Page 23 of Fangs and Fudge

His gaze tracked us as we got out of the car and walked toward him.

“On security duty?” Vena asked Ink.

He gave a nod. “Looks like you’re down a couple guys, so I’m helping out back here.”

“Down a couple guys?” I questioned. “Are they sick? Or did Shepard send them somewhere else?”

“I’m not sure,” he said. “Shepard and MC are talking about it in the office.”

Vena leaned in with a smile. “Can you hear what they’re saying?”

“Not from out here.”

Vena tugged me past Ink and inside. “Hurry up so we can ask Anchor.”

“We’re here to work, Vena. Let Shepard and MC sort everything out. If they need us, they’ll let us know.”

“But you always drag us here early. We have plenty of time.”

I glanced at the dish station and didn’t see Gunther as we headed to the lockers.

The night before, he had been slammed with work and didn’t leave with the rest of us. I really hoped he wasn’t coming in late again. In the past, he had gotten into trouble for drinking. Shepard would be livid if Gunther did that after what happened with Sierra.

Pulling Vena with me to the main floor, I reminded her, “Ten minutes is not that early to get ready for a shift before opening.”

“As long as we’re clocked in by the time Shepard gives us our stations, what does it matter?”

“Think of work as treasure hunting,” I said. “You can’t just run off into the woods. You have to prepare first.”

Vena’s nose wrinkled. “You sound like Miles. Fine. Let’s get ready for work. But I’m asking Anchor later.”

We stored our things in the lockers and put on our aprons. As we left the kitchen and made our way to the VIP stairs, Vena’s gaze swept through the bar area.

“Where is Anchor?” she asked. “I see almost everyone else.”

“He might have been pulled for a different assignment,” I said.

Shepard entered the meeting room after the rest arrived.

“Good evening, everyone,” he said and glanced at his list. “Everly VIP section, Vena upper stage left, Adrian lower stage left, Thomas upper stage right, Pam lower stage right.”

I debated whether I should ask to trade with Adrian. If I was in the VIP section, it’d be harder to keep an eye on Vena. Not that she needed help with her section. She was a pro at it. But she needed to be corralled occasionally, especially when it came to Anchor. Yet I supposed if Anchor was somewhere else, she couldn’t get into much mischief.

“If anyone needs help tonight, find Buzz,” Shepard said. “If there is an emergency, call me.”

“Are you going to be offsite?” Pam asked.

“I’ll be in and out,” he said. “Just do your best. I’m using some of the new guys as security and bouncers. Doc will oversee them. I’ll help wherever needed.”

As everyone left, I stayed behind. Not only was my VIP section close, but I wanted to talk to Shepard.

He glanced at me. “Is anything wrong, Everly?”

“I was about to ask you the same thing.”

“Nothing to worry about.”

“So, Gunther is okay? He’s not in trouble, is he?”

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