“Hey. Work is a fucking nightmare right now, Rosie. Can I call you back?” He sounded exhausted—completely mentally drained.
“I’m actually calling regarding work, but I’ll make it fast. Do you have more info on these girls who are obviously getting roofied? And should I be concerned about this dickwad showing up on my doorstep next? Or has my favorite band of misfits nailed the guy and the news just hasn’t reported it yet?”
In the background I could hear dispatch speaking through the radio, the answers to my questions temporarily on hold so Noah could listen.
When it went silent, he groaned with frustration. “No, I have no information I can discuss at this time, yes, you should be concerned about him showing his face at Andromeda and no, we haven’t nailed the guy yet because we don’t knowwhathis face looks like.” He rattled off the answers, which did nothing to help subside the rolling in my stomach.
“We have no idea who this guy is, if he’s working alone, where he’s going to hit next—we know next to nothing. All our guys are working on this case, and chatter around the office says the Sinners are on it too. He’s hit Reggies, Lawless, and now Indigo Renegade. Talk to Cain and tell him to be on high alert at Andromeda and to stick a few extra guys around. Until we figure out who this guy is, any bar or club could be hit next. So just keep an extra eye out, stay vigilant. Watch people’s drinks—yoursincluded—and if something seems off, callmeimmediately. The Sinners may be trying to help us, Rosie, but they’re not the police.”
My eyes met Indy’s from across the bar. I’d sat on a barstool as Noah went into full lecture mode, and now my right-hand woman was readying herself for the details. “You got it, Captain,” I told him, purposely calling him the wrong job title to try to make him laugh.
It didn’t work.
“Lieutenant,” he corrected.
I didn’t bother explaining that I was trying to make a joke, and instead, decided to wish him luck. “If you or Lily need anything, let me know. I know there’s a lot on your plate right now. Take care of yourself, and go find this fucker, would ya? The women in Ridgewood deserve to enjoy a night out without worrying if they’re next.”
“I will, thanks, and I’ll let Lils know to call you if she needs anything when I’m stuck at the station. Oh, and Rosie?”
“Yeah, Chief?”
Still not even a hint of laughter on the other end of the phone. Tough crowd.
“Let the police do their job. Seriously. Stay safe, and if you see anything,call me. Don’t try to handle it yourself.”
I waved my hand dismissively in front of me, even though he couldn’t see it. “Yeah, yeah. Will do, Noah ba-boah.”
The line went dead, and Indy descended quickly, placing a clear shot down on the bar in front of me.
I tossed the top-shelf vodka back, then pressed my elbows onto the bar and cradled my head in my hands. Suddenly, my temples were throbbing.
“We need to call an emergency staff meeting before we open tonight,” I instructed solemnly, wondering how we’d all grow extra sets of eyes to keep an eye out for this prick.
“But, boss, it’s already—”
“I know. We open in two hours, but we have to. The team needs to be aware and on their toes with this one.Alleyes peeled at all times. We need to come up with a game plan.”
“Alright, let's do it. I’ll send out a text now and have everyone here within the hour.”
“You're the best, and I appreciate you,” I told her affectionately as she slid a second shot in my direction.
Instead of reaching for it, I stared at it for several long, worrisome minutes, wondering what the hell I was going to do to increase security and keep my customers feeling safe and comfortable. This could be detrimental to business. If people were scared, they’d stay home, and if they stayed home, I’d lose money, and if I lost money…
I needed to stop. My mind was spiraling quickly into the worst-case scenario, and we weren’t at that point yet. The bridge we’d need to cross to get to that point was still very far in the distance, and there was no need for hysterics.
I was Rosie fuckin’ Adler, and I knew what I had to do.
Unfortunately, I’d just need to swallow a bit of my pride to do it.
It hadn’t even been seventy-two hours since I crawled out of Cain’s bed and here I was, about to ask for his help.
Picking my phone up off the bar, I pulled up his contact and sent him a text, requesting his presence at my staff meeting. Because when you had to go against the devil himself, having a fallen angel on your side wasn’t a terrible idea.
* * *
Tensions were high tonight.
The vibe in Andromeda was unlike anything I've experienced since I bought it; from both my staff and customers.
