Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88064 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88064 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
"So, we try?" Lachlan asks hopefully.
"We try," I say, breathing out in relief.
Later that night, when Cloud 9 is buzzing, I take over from Thomas’s relaxed live set to play the more upbeat music our bar is known for. It takes a lot of concentration to blend music seamlessly, but I’ve been doing it for enough years that I’m confident with my abilities. I don’t need to focus one hundred percent of my attention, so I watch as Dawn welcomes her friend and settles her at the end of the bar. Chantelle is pretty but doesn’t draw my attention from Dawn. It makes me realize just how much I feel for her, even after such a short time.
Dawn has to work, but while she’s waiting for Lachlan and Jared to fulfill orders, she laughs and jokes with her friend. Jared keeps Chantelle company when Dawn is serving tables, and it seems as though she’s having a good time.
At the end of the evening, as the bar is emptying out, I notice a man walking past the bar and looking in. For a second, I don’t think anything of it, but then I remember what’s been going on and my senses are alerted. It’s late for someone to come to Cloud 9 from work. It’s late for that kind of business attire.
I squint, trying to make out if the man is coming into the bar or just looking from the outside. I wave at Dawn to get her attention, pointing to where I’d last seen the man. She glances back at me with wide eyes. "It’s him," she mouths.
Pointing to the bar, I indicate that she should tell Jared before Lachlan, but by the time she makes it through the gathered customers, the man has already taken a seat at the end of the bar. I put the music on auto-play, not caring that the tracks won’t mix. After the brick, Lachlan isn’t going to be able to hold his temper and we can’t risk being on the wrong side of the law with this man.
I rest my headphones onto a hook, and I sprint over to the bar, watching as Jared tries to get around Lachlan. I manage to get behind the bar as Jared tells the man that he’s not welcome. Lachlan, noticing what’s happening, moves closer just as I get my hand on his shoulder. He whirls to me, but I hold firm.
Dawn is on the other side of the bar, standing next to her friend.
"I’ll take a whisky," the man says.
"I told you, you’re not welcome."
"What kind of bar is this?" the man sneers. "The kind of bar that needs to be closed down for poor service."
"The service is great," Dawn says. "For customers who aren’t assholes."
"You should reign that bitch in," Jeffrey Barrow says, jutting his chin at Dawn. My blood pulses in my temples, a hot flush of rage surging over my whole body.
Dawn’s friend places a hand on Dawn’s shoulder, turning her away. I think it’s because she doesn’t want Dawn to do anything stupid, but there are tears in her eyes.
Dawn seems confused, but leans into her friend, asking what’s wrong.
I swivel, finding Jared leaning across the bar, telling Jeffrey to leave.
His smug face splits into an amused smirk that makes me want to pound his flesh with my fists until all that’s left is a bloody, fractured pulp. How is this the way that people do business? Is it seriously the men who act like this who get their way in the world? It’s a depressing thought.
Jeffrey backs away from the bar slowly, his face still twisted into a grin that sends a shiver of awareness over my skin. Dawn has pulled her friend into a hug that I don’t understand. Did something else happen that I didn’t see?
I rest my hand on Dawn’s shoulder and lean in to ask her if everything’s okay. She draws back from her friend, her expression grave.
"Chantelle used to work for Jeffrey Barrow," she says quickly. "He sexually assaulted her and then threatened her when she said she planned to expose him."
"He did what?" My head snaps back to the last place Jeffrey was standing, but he’s gone. Before I can run after him, Dawn’s hand fixes on my shoulder.
"Leave it, Cooper. For now, at least."
When I turn and find Chantelle with her head buried in her hands and her hair hanging to conceal her face, I understand. She’s too distraught and Dawn wants to find out more. The only way to do that is to give Chantelle time to calm down.
For a second, a swell of hope that this piece of information could be enough to get Jeffrey off all of our backs floods my mind. But then I realize that it’s Chantelle’s trauma, and maybe she’ll never want to face the repercussions of taking on a man like Barrow. Maybe it’s another sign that we don’t have a hope of trying to resist him.