Cheat (Karma Inc. Book 1) by Gillian Zane Read Free Book Online

bar filled up. The DJ started his shift and things began to get pumping. Bishop had given me the basics of where everything was kept, but it was still hard to get used to when you had ten people staring at you looking for their drinks. I hope he thought my routine stumbling was me getting used to a new layout and not gross inexperience. I didn't need him running to Marshall and getting me fired.
    As I got into a routine, I realized that I knew what was in each drink that the patrons ordered. I didn’t have to stop them once and ask what was in a drink, the ingredients popped into my head. Once I knew where everything was kept, I got into a rhythm and found I was actually enjoying myself.
    The guys at the bar flirted shamelessly, the DJ had great taste in music and I liked the fast paced intensity of the environment. What I didn’t like was the constant swirl of negative energy around Bishop. I knew he was up to no good the entire time he was behind the bar. It took me a few hours to discover what was causing his energy to darken as the night went on.
    Bishop and I worked a large bar that took up the entire east wall of the building. He took the far end and I took the side closest to the front door, our paths only overlapping as we got to the center of the bar. In that center was a large bin, with a handwritten sign taped to the side of it that read TIPS. When you got a cash tip, you rang the bell and threw the cash into the bin. At the end of our shift we would split the tips in half. Bishop had cashed out the bin right before I got on shift, so anything from the moment I stepped behind that bar was ours to split.
    Bishop didn’t seem to feel that way though. I watched as he faked throwing in his tip and tagged the bell, his other hand slipping into his pocket and depositing the cash. It was hard to notice, and I missed it at first, but I knew what to look for now. The cupped hand, the quick look back at me, a few seconds wait, then the hand slipping into his pocket.
    He wasn’t just stealing from the bar, he was also stealing from his fellow bartenders. That was nasty. He probably didn’t agree with pooling tips, especially with a newbie like me who wasn’t going to hustle as much as him, or rack up as much in tips. Maybe that was how he justified his theft. Didn’t matter, it was still wrong. Once I noticed it, and caught on to how he did it, I thought I was catching it every time. But the buzzing awareness of more negative energy building up would hit me again and again. I assumed it was stealing, maybe he was doing it a different way. I couldn’t be certain though, all I knew was he was up to no good.
    When he went on break, he disappeared in the back and I watched as a leggy blonde weaved tipsily after him. They both came out about ten minutes later with sly grins on their faces and mussed hair. Bishop’s aura was darker than ever.
    This guy was a winner. With a capital WIN. His winner status was reinforced when his pregnant girlfriend picked him up at closing. It had been a long night, but we still had to restock, wipe down the bar and make sure the cleaning crew was let in.
    His girlfriend came in through the back and waddled to the bar, motioning with a lazy hand wave for Bishop to get her a water. He grabbed a bottled water from the cooler and set it down in front her. She didn’t even play like she was going to pay for it.
    “This is Angela, Angela, this is the new girl, Cassidy.” His girlfriend gave me a tight lipped smile. She looked me up and down, taking in my height and dress and her smile faded. She glanced at Bishop uncomfortably and tried to stifle a yawn.
    “Hey,” she said bored.
    “You need a ride, Cassidy?” Bishop surprised me with the offer and I tried to ignore his girlfriend’s scowl.
    “Actually yeah.” Brandon had left me stranded here without a ride. I checked my phone, the closest access point wasn’t far. I could have walked it, but it was late. “It’s not far.”
    “I