Page 105 of The Thief

I gestured to the back of the room. “The giant with the tattoo on half his face.”

“What the hell are you feeding your pack that they’re all so damn big?”

“I don’t know how you ran your business before, but you need to be extra nice to the Packmasters. If they’re treated poorly, they might order their pack to stay clear of us. Not just Packmasters but any local leaders. Even if they’re a-holes, serve them first and give them whatever they want. That’s where the money is.”

When I heard glass break, I grabbed the broom and dustpan and hurried to a table to clean the mess.

“I’m so sorry about that,” a young woman said. “He’s three and loves throwing everything on the floor.”

After sweeping up the glass, I stood and patted the toddler’s head. “We have plastic cups in the back. I’ll bring you one.”

Do we have cutlery for children? Do we need high chairs? Plastic plates? Sippy cups? Coloring books? My thoughts were all over the place.

After replacing her water, I headed over to check on my pack. They had pushed three empty tables together in the middle of the room. Tak sat at the head of the table, bickering with a man behind him.

I set a glass in front of him. “Here’s your soda.”

The man sputtered with laughter when he noticed what I’d served my Packmaster. “Soda? Are you kidding me? You can’t trust an alpha who won’t share a beer with you.”

Tak coolly raised his drink to his lips. “I never trust a man with hair he can’t bother to trim coming out of his nose.”

While Tak sipped his soda, the man’s friends roared with laughter. It was all in fun. That was the Shifter way. Verbal altercations rarely led to a physical confrontation, and no one was dumb enough to pick a fight with an alpha.

I walked behind the man and squeezed his shoulders. “Be nice to my Packmaster, Harry. Don’t you want lunch today? It would be a darn shame if I had to throw you out of here for picking a fight.”

Harry smiled at me and arched his thick eyebrows. “I’m just shooting the breeze. Maybe I’ll forgive him if he buys me a drink.”

Tak glanced over his shoulder. “What about a pair of nose clippers instead?”

The man glared at Tak. “What about a game of darts later and we’ll settle this?”

“You’re on.”

Once the ashtrays were emptied and a few spills cleaned up, I took orders. All the food was cooked and just needed to be plated. The service was easy with most everyone ordering the same thing. A few didn’t want cucumber salad or corn, but I thought the idea of a short menu was brilliant. Fewer options made taking orders go a lot faster.

The main door opened, and in walked Virgil and Krys. They must have come on Krys’s bike by the looks of Virgil’s tousled hair.

Virgil opened his arms wide, his hat in one hand. “Virgil Nightingale is here. The feast can begin!”

I rushed into the kitchen. “Are we almost ready? People are getting restless, and I don’t want anyone to leave.”

Bear turned around and had never looked so focused and panicked all at once. The fitted black apron made him look like a professional chef. His hair-and-beard net covered everything but his dark eyes and red cheeks.

“Coming through!” Lakota wheeled in a cart of uncarved brisket, which Bear went to slicing.

The plates lined up on the long kitchen island and cabinets by the wall were ready to go. Melody poked her head in the kitchen, and before I knew it, we were filling orders. Melody matched each plate with the ticket to make sure they were correct before I took them out.

Once the food arrived, the customers quieted down. Since we didn’t have salt and pepper shakers, Bear had bought tiny packets. Those were small kinks we’d work out later, but Calvin didn’t want shakers on his tables.

I rushed orders out as fast as my little legs would go, balancing the plates on my arms like a circus performer. I served Tak first, but the rest of my pack had to wait since I was delivering food in the order I’d taken the orders.

Exhausted, I finally finished the first round and took a short break at my pack’s table. “How’s everyone enjoying it?”

“So good,” Melody said around a mouthful. “This is better than my uncle Denny’s barbecue.” She threaded her pink hair out of her eyes and gave Lakota a sideways glance. “Don’t ever tell him I said that.”

Without looking up from his plate, Lakota said, “And what do I get for my silence, wife?”

She turned her head to look at him and slowly licked the corner of her mouth.

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