. I just have to put on my tiara. Every ballerina needs a tiara."
"It's a cheap piece of plastic. Stick it on your head and let's roll."
"Don't rush me! You can't rush beauty and perfection."
Jack rolled his eyes. "Oh, for the love of shit."
He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall by the open front door. Peering up the stairs, he could see Tiffany's shadow from her bedroom to the hall, and could imagine her staring into the mirror. She'd been up there for thirty minutes. She was a tiny person, with a tiny costume. What could take so long?
He glanced out the screen door to see some children were already moving from house to house, starting their Halloween night. A quiet chuckle escaped as he took note of some of the horrific costumes. Vampires, werewolves, witches, goblins, ghosts, Miley Cyrus. He wondered how the little midgets would feel if they knew the monsters they impersonated were real.
"Okay, Jack. I'm ready."
Tiffany walked down the stairs slowly. If Jack didn't know better, he would have thought she was showing off. His daughter was adorable, beyond a doubt. She wore little purple slippers with a puffy dress. The dress was white at the bottom, green in the middle, with white shoulder-pads. The tiara sat loosely on her head. She smiled when she reached the bottom step.
"Do I look okay?"
"You look beautiful, partner."
"Really?"
"You bet. Give me a pose so I can get a picture."
Tiffany didn't need to be told twice. She smiled brightly and stood on the tips of her toes, nearly falling over in the process. Jack laughed as he snapped a picture with his phone.
Now that Halloween had finally arrived, it dawned on him that it was a night of many firsts. It was Tiffany's first Halloween where she would actually go out. It would be their first Halloween together as father and daughter.
Damned and Cursed (Book 2): Witch's Kurse Page 14
