THE VIRON CONSPIRACY (JAKE SCARNE THRILLERS #4) by Lawrence de Maria Read Free Book Online Page B

good season going.”
    He helped the black kid to his feet.
    “You’ll be OK. Bar fights ain’t football, kid. Never start one with someone like me. You might have noticed that my friend over there never even made a move to help me. He knew I didn’t need any.”
    “Who are you, man?”
    The kid was still bent over slightly.
    “Name is Dudley Mack.”
    One of the kids whose feet were still dangling in the air, said, “Oh, shit.”
    “Put them down, Bobo.”
    By the time they left, they were calling Dudley “Mr. Mack” and apologizing profusely for their behavior.
    Mack turned to Scarne.     
    “It might have been nice if you did show some sign of support.”
    “I knew you could handle it, Duds. Besides, I saw Bobo come in the door. I’m surprised those guys didn’t notice him. He was blocking the light from outside. At first I thought it was a solar eclipse.”
    Pete the bartender walked over.
    “Thanks, Mr. Mack.”
    “Sure. Tomorrow when you come to work, I want you wear some decent clothes that fit. Good slacks, collared shirt and a dark vest. I don’t want to see your belly. You might want to try the salad bar occasionally. And get a shave and a haircut.” Mack pulled out a wad of cash and peeled off some hundred dollar bills. “This should get you started. You might mention to the other bartenders that there is a new sheriff in town.”
    “You mean, I’m staying?”
    “Yeah. I want to keep your loyal clientele.”
    Pete looked confused.
    “As long as you give me an honest day’s work,” Mack said, “you’ll have a job.” He looked hard at the man. “But this isn’t going to be a ‘tips and clips’ joint any more. My bartenders don’t clip the receipts. They don’t have to. People my places attract tend to be big tippers. Get me?”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “Cleaning service and some contractors will be in and out next week. New shipment of liquors will be arriving right after they leave. Some wine, too. Start phasing out the swill and ditch the old bottles and the funnels in the basement. I’ll stock some low-end booze, but it won’t make anyone go blind. I hope the regulars don’t go into withdrawal, but we’ll have to chance it. Give the pigs feet and eggs to the Pentagon. They can use them against Iran. I’ll redo the kitchen so we can serve some burgers and sandwiches. Did you clean the bathrooms like I told you? Last time I took a whiz, there were Lucky Strike Greens in the urinals.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “OK. Get back to work.”
    After Pete walked away, Scarne said, “Loyal clientele?”
    “Made him feel good.”
    “Nice that you’re keeping him on.”
    “Tough job market for guys like him.”
    “About those high school kids, Duds. I seem to remember we drank underage for many years.”
    “But we were always polite.”
    “The first time we met in a bar, up in Providence, where I was working, you punched me in the face.”
    “You were an asshole. Come on. Let’s go eat. It’s striped bass season.”
    ***
    Four hours later, Dudley Mack and Bobo Sambuca stood on the dock and watched Scarne’s high-speed catamaran growl away from the Seastreak pier, located a few miles from Bahr’s Landing.
    “What do you think, Boss?”
    “I hope Jake doesn’t get his tit in a wringer. Again. She’s bad news.”
    “I thought you introduced them.”
    “I didn’t do him any favors.”
    “If you didn’t like her, why’d you do it?”
    “I didn’t say I didn’t like her. She’s a fabulous broad. One of the best-looking women I’ve ever seen. If I wasn’t bopping her best friend at the time, I would have tried to give her a shot myself. Jake fell hard. I really thought they were going to get married.”
    “What happened?”
    “She took off. Always was a bit flighty. It’s hard to explain. Kate was one of those people that you want to be around. And they can make you feel like you’re the only important person in the world. When she turned those baby blues on you it was