Every set of eyes was a potential informant.
A bartender looked up from where he was cleaning a glass behind the bar with a dishtowel, and his dark eyes met mine. He looked young, maybe early twenties, and he had a nerdy sexy look about his face.
“What are you having?” he called across the bar with a smile that was just this side of flirty.
Attraction bubbled up in me, but I quickly stuck a pin in it. This guy might look five years younger, but I was likely a good fifteen years older. Meaning, I could technically be his teen mother. Also, it felt plain disingenuous to flirt with a human. Werewolves slept with humans all the time, but revealing our true nature to them went against every supernatural law ever written and just plain brainless unless you wanted to end up dead or locked away in a secret government lab.
I’d taken too long to answer, and the sexy bartender set his hands on the bar and raised a dark brow. His teasing look was definitely flirty now. “Are you just going to stare at me, or did you want something?”
“I do want something.” I leaned onto the worn-down wood and called over, “A job.” I punctuated the words with a smile. “If you have any in stock.”
“You don’t waste any time.” His brows shot up over his thinly rimmed glasses. “You look like you barely stepped off the bus.”
Shock hit me, and I leaned back on my barstool. “How do you know I came in on the bus?”
“Lucky guess.” He poured an amber liquid into a cup and set it in front of me.
“That’s quite a guess,” I said as I took my beer.
“All right, you’re carrying your possessions, so you didn’t come in by car. Your bag is too big for a motorcycle and too clean for a long-distance hiker. And, Western Bus Lines tagged your luggage.” He nodded to the large white tag hanging off my bag.
“Oh, shit. Sorry.” I grimaced before taking a sip of the amber liquid.
“Relax, stay awhile. I can take your bag behind the counter if you want. There are more professional thieves per capita in Grayhaven than in any other city in the world.” He opened his arms, and even though I didn’t want to be parted from my gun, the chances of it being stolen were much higher on this side of the bar.
The moment I passed it over, I felt ten times more vulnerable in my seat, as if I’d passed over invisible armor along with all my earthly possessions.
Taking a small sip of my beer, I turned back to the stage. The singer on stage was a dead ringer for Rockknot’s late, great lead singer, Chad Jameson. This guy had the same long blond hair, dark blue dreamy eyes, bold European features, and full lips. His voice was similar too, if not a little raspier.
The singer’s gaze settled on mine for a second, and my stomach flipped as he continued to sing the familiar words with a sultry smile on his lips.
“Hey.” A man slid in beside me, breaking my moment of eye contact with the Chad Jameson impersonator.
“Hello,” I said, holding up my beer glass in a “cheers” motion.
This guy was probably the only man in a suit in the entire bar, which immediately got my hackles up. Kane lived in his suits. They were practically his second skin. If he wasn’t in one of his tailormade Italian suits, he was naked. There was no in-between.
This man’s suit was bespoke, but it looked worn out and threadbare, which gave me a little comfort. He leaned in, and I took in his long face, dark hair, skin that hadn’t seen the sun in ten years, thick plump lips, and were those—fangs?
I almost startled off my barstool.
What the actual fuck?
I did not smell the chalky death scent of vampires, but this guy was, clear as day, a blood-sucking fiend.
“You okay?” the vampire asked, reaching out toward me, but he was smart enough not to grab me.
“She just got off the bus today,” Nerdy-Sexy said as he set a glass on the bar. He poured a shot of vodka and then added a viscous red liquid to the top before garnishing it with a celery stick. As he passed it over, I got a whiff of the rusty penny smell of blood.
“Remind me not to order a Bloody Mary,” I muttered with a wince.
“This is a Mary Bloody.” The vampire smiled at this before taking a sip. “So, if you just disembarked into our beautiful unique city, where did you come in from?”
Nerdy-Sexy slammed a fist on the bar, making everyone in our vicinity jump. Even the Chad Jameson impersonator missed a note before picking up again. “Clive,” the bartender growled in a low rumble, “It’s none of your business where she came from. Save her the effort of making something up to tell you.”
Clive didn’t seem fazed by the sudden outburst from Nerdy-Sexy, the vampire only smiled over his Mary Bloody and said, “Apologies if I was intrusive.”
“It’s fine,” I said with a shrug.
When I didn’t elaborate, Clive took a small sip of his pungent beverage and set it back on the counter. “If you just arrived today, and your bag is here with you, where are you planning to sleep tonight?”
“That’s yet to be determined.” I ran a finger over the rim of my glass. “Do you have any suggestions?” I asked, even though
