Free The Mortal One (The Mortal One Series) by Shannon Bell

hotel and it was hard for me to catch my breath. He, on the other hand, hadn’t even broken a sweat.
    “That only solves one problem,” I said dryly. “My life? My clothes? My everything?”
    “Dylan, I don’t know what to say. We can rebuild together, but you cannot go back. Not only would it be too dangerous, it could never be allowed. In time, you will overcome the issue.
    “Hmmmph.” I knew he was right, but I could still be pissed off about it for a little while longer.
    He took my hand and we walked down the sidewalk. We turned the corner like any normal couple, holding hands and staying in stride. He lowered his head and his lips brushed mine in a farewell kiss. Then he was gone before I could ask him when I’d see him again.

Chapter 6
     
    I DRESSED IN black pants and a turquoise sequined top and comfortable black shoes. I’d dipped into my credit card yet again for some more shopping because boots weren’t an option. There was no point avoiding debt now since the credit card companies wouldn’t be able to find me. They could clear out my apartment and take my car, too. There was no way to go back for it, anyway.
    It was my first night bartending at Yankee Bar and I wanted to make sure my feet were up to it. Inside, the bar looked modest enough with wood paneled walls and frosted glass chandeliers hanging low to add ambience. A simple hostess stand was in front with a menu under a pane of glass. Tables were staggered throughout the room with red linens across them and blue napkins, obviously capitalizing on the American aspect of the place.
    Matt greeted me and showed me over to the bar. “We have just about every kind of alcohol you can imagine.” He showed me the back wall where all the bottles were done alphabetically rather than by type. This might get confusing, but I started to read all the labels, getting a sense for what was available.
    “What are some of the favorites?” I asked, picking up a bottle of Strega and giving it a smell. It smelled a lot like Galliano, but a little stronger on the fennel.
    “The Bellini, but a lot of people will ask what your favorite drink is, so be creative.”
    I looked around the sink for the different fruits and then bent down to the small fridge. I glanced up at him. “Do you have Red Bull?”
    He gave me a strange look. “Yes, in the back. We don’t really sell much of it. What did you have in mind?”
    “It’s not a big seller? Really? Then you haven’t had the right bartender here. Red Bull in drinks is huge back in the States right now. You’ll want to get some more in. I promise you that we’re going to go through a ton while I’m here.”
    He laughed at my enthusiasm and made a note of it. “Okay, you got it. Anything else we need?”
    I peered around some more. It appeared as though I had everything else, including flavored vodkas, cherries, bottle opener, and a blender. “Lighter?”
    “There’s no smoking in Italy. They banned it a few years back.”
    I shook my head. “It’s for lighting drinks on fire, not cigarettes.”
    “Oh, right. We haven’t gotten into that here. You think people will order them?”
    I shrugged. “It’s worth a try. Back home, once you lit one on fire, everyone else wanted one, too.”
    “I’ll get one for you before the rush gets here. Looks like you’ve got things under control for now. Get yourself comfortable.” He looked at his watch. “It’s five now. The rush starts at six and then we’ll be balls to the wall until we close at twelve.”
    Midnight. It was one of the reasons I took this job. It kept me up later and I still got off in plenty of time to see plenty of Nico.
    I placed a couple beer steins in the reach-in freezer to get cold for the rush and finished stocking the fruit purees along the side of the cooler. Another bartender slid in next to me. His black hair greased straight back and his bronzed skin showing off his lack of chest hairs as his button down shirt was missing the top