Page 34 of Grim

“Okay. Makes sense.”

Jenna watched closely as I shook the shaker then strained the mixture into a glass filled with ice. I slid the glass over to her as I announced, “This is my take on a vodka soda.”

“Okay.” She picked it up and took a sip. “Vodka has never been one of my favorites, but this is actually pretty good.”

“Thought you might like it.” I reached for a bottle of whiskey as I told her, "Time to try something a little harder.”

She nodded, then watched as I started pouring a shot into a glass and added a splash of sweet vermouth with a few dashes of bitters. I stirred the ingredients gently, then strained the mixture into a glass over a large ice cube. "The key to this one is patience. You want to take your time and let the flavors meld together."

I garnished the drink with a twist of orange peel before sliding it over to her. She picked it up, and after a cautious sip, she gave me a sexy smile and teased, “Hmmm. Not bad for an old man drink.”

“Old man?” I scoffed.

“Am I wrong?” Her eyes skirted over me as she leaned against the counter and asked, “How old are you?”

“If you can’t tell, I won’t share either.”

“Okay, fine. Let’s just say it’s a guy drink.”

“That it is.” I picked up the bottle of gin as I told her, “Let’s try something a little more girlie.”

I was about to start mixing a new concoction when I noticed Jenna’s smile had faded. “Can I ask you something?”

“You can ask. Won’t promise that I’ll answer.”

“Why did you kill them? Jimmy and ... Steven?”

I wasn’t exactly surprised that she’d asked about her brother. I knew she had to wonder what had gone on with us, but I wasn’t in a position to answer her. She must’ve noticed my resistance and added, “I know he and those guys he ran with did bad things. I know they were running drugs and hurting people, and I know they must’ve done something terrible to you and your friends. I was just wondering what that was.”

“How do you know what they were doing?”

“Because they made me do some of the runs.” She grimaced as she admitted, “I didn’t want to do it. I knew there was a chance I could get caught or killed, but I had no choice. I was at my brother’s mercy.”

“I get it.”

“So, what was it? What did they do to you?”

“It’s club business, Jenna. And I don’t discuss club business.”

“Yeah, Skid said you’d say that.”

“You talked to him about it?”

“I tried, but he said the same thing you did.”

“Because it’s true.”

“But it’s not just club business. It’s my business, too. I was there,” she pushed. “I saw it. I know what happened. I’m just asking why it happened.”

I was torn. I’d always been a firm believer that you don’t discuss club business outside of the club, but she was right. She was there. She’d seen everything, and it was her brother. She knew the kind of crap he was into, so I ignored my better judgment and told her, “Your brother and his friend raped and killed a girl. My president’s son went after them for what they’d done, and they killed him, too.”

“Oh, Grim. I’m so sorry.” Her voice trembled. “I had no idea.”

“You’ve got nothing to be sorry about.” Anguish marked her face as she listened to me say, “You didn’t kill him.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“He was a good kid. He didn’t deserve that shit.”

---