Bad Guys Don't Win (Janet Maple Series Book 4) Read Online Free Page A

place
was filling up fast. In less than twenty minutes she was back upstairs.
    “I need two Bloody Mary’s and a gin and
tonic,” Amy shouted.
    “Coming right up,” Jess beat Mila to the
task.
    Mila exchanged glances with Amy. “I see
it’s going well.” She noticed Jess’s hands busily mixing drinks—the speed and
dexterity of her movements was proof enough that she was no stranger to being
behind the bar stand.
    “So, what do you think?” Amy asked. She
kept her voice low, but it was so noisy in the bar that there was no danger of
Jess overhearing them.
    “I think you made the right call,” Mila
conceded.
    “What about the references?” Amy asked.
    “They all checked out,” Mila said
sheepishly. “I guess I overreacted. I should’ve trusted your gut feeling.”
    “There was a time when I took a chance
and hired you,” Amy pointed out. “Although it does feel like a lifetime ago.”
    “It sure does,” Mila agreed, remembering
the time Amy used to be a manager at Hogs and Heifers. A lot of things had
happened to her since then, both good and bad. For a while it had seemed like
the bad streak was drowning out the good one, but now things were finally
looking up and Mila hoped that the dark streak in her life was over. Perhaps it
was time to give someone else a chance, just like she had been given a chance
in the past.
    “Great then. I’m sure glad we have an
extra set of hands helping us out tonight,” Amy said without a trace of triumph
in her voice. “We would’ve been swamped without Jess.”
    “Hey there, ladies, can I get two
whiskey sours for me and my buddy here?” The request came from a heavy guy with
a bushy beard. He was dressed in a biker jacket.
    “We’ve been waiting for a while,” his
friend piped in. He was just as heavy and was wearing a similar biker jacket,
but his beard was much shorter. Both men had beads of perspiration glistening
on their foreheads.
    “Coming right up, gentlemen.” Mila
hurried to mix the cocktails.
    “Keep an eye on those two,” Amy
whispered. “It’s their third drink and they’ve both been here less than twenty
minutes.”
    Mila shrugged. “Since when is that a
problem? Don’t we want paying customers?”
    “Yes we do, but we don’t want rowdy
drunks who cost more in damaged property than they spend on drinks,” Amy
countered.
    “Don’t worry, I got it,” Mila assured
her.
    “Good. Because I’m dying to pee. I’ll be
right back,” Amy whispered.
    Mila placed the drinks on the counter.
“Here are your drinks, gentlemen. Sip and enjoy. The night is still young.”
    “Men don’t sip,” the guy with the bushy
beard growled. He picked up his drink and drained the glass without breaking
for breath. His friend followed suit.
    Men don’t drink sugary drinks , Mila thought,
but knew better than to say anything.
    “Again,” the guy with the longer beard
demanded, slamming his glass on the counter.
    “Why don’t you gentlemen pace yourself?”
Mila leaned across the bar with a friendly smile. “What’s your hurry?”
    The guy with the bushy beard ogled her
cleavage. “I’d like me a taste of that,” he said, grabbing Mila’s breasts.
    Mila froze like a deer caught in the
headlights. She’d worked in her share of seedy places before, but it’d been a
while since she had to fend grubby hands off her boobs. No matter—she might be
out of practice, but she could still fend for herself. She was about to unleash
a barrage of expletives when the unruly customer squealed like a baby pig and
let go of her. Surprised, Mila looked up and saw that somehow Jess had managed
to make her way around the bar stand unnoticed and was now holding the fat
bully by his ear, as though he were a misbehaving first grader. Her grip was so
firm that the man’s ear had turned red.
    “That’s no way to treat a lady. Why
don’t you apologize?” Jess requested.
    “Hey, she was coming on to me, flashing
her boobs and all,” he panted, clearly not