Free Just Keep Sweet (The Compound Series) by Melissa Brown Page A

seating area, I turned my attention to the main bar. It was at least ten feet long with several empty wooden stools. Without appearing obvious, I examined the guys at the bar.
    Show your face, Penowsky.
    “What can I get ya?” a tall and surprisingly cute young woman asked from behind the bar. With a towel draped over her shoulder and her hair tied up in a loose bun, she was the one person in the entire establishment who didn’t depress the shit out of me.
    What in God’s name are you doing here, gorgeous?
    “I’ll take a beer. What do you have on tap?”
    “Just about anything you can imagine, sugar.”
    “Surprise me,” I said, appreciating the flirtation.
    “You got it.” She placed a glass under the tap, tilting it back and filling it to the top. She placed it in front of me and wiped her hands on her towel. “Never seen you here before. Just passing through?”
    Go with it.
    “Yep,” I said, tilting my forehead. “How’d you know?”
    “Well, you don’t exactly fit in with this crowd. I’m guessing if you lived in town, you’d probably steer clear of this place.”
    I wiggled my eyebrows as I swallowed my first sip of beer. “Or maybe I just like living dangerously.”
    She shook her head and laughed.
    “No, seriously, where do you think I’m from?”
    A gruff voice boomed from behind me. “You look like a city guy. I’m guessing Phoenix.”
    Penowsky.
    He looked just like his mugshot. He was a tall guy with a large gut, salt-and-pepper hair, full beard, and deep-set dark eyes. Not the kind of guy you wanted to mess with. His presence was intimidating, and I didn’t intimidate easily.
    “Took the words out of my mouth, Jim,” the bartender said, but her eyes didn’t match her words. She was playing along. I guessed she was quite used to his temper in the past and didn’t want to piss him off. Or she wanted a nice tip.
    “How’d you guess?” I asked, winking at the bartender.
    “I’m just smart, I guess,” Jim said, wiping his nose with the back of his sleeve. “Fill ‘er up, would ya, sweetheart? I just drained the snake; I could use a topping off.”
    Nice.
    She pressed her lips into a thin line, then tilted them up. I knew she was being polite, but I could feel the anger radiating from her skin. She replaced his beer with another, then tapped the wood in front of my glass. “Let me know if you need anything.”
    “Thanks . . .” I tilted my head toward her, hoping for a name. She deserved to be treated like a human being.
    She sighed and relief filled her pretty face. “Linda Jean.”
    “Pretty name,” I said, popping a peanut into my mouth and regretting it instantly.
    You don’t eat out of a peanut bowl at a place like this, you dumb shit.
    I winked, trying to hide my disgust at the filthy peanut in my mouth. “Thanks, L.J.”
    She giggled under her breath, wiped her hands on her towel again, and walked to the other end of the bar.
    “So, Phoenix, huh? What brought you to Colorado City, land of the Mormons?”
    “Business,” I answered. “Big construction project down near the valley.”
    He nodded, digging his hands into the peanut bowl. I swallowed hard when I noticed the filth on his fingers. “Ahh, you’re in the game, huh?”
    “Yes, indeed. Normally I stay in Phoenix, but it was a contract I couldn’t pass up.”
    “I hear that.” He drained the rest of his beer. “You married?”
    “Yeah. You?”
    Penowsky nodded and enunciated his syllables. “Unfortunately.”
    Play along, fuel his fire.
    “I hear that. Thank God my wife’s back in Phoenix. I needed a fucking break.”
    “How long you in town?”
    “Only a few months.” I tipped back my beer. “May have to try to extend it, though. Or ask for a divorce.” I chuckled and Penowsky joined in, clinking his empty glass with mine.
    “Can I get you another?” he asked, his voice showing a hint of a slur.
    “Nah, I’m good.”
    “C’mon, live a little,” he said, slapping me on the back.