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“Shawn, there are two more carts with glasses to get out before the lunch hour hits. Speed it up.”
The guy in front of me nodded then went back to unloading glasses.
I turned my attention to the older man. “You the manager?” I asked.
He nodded and smiled. “Tom Abernathy. I own the place. How can I help you?”
“Does Liberty still work here?” I asked.
The way his brows drew together instantly seemed as if he didn’t like me asking questions either. “She’s been working here for five years,” he said in a less than friendly tone.
Five years? Selena had said she kept losing her jobs. Did the man have her confused with another employee? I doubted she’d been here long enough for him to remember who she was.
“You sure about that?”
The man’s shoulders snapped back as he tried to make himself appear taller. “Liberty Dillard has been working for me for five years. Of course I am sure. I’m the one who signs her paychecks. What business do you have with her?”
I took another drink, studying the man. Would he lie for her? Did that hot body of hers in the tiny shorts and tight tank she wore here have him drooling over her? Men could easily be led by their dicks.
“I’m friends with her sister. Checking to see if she’s where she says she is—that’s all. Her sister has reason to be worried about her.”
The man’s face turned red, and his eyes widened. “The same sister who kicked out a sick girl in the middle of the night? That sister? The same one who can’t be bothered to give her a ride home so she has to walk to the damn bus station two miles away? Why don’t you tell that sister she can go to hell for me, yeah?” he said angrily, then swung his gaze to the bartender. “Let him finish his beer and then make sure he leaves.”
The other guy glanced at me nervously and then nodded. I got one more glare from Tom Abernathy before he stalked away. I waited until he was gone before asking the bartender anything else. I wasn’t leaving until I had some answers. Liberty was good at playing the helpless-female-in-need act. I’d fallen for it myself.
Sounded like Liberty had called in sick and blamed Selena for it, lying about getting kicked out. Ole horny Tom had believed her completely.
“How long you been working here, Shawn?” I asked.
He tensed and looked over at me. “Three years, and Liberty has been here since before me,” he replied, seeming to already know what I was going to ask next.
Two witnesses to back up Liberty. Why would Selena lie about something like that? But then maybe she didn’t know. If Liberty never called her and hadn’t gone to their mother’s funeral, Selena might have assumed she was still not keeping a job. That wasn’t a big reach. I couldn’t blame her for that.
Fine. So, Liberty wasn’t a flake when it came to a job. That didn’t wipe out all her other transgressions. The reason I was here had nothing to do with her work ethic anyway. I wanted to be sure she wasn’t about to bring any danger to Selena’s door if she was messed up with some lowlife druggie.
“Do you know if she’s seeing anyone? Maybe hitting the party scene after work?”
Shawn was putting another glass up when a smirk touched his lips. He didn’t look at me. “Liberty broke up with her boyfriend a couple of months ago. She doesn’t party at all. Works too damn much.” He cut his eyes to me. “I don’t know what her sister has told you, but these questions don’t fit her. The only thing Liberty is guilty of is being too damn stubborn to let someone take her home after work.”
She’d had no problem letting a stranger almost twenty years older than her give her a ride after work on his Harley, but I didn’t say that. Whatever life she did live, she kept it out of the workplace. I had to give her props for that. I wished the girls who worked for me could do the same thing. They loved bringing drama to work with them.
I finished my beer and laid a twenty on the bar, then stood up.
“Thanks,” I told him and headed for the door.
Last night was still going to bother me, but Selena had a security system, and she was at the hospital more than she was at home. I didn’t need to stick my nose any further into this. Liberty checked out with her employer and coworker. Granted, both were men, and they probably fantasized about fucking her every chance they could, but they hadn’t looked like they were covering anything up.
Getting back on my Harley, I tried to shove all thoughts of Liberty out of my head. Cranking it up, I turned to drive out of the parking lot when the sight of her bent over a bush, holding her long brown hair back, caught my attention. I parked my bike in a parking spot closer to her, watching her.
I was a few feet behind her when she straightened and her shoulders slumped forward. She let her hair go, and it cascaded down her back. I waited for her to turn around. I might not have seen her face yet, but I knew that ass. It was Liberty, and I was positive she had been vomiting just now in the bush.
When she turned around, her eyes locked on me, and then they widened. She was already pale, but the shock, then fear that flashed in those honey-brown irises unsettled me. I was missing something. Overlooking it because I didn’t want to see Liberty for anything more than the spoiled bitch she had been to her sister. Trying to remove Selena from the equation, I took in Liberty’s appearance. She was dressed for work. It looked like her top was a size too small. Probably helped with the tips.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice hoarse.
I raised an eyebrow. “Checking to see if you’re gonna bring any trouble to Selena’s door while I’m away.”
The flash of hurt in her eyes before she dropped her gaze to the ground didn’t fit. What did she have to be hurt over? I’d caught her before she even hit the concrete last night and carried her the rest of the way to the house since I couldn’t ride with an unconscious woman on my bike.
