Page 31 of Cruel Ice

Declan didn’t let the bartender go. “He ran. Innocent people don’t run.”

He had a point, but she stood firm and pointed out, “They do if they are terrified. He thinks you’re in the mob and that you’re here to slice him into little pieces.” Maybe that horrifying fear had made the bartender run.

Another whimper escaped from Keith.

“If he’s not so afraid, he’ll talk more.” She believed this. Or hoped it. Whatever. “I have questions I want to ask him.”

Declan stared at her.

“You hired me to find the truth, remember? I’m here to help.” And not to just, oh, say, watch a man get beaten up in front of her.

Declan glanced back at his prey. “You run again, and you’ll pay.”

Keith shuddered.

Declan let him go.

“Thank you, lady,” Keith whispered to her. “This is all a big mistake. Just like I told that cop. I didn’t put anything in this dude’s drink. I swear it. I opened the new bottle?—”

“Where did you get the bottle?” Marley interrupted to ask.

“I—” Keith stopped. Frowned. “Hugo stocked the new bottles. He works at Abyss. Bouncer. Handyman. Stocker. Whatever we need. He’d just put the bottles in right before…” A wave of his trembling hand toward Declan. “Beforehearrived.”

Hugo. That would be the bouncer who hadn’t shown up for work that night. Her gaze darted to Declan. “The scotch you ordered—do youalwaysorder that same drink?”

“It’s damn expensive,” Keith said before Declan could reply. He rattled off the name. One she instantly recognized just because of her bartending days. Those brief days. She’d never been a big drinker herself, and certainly not for booze that cost more than a hundred dollars a shot. “Not many people do order it,” Keith continued quickly. “Most go for beers or the women like the pretty, frou-frou drinks?—”

“I tend to order the same drink.” Declan’s voice was flat.

She sucked in a breath. “Someone knew you were going to be at this club. It wasn’t random.” Declan had been holding back on her. “It wasn’t because you were bored.Whywere you here?”

He stepped away from Keith. “I thought I might buy the place. It was on my list of potential acquisitions. Figured I’d take a look around. And Iwasbored. I didn’t lie to you.”

What was that note that had entered his voice?

“Was doing two things at once,” he rasped. “Looking at the place and getting lost in a crowd.”

Okay, fine, sure. Two things at once. What mattered to her was that the visit hadn’t been random.You were thinking aboutbuying the place.“Who knew that you might buy Abyss? Who in your life knew that you’d swing by this location?”

This was important.

Declan didn’t speak.

Keith did. “Can I go? Please?” He pressed harder to the building behind him. “All I did was open the drink. You asked for that bottle. I just opened it. Had no idea what would happen.” He licked his lips. “Saw on the news…heard you were taken…then the cops came for me.I didn’t put anything in there, I swear it!” His voice shook with intensity. “You barely had three sips. How can I be blamed for what happened?”

Marley’s shoulders stiffened. She thought of the crush she’d just seen in the bar. The bodies piled so tightly. “You know exactly how many sips Declan took?”

Keith sucked in a breath. “I—it was a guess. Iguesshe had three.”

But it hadn’t sounded like a guess. It had sounded as if he’d been counting. “Where is the bottle that you opened?” Marley wanted to get her hands on it.

“Gone. Trashed. Just like I told the cop!” The words were rushed, and he blinked rapidly. “Trash pickup came first thing this morning—took out all our busted and empty bottles. The thing is long gone!”

“You trashed it?” Things weren’t making sense to Marley. “But you said that particular drink was so expensive that it was barely ever ordered.” Her old boss would have fired her instantly if she’d trashed something so valuable after pouring onlyone drinkfrom the bottle. “So why would the whole bottle be trashed?—”

Keith cut and ran. He ran straight at her and shoved her with heavy strength, sending Marley tumbling back, then down onto her ass. Gravel from the ground bit into her palms. Her head whipped to the left as Keith hurtled past her.

Only to be stopped by one of the very large shadows.

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