Page 7 of Blood Moon

I started with the free weights. I did some curls and squats, then turned my attention to the wall. I’d had a climbing wall installed when I purchased the building. The basement was two levels high and had been reinforced just so I could have this particular feature.

Most people used a harness when they climbed, but I preferred to take a risk. I knew that even if I fell from the top, it wouldn’t kill me. I knew because I had dropped from the top on more than one occasion. It never took long to heal, so there wasn't much risk. I liked the thrill of it, too. And with the accelerated healing that vamps had, I wouldn’t even be down for long if something did happen.

Climbing relaxed me. It gave me time to clear my mind and focus on something besides the issue with Vinny. There was more to that situation than I was seeing. I knew it. None of that mattered while I was scaling the wall. The only thing that I cared about in that moment was where I’d find my next hand and foot holds.

I made it to the top quickly, then turned my focus to climbing back down. The gym was pretty deserted this time of day, so I didn’t have to worry about anyone bothering me or getting in my way. I took a deep breath when my feet finally hit the floor.

After my workout, I felt calmer. I showered and dressed to go see Vinny at Midnight. If he was that hard up for money, maybe I could convince him to finally sell the bar to me.

Chapter 6

Delilah

My imagination was wandering while I was getting the bar ready for the lunch rush, if you could even call it that. I knew it wouldn’t be busy, but I loved this bar. It had been my home for more than half my life. I couldn’t give up on it now. Not when it actually had a chance. I hoped that I could convince Mr. Maxwell to give my ideas a shot. After what had happened with Uncle Vinny when I made my presentation, I wasn’t sure. Maybe he was right. Maybe my thoughts weren’t good.

But maybe if people believed that Viktor could make a difference, they’d start showing up. I mean, he seemed really scary when we met, but now, there was something about him that drew me to him. He could be exceedingly charming when he wanted. If I wasn’t careful, I might lose my heart.

Even though Uncle Vinny had objected, I sang as I cleaned and prepped the bar. Yesterday I overheard our new boss tell him to ‘let the girl be’ when my uncle said he would make me stop. Apparently, I had at least one fan.

Our regulars kept trying to get me in front of the mic, but sadly, I had to explain to them that Uncle Vinny wouldn’t let me perform, even if it was just karaoke. The song that had been dancing through my head started to play on the radio and I sang along. There was something about Monsters by All Time Low that made me think of my new boss. As if I hadn’t already been obsessing over him, especially after our encounter.

I couldn’t believe that I’d made out with my boss in the stockroom. It was the wildest thing that I had ever done. Things had been a little awkward between us since then, but at least I knew he was interested. It wasn’t just my imagination. I didn’t have to wonder, I just had to decide if it was worth pursuing. With his reaction to me, I was confident I could have him if I tried.

I shook the thought from my head as the bell indicated the door had been opened. I looked up just in time to see a tall, tanned man with blonde hair storm inside, and the song died on my lips. He was a tempting mix of anger and sex appeal. I wondered who he was.

Viktor was always in a suit; this guy was wearing a snug pair of jeans and a rock band t-shirt that left little to the imagination. The only thing they seemed to share was the pissed off expression of a man who was used to getting his way, and the fact that both of them dripped sexuality. I didn’t understand why, but it looked highly sexy on both of them. Part of me wanted to bite him and see if he was real. I blushed at the thought as he walked up to me.

“Where is Vinny? He’d better get out here and explain this invoice, or I’ll find him myself.” The tall man growled, and I jumped. I could tell that he was barely holding his temper and I didn’t want to see what would happen if it got out of control.

“I’ll go get him,” I offered, turning toward the stockroom where Uncle Vinny had been re-doing inventory. Viktor hadn’t been thrilled about the counts being wrong, so he was making my uncle recount everything, which was amusing because I knew that Viktor had already redone inventory.

