Torin (Hope City #9) - Maryann Jordan Page 0,5

tables, and for those sitting at the bar, the bartenders were grabbing them as soon as they were empty.

Several minutes later, he glanced at the end of the bar where Sandy was sitting and noticed an empty glass nearby. Grabbing it, he set it carefully into the tub where they gathered the dirty glasses, completing a quick count to see if it was ready for the guys in the back to come to take them to wash. Deciding they could wait a few more minutes, he headed to the other end of the bar and began pulling another beer.

“Shit!” Hearing Maeve shout, he jerked his head around to see what was happening, spying his sister rushing toward the glass container. She grabbed out the one he’d just placed in there. Before he had a chance to ask what she was doing, she looked toward the back of the bar and cried out again. “Need help, boys!”

Ignoring the drink he’d been pulling, he hustled over to her. “What the fuck is going on?”

“Sandy saw one of the women coming out of the ladies' room and said the woman had been roofied! This was her glass and we’ve got to keep it separate for the police.”

“God dammit!” He took the glass carefully from Maeve and grabbed a plastic bag. Looking to the side, he saw Rory and several other paramedics and police officers rush down the hall toward the restrooms. Zipping the glass into the plastic bag, he set it under the counter, grabbed his phone, and dialed 9-1-1. As soon as he had the dispatcher on the line, he quickly explained what was happening.

He tried to keep an eye on the crowd, wanting everyone to stay calm, but knew he needed to keep anyone from leaving. He rounded the bar and headed straight to the front door. The sounds of people talking, exclamations, even shouts of instructions were heard, but he walked on.

“What’s happening? Get out of the way and let me out,” a man demanded.

Standing with his back against the door, his arms crossed over his chest. “There’s been an incident. The police are coming, and no one is leaving until the police say you can.”

“What the hell, man? You can’t keep us in here,” the woman said, her lips pinched, and her brows lowered.

“Yeah, let us go,” another man shouted.

Torin leveled the man with his gaze. “My bar. My rules. And no one leaves unless the police say. So shut the fuck up and sit down.”

It only took another couple of minutes for the sirens outside to be heard. He threw open the door, allowing the rescue workers inside, pointing them in the direction of the back hall. Recognizing two of the detectives who came in, he spoke low. “It looks like a woman was roofied. I don’t know if the person who did it is still here, but I’ve tried to keep people from leaving.”

“Good thinking,” the first detective said, pushing on by.

The next two hours passed in a blur as the police questioned the pub patrons before allowing them to leave. The woman had been transported by ambulance, and Torin had pulled the security camera feeds from his office and turned them over to the police. When he and Maeve had been questioned, he was furious to realize there was little he could tell them.

“A fuckin’ brown suit. I remember thinking who the hell wears a fuckin’ brown suit. Dark hair. But he kept his head turned to the side. I can’t say that I ever saw him straight on.”

Maeve’s response was the same as his. The police finally wound things up and left, and Torin planted his fists on the bar, rage surging through his blood. How the fuck did this happen? In a bar filled with police and rescue personnel? In a bar that’s my responsibility? Maeve came over, her hand on his shoulder. He wanted to shrug it off but knew she felt as bad as he did.

Rory stopped by the bar and looked between the siblings. “You run a good place. A safe place. Hell, most of the people in here are first responders and none of us noticed anything. So don’t take this on, Torin.”

Still unable to speak for his anger, he said nothing but offered a quick nod. He watched as Rory walked toward the front of the bar and a few minutes later saw him escort Sandy out. He looked down toward Maeve, who held his gaze.

“I know, Torin. I