Page 171 of Himbo Hitman
“On thebar,” she finally clarifies. “You know, the job Luthershouldhave given you in the first place.”
My mouth drops. “You want me to work for you?”
“Don’t get too excited. It’s impossible to staff the bar for a place like this.”
“Wait, you want me to bemanager?”
“I don’t think I said that.”
“If it’s impossible to staff, then apparently, a guy like me is in short supply. This is called negotiating.”
Everett leans back in his chair, lips pulling upward. “You’ve got balls negotiating with us.”
“Gotta shoot my shot.” I mime firing pistols with my fingers. “Get it?”
“What have I done?” Arlie mutters, burying her face back in her computer.
“I like your spunk,” Tommy says. “I bet there’s a course you can take to become bar manager. Arlie?”
She actually gives in. “Fine. But only because Tommy wants it. Not me.” Aww … she’s basically proposing to me. She keeps talking. “And tell Lars I’ll be there at ten.”
There’s a record scratch in my brain. “Wait, what?”
“Ten. Tonight. He needs to be ready.”
“Ready for what?” Ever and Tommy look as confused as I do.
“Wait …” Tommy leans forward. “Are you going on a date?”
Arlie’s gun is in her hand and against his chin before I even work out where she pulled it from. “Say another word.”
He doesn’t, but it’s less from the threat and more because he bursts into wheezing laughter.
Lars and Arlie, huh? Guess the big man finally won her over.
“Damn it,” I say, suddenly remembering something. “We were supposed to finish our show tonight. I bought popcorn.”
She turns her gun on me instead.
“The last time you did that, I got shot,” I remind her. “Somehow, I got through this thing without PTSD, and I’d kinda like to keep it that way.”
She huffs and tucks her gun away.
“But I’ll remind Lars to be ready for yourdate,” I say before bolting.
Because sometimes I’m smart enough to learn from other people’s mistakes.
St. Clare looks up the second I step back outside.
“You good? Everything okay?” He wasn’t sure about me being here in the first place, but he’s slowly trusting the baddie bunch again since Colin has been doing so much work with them.
“Sure am.” I hold my arms out to the side. “You’re looking at the new manager of Lethal Poison.”
He blinks in confusion. “The what?”
“Well,barmanager, but I don’t think it really makes a difference.”
“They offered you a job?”
