Page 26 of New Rules
Corey had walked to the back to swap out a keg, and Tammy’s back was turned to the bar, facing the mirrored wall lined with shelves of high-end liquor and wine. It was also where one of the computers was, and she was typing in an order, completely focused.
He saw his opportunity.
There were only four other customers at the bar, and none of them were paying attention to him. They were either engaged in conversation or had their gaze fixed on the TVs above them.
Almost in slow motion, Donald slid his hand over the bar. He felt around blindly as he reached for the nearest bottle. He’d been drinking whiskey, which was likely what he was hoping to grab, but instead his hands latched onto a bottle of rum that was next to his target.
There was the briefest pause, like he was considering going back for the right bottle, but he decided against it. Obviously not wanting to risk getting caught wasting more time, he quickly poured some of the rum into his glass and set the bottle back down, straightened in his seat, and tried to act like nothing was amiss.
It wasn’t my place to call him out, and if I were honest, I didn’t want to—not yet at least. I wanted to wait until Corey came back. If Donald decided to make a scene, and something told me he would, I needed him to grab Donald while I covered Tammy.
Unbeknownst to me, Tammy, however, felt otherwise.
She turned, slowly and deliberately, putting her hands on her hips, and stared at Donald the way a mom stared at her child when she caught him red-handed taking a cookie from the jar after she had said no.
I knew she was about to call him out, and thankfully Corey waltzed right through the kitchen door back to the bar mere seconds before she laid Donald out.
“You really woke up and thought that would be a good idea today, didn’t you?”
Her voice wasn’t loud, but it carried, just enough to pull the attention of the surrounding customers at the bar. Conversations quieted and a few heads turned.
Her tone, though, was unmistakable.
“What?” Donald asked, feigning innocence, but his face was already turning red.
“You know that wall is mirrored, right?” Tammy asked, gesturing behind her. “Which means I can see when someone reaches over the bar and steals liquor.”
“I didn’t do shit,” Donald sputtered, his words tripping over themselves out of nervousness. “Your word against mine.”
“Fair point,” Tammy said easily. “But we also have a camera right here.”
She pointed to the original one near the register she had just been standing by, not the new one we’d just installed. “I put this in last week specifically to catch people like you taking the five-finger discount on liquor.”
Donald let out a sharp, audible gasp.
I moved my gaze to Corey. His expression mirrored Donald’s shock for a split second before it smoothed over and he stepped closer to Tammy, clearly anticipating Donald not being civil about this.
Tammy reached for Donald’s drink, but he grabbed her arm to stop her.
“Take your hands off me, or I’ll have to resort to punching you,” Tammy said, her voice calm, but there was something sharp and dangerous about it too.
Already on my feet, I moved to assist, but Corey was already there, hauling Donald out of his seat with none of the usual patience he carried.
Diego, who had been the designated bouncer and bodyguard for the night, suddenly appeared, ready to assist.
“You want me to call the cops?” Diego asked, his tone low but firm.
Tammy didn’t respond, and instead her gaze was locked onto Donald. “You gonna show up here ever again?” she asked. “Because if you are, the cops will be waiting. If not, you can walk out that door for good.”
Donald didn’t argue or even say a word. His only response was a curt nod. Corey escorted him out, one hand firm on his shoulder.
Diego stayed back, closer to Tammy and the bar, assessing the situation. He wasn’t really a muscular kind of guy. He struckme as more of your tech whiz type, not carrying unruly men out of a bar.
It took a few minutes, but the bar slowly returned to its usual noise, like nothing had happened.
“Do you often threaten to punch people at work?” I asked after things had calmed down.
She shrugged, like the whole thing had barely registered, and answered very nonchalantly. “Only when they touch me without asking.”
