If I kept losing sleep like this, I was going to fall over at the bar. I was used to getting by with four to five hours of sleep and functioning without a problem. I’d done it through school, and I’d graduated in the top five of my class. If I’d wanted to go to college, I would’ve had scholarships, but money hadn’t been the only reason I didn’t go. Dad had needed me.

I’d worked my ass off right next to him, hadn’t left a minute before he did, had woken up when he did. We’d worked seven days a week, as well as most holidays.

I knew how to function on very little sleep, but this was getting ridiculous.

We’d been a little fuller than normal last night, so even though Ariene had come in on her shift, I’d been kept busy. Too busy to think, but not too busy to miss Gilly’s not-so-subtle comments about how much better Ariene must’ve been feeling. At least Ariene had stuck with flipping Gilly off instead of making a big deal about it.

Except a part of me found that more suspicious rather than less. Why hadn’t Ariene asked Gilly what she was talking about? If it’d been me, I would’ve wanted to know what I was being accused of. And maybe it had been Gilly’s constant nattering about the subject, but I could’ve sworn I’d seen guilt of some kind on Ariene’s face. I supposed it could have been something as simple as the fact that she hadn’t actually been sick, but Gilly had gotten into my head.

But none of that was what had kept me up last night.

No, all of that had been courtesy of Jax fucking Hunter.

Before the bar had started filling up, I’d done a quick internet search on Mr. Hunter since I’d recognized his name from somewhere. Of course, searching for a Hunter in Boston immediately brought up Hunter Enterprises, and then I remembered why I knew who he was. Jax was the grandson of Manfred Hunter, founder of Hunter Enterprises. They were among the richest families in the city.

No wonder he thought he could buy my bar.

Except it wasn’t anger that had kept me awake either.

It’d been those pale blue eyes. That strong jaw. It’d been wondering if his mouth would be soft against mine, or hard and demanding.

I thought it’d be the second. Something about him had seemed…rough despite his polished appearance. Not the sort of rough that scared me, though maybe it should have. No, this was the kind of rough that made my stomach clench and my body tingle.

Billy was the only man I’d ever had sex with, and I’d never had such a visceral response to him.

But it hadn’t been guilt keeping me up either.

It’d just been Jax. Thinking about his body, his hands…

I’d been so hot and bothered that I’d gotten up after a couple hours to take a cold shower, but it hadn’t helped. Even when I’d finally fallen asleep, I’d dreamed about him, then woke up with the space between my legs throbbing.

I’d ended up taking a couple of those cold tablets that had some extra sleep aids in them, which was why I was now waking up at quarter past noon. Even after I saw the time, I couldn’t muster up enough energy to get out of bed. My head was foggy enough that it took me nearly a full minute to remember why I should get up. And then it took me another minute to decide that I needed to do it.

By the time I managed to make it to my office, I knew that I wasn’t going to be doing the books today. I’d be lucky if I could run the cash register. Hopefully, cleaning things up would give my head a chance to clear.

When I stepped through the door to the bar, for a moment, I thought I hadn’t woken up yet after all. Because this had to be a nightmare. Or maybe one of those weird Through the Looking Glass kind of dreams. That would make sense out of what I was seeing.

The door was wide open, the glass window broken, shards on the floor. Tables were upside down or on their sides. Chairs too. A couple had chunks gouged out of them, but it didn’t look like anything was broken. Well, not any of the tables and chairs anyway. I saw pieces of at least a dozen glasses, on both the ground and the bar.

Someone had trashed my bar.

I blinked and waited for it to disappear, but it didn’t. Someone really had trashed my bar.

What the hell?

I took a few steps inside, glass crushing beneath my shoes. That’s when I saw what else my vandals had left behind. A piece of paper, attached to my bar with a butcher knife.

I reached for it, then stopped. I wasn’t sure if this was as sinister as it looked, or just a bunch of kids doing shit on a dare or for the hell of it, but until I’d decided whether I was going to call the cops, it’d be better if I didn’t touch anything.

I leaned over so I could read what was written in big, blocky letters.

Get out. Or else.

Not the most original or subtle of messages, but it definitely got the point across.

I sighed and reached into my pocket for my cell phone. First, I called the police department, and then I took pictures of everything. No matter how tight money had been, I’d paid my insurance. They’d want pictures and documentation of everything.

Then I called Billy. I could feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins, and I knew once the cops were gone, everything would sink in, and I wouldn’t want to be alone when that happened.

After the third ring, Billy’s voicemail picked up. “Hey, someone trashed the bar. I know you’re working right now, but I could really use you here.” I paused, then ended the call when I couldn’t think of anything else to say.

I supposed it was a good thing that he hadn’t answered. It meant his job was going well. He’d only gotten the job at the deli yesterday, but I was hoping this one would work out, at least for a while. He hadn’t been thrilled about it, but at least it paid a little over minimum wage, and it was only a few blocks away. It also looked like it was doing really well, which meant he wouldn’t get laid off or let go to cut expenses again.

Shit. I hadn’t thought about what it could do to his job if he took off to come be with me. I sent off a quick text and hoped he’d take the time to read it before calling.

Please just come by when you get off work. I could really use you here.

Then again, as the police pulled up in front of the bar, I wondered what, exactly, Billy would even do when he got here.