Page 91 of Beyond the Badge: Crew

“Figured that by the mug. What kind?”

“The cold, wet kind. Bet when you get wet, you ain’t cold.”

In Fletch’s pool she was coldandwet.

This morning in bed with Crew she was wet and definitely the opposite of cold.

But that was not a conversation she was having with—she read the name patch on his cut—Vice.

Vice?Whatever with these crazy names.

“Will any draft do, Vice? Or are you particular?”

He stroked his beard. “I look particular?”

“So, Iron City Light, then?”

He just about shot like a rocket off his stool. “Hell no. Don’t gimme any of that goddamn swill water. Get me a Bud.”

She was learning quickly how to bring these guys to heel when they were being difficult. Which was practically all the time. By the time she was done with this undercover assignment, she should be an expert at herding cats. Alley cats at that.

Her eyebrows rose. “Please?”

He reached out and snagged her chin. “I’m fuckin’ sure I can please you.”

“By releasing me.” She yanked her head back and freed herself.

Heading down the bar, she grabbed a clean mug from the stack as she went. As she filled it with the beer at the tap, she let her gaze roam over the crowd. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary.

She tracked Hook as he carried one of the disposable coffee cups from the back and passed it to someone she couldn’t see because of the thick of bodies gathered around the bar.

That made at least a dozen deals already in the last few hours. That she witnessed. She needed to figure out where they were keeping their stash.

She steeled herself before returning to Vice and when she slid the mug across the bar to him, he jerked his chin toward her chest. “Need to show more of your tits.”

Truthfully, she didn’t have much more to show. What she wore tonight emphasized everything she had. She had pulled on a pair of black fake leather leggings, her second-hand black knee-high boots with a bit of a heel, and a semi-casual top that clung to her like a second skin and had a plunging neckline.

Maybe she needed to start stuffing those fake gel boob enhancers in her bra to give her more cleavage. But really… It wasn’t like she needed the tip money. Anything she made she couldn’t keep, anyway. So, did she really need to work at making more?

Basically, she only had to do enough during her shift to make sure Bulldog didn’t kick her ass out the door. And since Bulldog wasn’t paying her a damn dime, she doubted he was even paying attention to what she was doing.

“Girlie, whatcha doin’ after you’re done here tonight?”

Girlie?That was a new one. “Heading home.”

“All alone?”

“To my ol’ man. Just a little word of warning. He doesn’t like to share, Vice.”

Vice grinned, showing off teeth that were yellow from probably years of smoking or chewing tobacco. Or a lack of oral hygiene. “Didn’t say I planned on sharin’.”

Well, that was a relief. She mentally rolled her eyes. “I doubt he’d let someone steal me away, either.”

“Borrow, not steal. Got no reason to keep you. Live my life loose and easy. Havin’ an ol’ lady ain’t my idea of freedom.”

“You just borrow other ol’ ladies and give them back when you’re done?” she asked, somewhat as a joke.

“Somethin’ like that.”

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