Page 59 of Blood of Vengeance

“Got it.” I did as I’d been instructed, logging the charge to Zed’s tab before moving on to other orders. Billy continued working beside me, both of us powering through the worst of the congestion with Zella’s help. Eventually, the front of the bar cleared enough for us to pause and take a breath.

“You’re solid,” Billy said, giving me a fist bump. “I appreciate the help.”

“Anytime.” I slipped an arm around Zella and leaned into her shoulder. “Thank you for playing waitress for us.”

“Like old times, but without the white tablecloths.”

“Very much so.” But as she walked away, I noticed a hitch in her gait. A limp that hadn’t been there. I caught Flinch’s eye and nodded toward her. His gaze slid over my best friend, and he immediately leaned closer to Cutter and whispered something in his ear. Cutter was up and moving in a flash, coming around the bar and offering Zella his hand.

“How about we go sit in the conference room? It’s a lot quieter than out here.”

“Sure. I could use a little break.” She shot me a smile. “Can you grab me a seltzer?”

I pulled a canned seltzer from the fridge at my knees, picking her favorite flavor. “I’ll put it on Flinch’s?—”

“Mine,” Cutter said with a growl that had the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. He coughed slightly and shot a glance at Flinch, who had begun to rise to his feet. “Anything for Zella should go on my tab. Always. Flinch, can you give me a hand real quick?”

Flinch didn’t look thrilled to leave me, but I had a feeling he understood something was wrong with Zella. He jumped into action, coming to the rescue of my best friend. And me, of course. He wouldn’t be Flinch if he didn’t.

He grabbed one of the guys in a group at the end of the bar—Rush, my babysitter—and tugged him over. “Cutter and I need a minute. You got this?”

Rush nodded, slipping onto a barstool and spreading his elbows wide as if purposefully taking up as much space as possible. With that, Flinch headed for the back, giving me one last look over his shoulder before disappearing down the hall after Cutter, after an obviously tired and possibly hurt Zella. Taking care of my best friend because I needed him to.

I owed him one.

“Looks like you’re babysitting again,” I said to Rush with a smile as owing Flinch circled around in my brain. “Want a drink?”

“Got one.” He did a chin nod toward Billy, who looked to be paying attention. “You two hungry? Want some pasta?”

Billy glanced at me—big, round eyes screaming surprise—then shrugged. “I could definitely eat.”

“Same.”

Rush nodded and pulled out his phone. “I’ll order. Got any requests?”

“Cacio e pepe,” I said. “Can we order for Zella, too? She’s vegetarian but eats cheese.”

Rush nodded, typing away with his thumbs. “Eggplant parmigiana? Does she like mushrooms? The restaurant has this amazing polenta and mushrooms dish that I think will fit the bill.”

“She likes mushrooms.”

“Cool.” He threw a glance at Billy. “What about you, killer?”

“They got a carbonara sauce?”

Rush grunted. “The best around.”

“Sounds good to me. Thanks.” She grabbed a towel and began wiping down the bar. A towel with a wolf print on the bottom. Decorative.

Like the ones Zella and I always bought for the apartment.

Like ones most people had—color-coordinated or personal to them in some way.

Unlike Flinch, who had nothing personal in his home.

And that was when my brain latched on to an idea that I knew I needed to make come to fruition.

I moved in closer to Rush, catching his eye as soon as he dropped his phone. Spotting a rare opportunity I didn’t want to pass up.

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