Page 7 of Deceitful Oath

I find a basket of lemons and start chopping in preparation for the closing rush. “So, I was working at Rocky’s today, like usual, right?”

She nods, half-listening as she wipes down the beer taps.

“There was this table of guys,” I continue. “Really nice suits. Expensive. I could tell they’d be big tippers, so of course I’m over there playing friendly waitress.”

Lisa snorts, shaking her head. Anyone who works in the service industry knows that tips are our lifeline. Our employers never actually pay us enough of a wage to survive—except Carlo, who pays better than any boss I’ve ever had.

“Then this guy just drops dead in front of me!”

“Are you serious?” She’s stopped wiping and is staring at me, mouth open in shock.

“YES!” I stage-whisper, not wanting the patrons seated at the bar to hear. “And that’s not even the weird thing. So, I run to call 911, right? And when I turn around, they’re hustling him into a black SUV. Poof! Disappeared!”

“They just…took him? And left?” she asks in disbelief.

“Yep, super weird, right?” I toss the chopped-up lemons in a glass container and start wiping up the mess. “Maybe he was a politician or something. That’s the only thing I can think of.”

“Wait,” Lisa says slowly, walking over to me. “What did he look like?”

“Hmm, you know my memory is pretty shit,” I shrug. “Older? Maybe in his sixties? He had this really thick silver hair, though, I did notice that. Just picture, like, the main dude in any mafia movie…he gave me those vibes.”

“A mafia movie?”

I glance at her, wondering why she’s looking at me so strangely. Before I can ask her if she’s okay, her tablet lights up, and she ducks out from under the bar. I’ve never seen Lisa hustle so hard to serve a private room before.

Really weird. What the hell is going on today?

Usually, I’m the one who’s the weird, odd man out. Maybe this whole day is a dream I’m having or something. It wouldn’t surprise me at this point.

Lisa’s gone for longer than usual, so I finish the cleanup and announce last call for alcohol. People start filtering out of the bar, but some diehards stay to get their last drinks. Lisa finally appears while I’m trying to make four cocktails at once and jumps in to help me out.

“Sorry!” she yells over the music from the other side of the bar. “That party was out of control. I had to get Carlo.”

I wave her off, telling her it’s no problem. We move in sync, pouring drinks and closing tabs, until the final customer stumbles out of the bar.

“That killed me,” I say, untying my apron and tossing it on the counter. “I need seventy-five hours of sleep to recharge now.”

“I feel you,” she laughs, swatting me on the shoulder. “Go home, I’ll finish the cleanup.”

I’m so grateful I could cry and kiss her at the same time. I thank her profusely and grab my purse, practically running out the door.

As soon as the cool nighttime air hits me, I get a tiny burst of energy. I glance at my phone, noting I have three minutes to get my ass to the bus stop for the last bus across town. Breaking into a stumbling run, I dash across the street, almost crashing into a dark SUV parked at the curb.

I get to the stop in record time, panting and out of breath. My butt hits the hard metal bus stop seat and I try to steady my breathing. A minute or two go by without any sign of the bus so I get up to check the digital sign, wondering if it’s late tonight.

The sign is blank.

Blank.

No.

I scramble to find my phone in my oversized bag, maniacally typing in the city’s website to pull up the live schedules. Bus 132, Crosstown, departed six minutes ago.

The last fucking bus left right as I came out of work. I glance around helplessly, wondering what the hell I’m supposed to do now. I shoot Lisa a quick text asking if she’s already left but I get no answer. Desperate, I dash back across the street and try The Velvet Room’s front door.

Hell, I’d take a ride from Carlo at this point.

It’s locked. I bang on the doors a few times for good measure, but all I get in reply is silence. Glancing around, I find that the street is deserted.

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