A Bad Day for Sunshine (Sunshine Vicram #1) - Darynda Jones Page 0,107

He chuckled and leaned forward to whisper to the guy, but a drunk whisper sounded strangely similar to a shout. “I’m going at night.”

Sun walked past them and into the cantina to seek out the bartender.

Twelve civilians, including two males, sitting at opposite ends of the bar.

The bartender just happened to be a gorgeous American Indian with long black hair and biceps that rivaled the statue of David, if the tight tee were any indication. Not that she was looking.

“Hi there.”

He lifted his chin in greeting as he wiped down the bar. “What can I get you?”

“Nothing for me. I just want to make sure you’ve stopped serving those two.”

He scoffed. “Like three hours ago. They must’ve snuck in some booze. Happens all the time. I hear you found a dead body.”

“Well, not me personally, but . . .”

He stopped wiping and regarded her with a serious demeanor. “You can’t talk to it, can you?”

“I’m sorry?”

“The dead body? You can’t talk to it, right?”

“The . . . the dead body.”

“Yeah. I knew a chick who said she could talk to dead people. She was crazy. I worked at a bar her dad owned, but things got really weird. That’s when I decided to move here. You know, peace and quiet. Less conversing with the dead.”

“Wow,” she said thoughtfully. “If only I could. Can you imagine how much easier my job would be?”

“You’d think, but that chick was bat shit. And trouble followed her like a fly follows, well, bat shit.”

“Sorry to hear that. I’m Sunshine.”

He held out his hand. “I’m Donnie.”

“Awww,” the male sitting at the end of the bar said. “Ain’t that sweet.”

She thought about ignoring him completely, but that could cause an even bigger scene. She turned to Clay Ravinder, acknowledging his existence.

“The Apache’s never gotten over you.” He tapped his temple with a dirty index finger. “Don’t got no sense. No marbles where it counts.”

From what Sun could tell, Levi was one of the few Ravinders who did have marbles, especially where they counted. He and Hailey gave Sun hope for the whole family. With Levi at the helm and Hailey by his side, they could break the chain of abuse and criminal behavior that probably went back generations.

She decided to take advantage of the situation and ask Clay about his brother Kubrick, the DB they’d found on the mountain. “When was the last time you saw your brother?”

“’Bout an hour ago.” He walked closer and took the seat she was standing beside. “Ain’t never seen quite so much of him, though. Little disturbing, a bear chewing on him and all.”

“Why didn’t anyone report him missing?”

He leaned in and winked. “Maybe ’cause no one missed him.”

“Ah. Well, that would make sense. Nice to meet you, Donnie.”

The hottie nodded, and Sun turned to leave, but alas, it was not going to be that easy.

“Why don’t you stay? Keep an old man company?”

“I have work, but thank you for the offer.”

“It was more of a demand than an offer.”

Donnie stilled.

Sun did not. “Yeah, not happening, Clay.”

When he reached out his hand, she did the unexpected and stepped closer to him. So close they were nose-to-nose when she spoke again, her voice even. Nonthreatening. Her words were a different matter.

“I know exactly one hundred nine ways to take you down from this position alone, thirty-seven of those involve breaking your thumb before you get a chance to touch me.”

Anger exploded in his eyes, but he didn’t move. As badly as he wanted to, he didn’t. And here Sun thought Levi and Hailey had hoarded all the intelligence in the family. Maybe she’d underestimated good ole Uncle Clay.

“Clay,” came a warning voice from a dark corner of the room.

They both turned to see Levi Ravinder sitting in a corner booth, a glass of whiskey in his hand.

She’d missed him. How did she miss him of all people?

Then again, it had been dark when she’d walked in. Her eyes hadn’t adjusted. She was going to add him to her warm body count, but she completely forgot her original count when he stood and walked toward them.

The look on Clay’s face suggested he hadn’t been aware of his nephew’s presence, either.

Levi leveled a look on him that was part warning and part Go ahead, I dare you.

Clay strummed his fingers on the bar a moment, his annoyance crystal clear, then got up and switched seats without another word.

So, what now? She didn’t want to be the girl who needed saving, and she didn’t