Chapter 3

My gaze wandered slowly around the room, taking in all there was to see, and I hoped I wasn’t being too obvious. The tiny dance floor was occupied by a few couples who were gyrating to something rhythmic and obnoxiously loud. A few of the tables were occupied, mostly by two or more people, and there were a few guys sitting on stools at the bar. Two of them were turned away from the bar, obviously watching the dancers. One guy was staring at the reflections in the mirror behind the bar. He had a head of curly black hair, a strong, good-looking face, and a square jaw. He saw me looking at him and winked, and we locked eyes for a moment. He summoned the bartender, said something to him, and a couple of minutes later, he left the bar and walked over to my table carrying two glasses. He was fairly tall, and the muscle tee he was wearing revealed the torso of a body-builder.

“Buy you a drink?” he said, setting a glass in front of me.

“Thanks.”

I took a tentative sip—it was Coke.