Hmm, it seemed that this guy hadn’t gotten the memo about the change of ownership. Or maybe he was here to discuss Uncle Vinny’s more personal business. I wasn’t sure if Viktor had taken over everything or if it was just the bar.

“Uncle Vinny? There’s an angry guy out here who wants to talk to you about an invoice. You might want to see if you can calm him down. He seems like he might get violent.”

Vinny looked up at me and nodded. “That has to be Strain. I figured he’d be in when he got the bill. I’ll take care of it. Get back to lunch prep.”

I nodded and followed him out of the stockroom. It didn’t seem like the situation was any of my business, but I couldn’t help listening in as I stocked and cleaned the bar. From the look on my uncle’s face when he responded, I was confident that this had to do with the backroom dealings. I was also convinced that those were illegal, and nothing my uncle or new boss could say would change my mind. Sadly, that made both of the hunks a little less sexy. I wasn’t a fan of the things that went on in the backroom. I might feel differently about it if someone would let me in on the secrets. Maybe it’s not as bad as my imagination thinks.

I watched the man who had raised me approach the much larger, much angrier man with very little apprehension. I couldn’t imagine walking up to someone twice my size without feeling intimidated. The man my uncle had referred to as Strain was taller than Maxwell. He had to be at least six-foot-five. It was evident that he worked out. Even more so as he flexed while my uncle walked closer to him. Uncle Vinny looked tiny at five-foot-two in comparison.

“Mr. Strain, it’s nice to see you. I hear you have something to discuss with me. Let’s have a seat and talk this out.” As usual, Uncle Vinny turned on his sleazy charm to convince the angry man to give him a chance to fix whatever the problem was. He ran a hand over his greasy black hair before he gestured to a nearby table, flashing his best used car salesman smile.

The look on the large man’s face terrified me for my uncle. I had to hand it to Uncle Vinny, he didn’t seem rattled by the looming threat. The only hint I had that he was nervous was the way he kept running his hand through his greasy hair.

“I’m not taking a seat. I’m not going anywhere. I’m not leaving this spot until you give me an explanation for this!” He shoved an invoice at my uncle, and I tried to restrain myself from leaning over the bar to see what it said.

“This is your invoice. You get one every month. It tells you how much you have to pay for services rendered. Everything is clearly itemized. I’m not sure what more of an explanation you want.” Uncle Vinny’s demeanor had suddenly changed. His tone was sarcastic, bordering rude. I had never seen my uncle speak to a customer this way. He was bracing for an attack. I couldn’t tell if Mr. Strain had noticed. Why would Uncle Vinny expect one of his business associates to physically attack him? It didn’t make sense. That wasn’t how business worked.

Strain stepped closer and grabbed Uncle Vinny by the shirt, lifting him off the floor. “Look, you little worm, I’m not paying double for the same shipment I get every month. I’ll take my business elsewhere if I have to.”

“My apologies, Mr. Strain. I no longer have any control over prices. Midnight has been sold to Maxwell Industries. You’ll have to discuss pricing with Viktor Maxwell.” To his credit, my uncle seemed relaxed and calm under the threat of harm from Strain. My heart was racing and I was terrified to move. Strain’s face turned red and for a moment I thought his eyes may bulge out.

“What? You sold the bar to that asshole instead of me?” Strain screamed as he threw Uncle Vinny across the room. There was a loud crack as my uncle slammed into one of the exposed beams in the center of the bar. I was frozen in place as fear took over. This man I was just fantasizing about had tossed my uncle across the room as if he were a rag doll.

Then Strain took two steps, reached across the bar, and dragged me to him, gripping my arm hard. “Then I’m taking this one as compensation. Tell your boss that I won’t pay double. If he doesn’t revert the prices, I’ll be back for another one next month.” He turned to leave before my uncle could respond.

“Let go of me!” I yelled at him while fighting pointlessly as he dragged me toward the door. There was no way for me to escape. I wondered how much more my heart could take before it gave out. It was thumping so hard.

---