Vic jumped like he’d been jabbed. ‘Who the hell called the cops?!’
He turned to me, wide-eyed. ‘It’s just a scuffle. What the hell did you call the cops for?’
‘I didn’t,’ I said. ‘We were a little busy breaking up the brawl.’
Cade stepped forward. ‘Probably a customer. Plenty of people saw the fight.’
Vic glared at him. ‘Why are you on their side? Look what they did to my place!’
Cade nodded at the server. ‘He drugged a drink. People have the right to lose their shit over that. And we all saw who knocked the table over. Might’ve been deliberate.’
Vic’s face turned red. His stomach strained against his buttons as he puffed up. ‘You’re seriously siding with them? I write your cheques.’
Cade glanced at me. ‘She’s my friend. I sing here, I don’t belong to you.’
The front door swung open.
‘What’s going on? Who started it?’
Vic hurried over, hands half-raised like he was surrendering. ‘Officers, it’s nothing. Just a misunderstanding.’
The tall one in front looked past him. ‘We got a report of assault.’
‘It wasn’t that serious!’ Vic said quickly. ‘One drunk customer got into it with a server. It didn’t escalate.’
I walked straight up to the officers.
‘We weren’t drunk. We didn’t start anything. Someone drugged our drinks. That’s the part you should care about.’
The tall officer glanced at the manager, frowning.
‘No one was drugged! We run a clean place. This is nothing, really. We can sort it ourselves.’
‘Pull up the security footage,’ the other office suggested.
Cade stepped forward. ‘There’s no camera in the storeroom. The one outside shows him carrying the drinks in and out, but I was inside when it happened. I saw him dump something into the glass.’
The server staggered upright, face blotchy, eyes rimmed red.
‘I didn’t do anything!’ he shouted. ‘He’s lying, I didn’t touch the drinks!’
He looked barely older than me, scrawny with a baby face and a split lip.
A few guests near the bar started muttering.
The tall officer sighed and looked around.
‘All of you—station. We’ll sort it there.’
Cade and I agreed immediately.
Daniel tugged on my sleeve and lowered his voice. ‘I hit him pretty hard. Cops might not love that. Can’t we just handle it quietly?’
‘The guy’s lip’s just split. He’s not in a body bag. If there’s any damages, I’ll pay. Let’s move.’
Daniel gave a stiff nod.
The server held his ground.
No matter how many questions they threw at him, he repeated the same answer: he hadn’t touched the drinks.
The bar’s security footage didn’t show much, just a blurry view of him walking in and out of the storeroom.
Eventually, one of the officers came over, rubbing his temple. ‘There’s no hard evidence either way. We’re recommending a settlement.’
I’d barely stepped out of the interview room when my phone buzzed.
‘It’s ten. Are you still out at dinner?’ he asked.
‘Not exactly.’ I explained what had happened and added, ‘It’s not over yet. Might be a while before I get back.’
One of the officers was calling my name.
‘I’ve got to go,’ I said quickly. ‘It’s nothing serious. Don’t stress.’
I ended the call and walked into the room they’d set aside for the mediation.
The manager and the server were already there, sitting across from each other at a grey plastic table, both looking like they’d rather be anywhere else.
Vic dragged his lips into a forced grin. ‘All just a misunderstanding. Since you know Cade Lawson, that makes us friends too. Next time you stop by, drinks on the house.’
He sounded drained, like he just wanted the night to end.
I didn’t answer right away.
The server burst into tears.
‘I’m just a student. I work part-time here. If they fire me, I won’t have enough for tuition next semester. My mum’s in hospital. She needs medication. I don’t have the money.’
Cade leaned against the wall, arms crossed. ‘You just gave us a motive. If you were really just trying to do your job, you wouldn’t be spiking drinks. Who told you to do it? How much were you paid?’ Google seaʀᴄh N0v3l.Fiɾe.net
‘I didn’t spike anything!’ The server scrubbed at his face with both hands, red-eyed and loud. ‘That cocktail needed powdered sugar. That’s what I added. You saw wrong.’
‘Liar. Sherry cobbler uses fresh fruit, not powdered sugar.’
The server glanced at Vic. ‘Boss told us to do it. Powdered sugar is cheaper than muddling fruit.’
Vic glared at him, but said nothing.
The server yelled, ‘You’re framing me! And that guy beat me up! I’m the victim here!’
His voice shot up with every sentence, echoing off the plaster walls.
The manager tried to step in again, muttering vague crap about peace and understanding.
Cade rolled his eyes.
I said nothing for a while.
There was no footage from the storeroom.
The drinks were gone, soaked into the floor.
The only thing we had was Cade’s word, and no one else saw it happen.
With the cops pushing for a settlement and no proof to back us up, I gave in.
There wasn’t anything left to fight with.
By the time we walked out, it was nearly eleven.
Everyone looked wrung out.
We’d barely stepped into the lobby when the doors shoved open.
Yvaine stormed in, hair tangled, coat thrown over a satin pyjama set covered in moons and stars.
‘What the hell happened? Why are you at a police station?’
‘How’d you know I was here?’ I went up to her.
‘Cade messaged me. You okay?’
She turned to Cade. ‘You?’
‘I’m okay. I’ve got it handled. You didn’t need to come.’
‘Yeah, I did. I was worried.’
‘What are you all doing here?’ a man’s voice asked.