Page 5 of Vendetta
Yeah, it was as bad as her Uncle Eli had said it was.It blew her mind that he was now co-owner of the bar that had been there most of her life.Eli Crizer was a big bad biker, president of the Cottonmouths and all that, but he’d never been well-off before.How did a biker get that kind of money?Did he dip into his retirement account?Did he even have one of those?
Not long after she returned to Oak Grove, she found out her uncle had bought the place with a “business associate.”How did he get a business associate?The place had always fascinated her, so when she saw the “help wanted” sign in the window, she marched herself in and applied right away.Not surprisingly, her uncle, who hadn’t made time to reach out to her so far, called her the same day about her application.
“It’s not the place for you, Dylan,” he said right off the bat.When she asked why, he countered with, “It’s gonna be full of drunks, ex-cons, and worse.”
She thought the fact that she’d been a waitress for years would guarantee her the job.Although she wasn’t the best at making drinks consistently good in a rough environment, she had bartender experience, too.
Her uncle didn’t agree.“You’re a Crizer.You’re better than serving drinks to scummy people.”
But here she was anyway.Not just because she had something to prove.She now had something to rebuild.Her entire life basically.Maybe she wouldn’t be starting a new job today; Eli as a co-owner could cut her off.But she had to try.
Dylan had spent five years with a man who wanted to control her every move.Five years pretending she was happy in a dead-end relationship in Richmond.When she left, she made up her mind that she’d come back to Oak Grove and figure it out from the ground up.She’d start over.Hell, she was only twenty-five.She had time.
She was starting over right here atNed’s Sundown Lounge.
Pushing through the front door, Dylan blinked as her eyes adjusted to the low light inside the bar.The entire place smelled of old leather, cheap whiskey, and stale beer.It appeared to be well stocked and mostly clean despite all the scuff marks and the sticky spots along the floor.The tables were roomy and spaced out well around its central dance floor.A narrow hallway led off in the direction of the restrooms and the back offices.Ned’s Sundown Loungehad its own unique charm.If you squinted.
“Good afternoon,” came a voice from behind the bar.A tall, older woman with a sharp jaw and leopard-print eyeglasses worked at polishing glasses, watching Dylan with a smile.“You must be Eli’s niece.”
“Dylan,” she said, stepping up to the bar.“Here for my first day.”
At least she hoped she was.If Eli told them she couldn’t work there, what would she do?She really needed the job and had already told him that.
“I’m Peggy,” the woman said in the way of introduction as she gave her a once-over and nodded like she approved of what she saw.“You got the job.Just stay aware and don’t take shit from anyone.Even the regulars.You’ll be fine.”
Dylan didn’t hesitate.“Wasn’t planning on it.”
“Come on.”Peggy put the last glass she polished on the bar and motioned for Dylan to follow her.
Down that narrow hallway and to the left was a line of really old lockers outside the business offices.All of them had huge padlocks, protecting the personal items the employees wanted to tuck away.Just one, at the far end, had a small key stuck in the bottom of its padlock.Peggy pointed to that one.
“There’s only one key,” Peggy warned.“If you lose it, you’re responsible for getting a new lock, okay?”
Dylan nodded, tucking her purse into the locker and securing it with the padlock before sliding its tiny silver key into the front pocket of her jeans.
Peggy jerked a thumb in the opposite direction.“The kitchen is that way.There’s not a lot of menu options to memorize.Burgers, fries, nachos.I think they have chili a couple of times a week.None of it is that great.”
Good to know.Pulling the hair tie from her wrist, she pulled her hair up into a ponytail as she followed the woman back through the bar, taking in every corner as she went.Dylan was many things but naive wasn’t one of them.
Her Uncle Eli had influence here and he led a shady biker club.And now he was a co-owner of this place.People didn’t just “run bars” these days.Bars were often covers for other things.More shady shit.She’d left a couple of bars after learning they were running drugs out of them.The second one had a full police raid one night and it took hours for it to be cleared up so everyone could go home.She never returned because drugs were dangerous and brought dangerous people.No job was worth putting herself in the line of fire.
But until she had proof that something wasn’t right here at her uncle’s bar, she was going to do the damn job.Unfortunately, she needed the money to get back on her feet.
Smile.Hustle.Listen.It had been her mantra since her first job in a bar.
Peggy looked to be somewhere in her forties.She had a no-nonsense attitude that had to come in handy in a place as rough as this.“House rules.Keep the regulars’ drinks full and staff arenotallowed to talk politics.Or religion.People don’t want to think about religion when they’re drinking and partying, you know?The jukebox plays when it fucking wants to, so no beating it or kicking it.If Ned’s here and he sees you do it, he’ll lose his mind.”
“Who’s Ned?”Dylan asked.
“The other co-owner,” Peggy replied.“Try not to piss him off, even if you are Eli’s family.”
“Understood,” Dylan said.
“Now, if a fight breaks out and there’s usually one each fucking week,” Peggy explained, “don’t be a hero.Just try and get clear and wave down one of the bouncers.We usually have at least two of them scheduled each night.It’s not a bad idea to check the schedule.It’s on the whiteboard with the lockers.See who’s on duty each night so you know who you’re looking for.”She jerked her chin in the direction of the far end of the bar.
Dylan followed her gaze to the two huge guys leaning against the back wall near the hallway, perfectly still and silent.One of them was built like a refrigerator with tattoos creeping up both sides of his neck.The other looked mean even though he wasn’t actively trying to at that moment.He was leaner with an angular face and a body you could only get from hours each week in the gym.The gym rats were hit-or-miss as bouncers.Dylan would be willing to bet money that the fridge was the one to flag down in a fight.
“They don’t talk much, but they move fast, let me tell you.If some shit goes down, make eye contact, give a nod, and then get out of the way.Got it?”
