Mama Said by Wendy Byrne Read Free Book Online

down the bar and glanced up. “Wait inside, Gabriella. I’ll walk Donna to her car.”
    Since it wasn’t unusual for him to do that, she didn’t think much about it. Most nights they would walk out together while Mack stayed behind finishing up the last few details. But sometimes Shane had a few things he needed to do before they left so she waited for him.
    He sounded so calm and rational when he walked out with Donna she assumed he was okay with the new ideas she’d implemented during the evening. Even he had to admit they were a success. But when he returned, the look on his face let her know how naïve she’d been. His jaw was so rigid she thought he might pop the bone.
    “You’re fired,” he grumbled, his lips barely moving as he spoke.
    “What? You can’t do that.” She’d anticipated a go-around with him, but not this. “We have a contract.”
    “Screw the contract. I’ll buy you out.” His normal scowl had somehow morphed into something even scarier. Right now Shane didn’t look as if he liked her. Not even one little bit.
    “I don’t want to be bought out.” She tried to regain her composure. “It was just a little music. I don’t know why you’re getting so bent out of shape.” She wouldn’t let him intimidate her. Instead, she mimicked his stance, placing her hands on her hips. “Listen, we don’t have to like each other. We can ignore each other for all I care.”
    “Nobody can ignore you. You won’t let them.”
    Ouch. That hurt. Even if it might be the teensiest bit true, it was mean-spirited.
    She huffed out an exasperated sigh. “If it’s all the same to you, I’ll find my own way home. In fact, I don’t want you picking me up or bringing me here ever again. Being alone with you in the car is like being sentenced to death row.”
    He shook his head. “I never claimed to be pleasant.”
    “No. But you go out of your way to be mean to me.” She thought about Donna’s earlier observation that Shane was attracted to her. Right now it seemed more than a little absurd. She yanked on the handle to the front door, ready to go outside and flag down a cab. She turned to give him one last parting comment with the hope he might feel the slightest bit guilty. “For the record, I was doing you a favor. You wanted more people, I got you more people.”
    “No, you wanted more people, not me. I want this place to fold up and die a quick death. You’re the one who wanted a bigger crowd, a bigger audience to showcase your talent. I hope you’re happy. You got what you wanted, even if you screwed me in the process.”
    She jutted out her hip to prop open the door. “How could getting more people in here be a bad thing for you? That doesn’t even make sense.”
    “It does when you managed to bring in the last person I wanted to see here.” For the first time since beginning his tirade, his voice softened.
    “What are you talking about?”
    “The cop you were so friendly with is my stepbrother, Patrick.” He drew in a breath. “No doubt he’ll make it his business to make my life a living hell once again.”
    “What do you mean?” Even though she couldn’t have known, regret at what she’d done started to seep inside her.
    “He’s going to sic everyone from his cop buddies to the health department to ATF on my ass just to prove he can.”
    “No way.” While she muttered the denial under her breath as she wandered outside, she couldn’t help wondering if he were right. Clearly there was some very bad blood between them. Would a family stoop that low for some kind of misdirected vengeance?
    Preoccupied, she walked to the curb and peered down the street. Seeing a taxi sign atop a car a few blocks down, she raised her hand to catch the cabbie’s attention.
    That was the moment when she felt the poke of cold metal against her skin. She didn’t have to turn around to know what it was.
    “Give me your money, lady.”
    With her whole body trembling, she gave him her purse. As he