Free Profile of Terror by Alexa Grace Page B

option.
     
    Sliding onto a bar stool, she laid her small white purse on the bar and motioned for the bartender. 
     
    Quickly scanning his name tag, Kaitlyn said, "Hi, Keith. I'll have a strawberry margarita," she said.  If she wanted information, she needed to buy a drink and make friends with the bartender.  "By the way, I'm Kaitlyn."
     
    "Want the umbrella, too, Kaitlyn?" he teased, as his eyes appeared to be undressing her.
     
    "Why not?" she answered.
     
    A moment later, Keith returned with her drink, placed it before her, and accepted the money she slid back.  Slipping the bills in his apron pocket, he leaned on the bar with his elbows.  "I haven't seen you in here before."
     
    Thirsty and nervous, she lifted her glass, nearly emptying it, and choked when the alcohol hit her throat.  That's what I get for ordering an alcoholic beverage when I rarely drink .
     
    "Another strawberry margarita, please."
     
    "Coming right up." Keith turned his back to her to mix the drink.  A short time later, he placed another drink before her, shot her his version of a sexy smile, and repeated, "I don't think I've seen you in here before."
     
    "No, you haven't."  She slipped Abby's photo out of her purse and slipped it across the bar to him.  "What about her?  Have you seen her?"
     
    Holding the photo between two fingers, he said, "It looks like Abby."
     
    "When is the last time you saw her?"
     
    "Are you a cop?" he asked, as he looked at her with distrust.
     
    "No, I'm her sister," Kaitlyn said, sipping her drink, already feeling a little light-headed.  "When is the last time you saw her?"
     
    "About a week ago.  On a Friday. It was late and she came in by herself, but she wasn't alone long.  These two guys honed in on her, and before you know it, she's on the dance floor with both of them."
     
    "How long did she stay?  Did she leave with these two guys?"
     
    "Abby stayed until closing.  I think they left thirty or so minutes before she did." 
     
    They were interrupted by a young man who brushed against Kaitlyn as he sat on the barstool next to her.  The bartender quickly took his order and left.  Sliding his hand down her back, he whispered, "If I told you that you had a great body, would you hold it against me?" 
     
    Kaitlyn stiffened and said, "Seriously, that line is older than you are."  He was in his twenties with over-moussed, slicked-back hair that made him look like a seventies mob boss.  "You'd be wise to remove your hand from my butt before things get ugly."
     
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    For a Wednesday night, the Hoosier Sports Bar and Grill was hopping.  The parking lot was filled when Gabe arrived at nine o'clock, and he had to park his truck alongside the road.  He'd decided to visit the popular bar at night and pass around Abby's photo to see if anyone had been there the night she disappeared.  He was almost to the front door when he spotted a blue metallic Volkswagen Beetle.  Moving to the back of the vehicle, he noted the license plate number.  Kaitlyn Reece was here, and she better not be here doing the same thing he was.  Not after he specifically told her not to.  Mentally counting to ten, he clenched his jaw in an effort to cool his annoyance.  If Kaitlyn was here playing amateur P.I., he had a thing or two to discuss with her about their agreement.
     
    Spotting Kaitlyn as soon as he entered the bar, he strode toward her.  As he grew closer, he realized she was sharing a heated conversation with the guy on the bar stool next to her.  Kaitlyn had her hand on the guy's upper thigh in a claw grip and he was squealing in soprano.
     
    "Hi, honey.  The babysitter finally arrived.  Have you been waiting long?"  Gabe kissed Kaitlyn's cheek and hugged her hard enough to loosen her grip on the squealer's thigh. 
     
    Surprised, Kaitlyn turned to see Gabe Chase standing behind her, wearing a green long-sleeved T-shirt that stretched across his powerful chest, under a black leather