Start a War (Saint View Psychos #1)(70)

I launched into the tale, telling her everything in detail, about how Axel and I shared a mother but had different fathers. I told her how he and Nash had always looked out for me, and how after he died, I inherited the bar.

Sandra quit interrupting me every five seconds and listened to the entire story with huge eyes, like she was watching a movie with a killer plot twist that had her glued to her seat.

I sipped at my drink, needing it after talking for so long.

Sandra used the opportunity to get a question in. “So it had to be the best friend, right? Wow. This is better than the true crime shows on Netflix.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“We’re playing ‘Whodunit’, right? I’ve watched enough of this stuff to know the murderer is always known to the victim. There’s no way this was a random gang thing, just for shits and giggles.” She sat back, crossing her arms beneath her breasts. “I’ve got my money on the best friend. What did you say his name was? Nate?”

“Nash.”

“Him for sure. You mark my words.”

Irritation prickled at the back of my neck. I clenched my fingers around the tabletop and squeezed hard so it had somewhere to go. Sandra was so off base it wasn’t funny. “No way. Nash loved Axel.”

“Murderers usually do.”

“Nash is not a murderer, Sandra!”

I hadn’t meant to yell it. But it echoed around the quiet bar. Rebel and Vincent both looked in my direction. Vincent’s gaze burned me, unspoken questions in his eyes, but I quietly shook my head, trying to let him know that it was all fine.

“Sorry,” I muttered to Sandra. “I didn’t mean to yell.”

“It’s fine. It’s hard to hear the truth. But think about it. You need means, motive, and opportunity, right? Means—the man lives in Saint View. Guns are a dime a dozen. No problem there. Opportunity—”

“He was here the night Axel died. Working.”

“He was at Psychos when you got here that night. He was also very conveniently around to take you right to the murder scene and act the devastated best friend for the cops. How far is Axel’s place from here?”

“Five minutes.”

“So it’s pretty feasible that Nash could have disappeared from a crowded bar for ten minutes on the guise of a smoke break. Nobody would have noticed. Are there cameras in here?”

“No.”

“Then he has no real proof he was here all night, does he?”

This was ridiculous. “Nash didn’t do this. You don’t know him. He wouldn’t.”

She pointed a finger at me. “And your feelings for him make you too close to him to have an objective eye.”

I didn’t comment on her observation of how I felt about Nash. “What’s his motivation then?”

She shrugged. “Could be anything. Jealousy over the bar. You said they ran this place together, like co-owners. Maybe Nash was pissed that Axel hadn’t signed over half of it. Maybe Axel slept with his girlfriend. Or ran over his puppy. I don’t know, people kill for all sorts of stupid reasons as well as big ones. But don’t you think you should find out?”

I shook my head. “Axel was involved in more than Nash or I knew. It had to have been a deal gone bad.”

Sandra lifted a shoulder. “Maybe. But are you really comfortable working here with Nash when he might have been the one to put a bullet in your brother’s head?”





25





BLISS





Nash and I moved around each other for the next few days without talking much. I busied myself with creating a new lunch menu with one of the Psychos bartenders, who also had some experience working in a kitchen. But George had picked out some problems with my plans for a full lunch service, a proper coffee machine, and loyalty cards.

“This ain’t Starbucks, Bliss. You think War and his guys are gonna come in here, handing over their little pink cards to get a hole punched?”

He had a point. “Okay, fine. The loyalty cards might be a bit much, but nothing wrong with offering something other than stale peanuts to eat, right? We want to encourage people to stay here longer. They currently can’t do that because they have to go elsewhere to get a proper meal. War and the guys already have a bar at their compound. We have to offer more than what they can get there.”

George nodded his bald head. “I like it. I’ll go shopping if you can get the menus printed?”

I was so excited that he liked my ideas that I swept the poor, startled man into my arms and hugged him. “Yes! Nash will hate it, I’m sure. But if you’re on board, I’ll get the menus printed this week, and we can launch the new menu on Monday.”

George untangled himself from my embrace and got busy with a pen and paper, scribbling down meal ideas and the ingredients he’d need for them. He had a little smile on his lips, and I liked that. I had a feeling he was pleased about his role at Psychos expanding. I wanted that for all the staff. I wanted them to feel like this place was their home and be proud and excited to come to work. Which meant treating them well and paying more than I had to.

I wanted all those things, but they all took money.

With that taken care of, I turned my attention to the party I’d decided we were having on Friday night. My breath got quick whenever I thought about it. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the things I’d see once it got rolling or because I knew it would bring in the last of the money I needed. This party would mean I could pay Axel’s drug supplier as well as start putting some more of my new plans into place. They were plans I hadn’t confessed to Nash or to anyone really. But I was itching for the meeting with our drug supplier to take place at the end of the month, despite the terror I still felt when I remembered the man’s finger crawling over my skin.