Page 14 of Gold Rush (Murphy’s Pub #3)

Chapter Ten

The weekend was amazing, though they were all missing Hippy. Dean stepped up wonderfully, and he made more tips than any of them.

Haze teased him as they were sitting around that early morning. “New guys, they always get more.”

“I don’t care. I’m rich,” he said, spreading his money out in front of him.

“Doesn’t hurt he’s exceptionally cute,” Mims said, giving Dean a wink.

Goldie glowed with that. “He did great.”

Murphy came over to the table and said, “Okay, get some sleep. We’ve got a group coming in tomorrow night from Detroit. They’re doing a show at one of the theatres and we’ve been selected for the after-party.”

That always meant big tips. Goldie asked, “How big?”

“Not sure yet, but I’m giving them the right-side backroom. So, get rest, and then do a short rehearsal tomorrow afternoon.”

Goldie saw he wasn’t the only one at the table to be relieved to be talking about the pub work again. It had been a long time since the BBC and other threats weren’t the top conversations.

He and Dean went to bed, but they didn’t go right to sleep. They made love for an hour before Dean fell asleep on his chest, and he felt the peace of the evening drawing him into his dreams as well.

Waking slowly, he felt little kisses on his face. He opened one eye and saw those blue eyes staring into his. “Morning,” Dean whispered. “Well, it’s one.”

“One? Shit. We have to rehearse.”

“Let’s shower first. I feel gross.”

“Good idea.”

They made it to the bathroom with their shower totes, but Cosmo was there. There went fooling around in the shower. “Hey, guys. Sorry if I’m invading your…you know.”

“No worries,” Dean said. “He gave it to me last night.”

“Dean!”

He giggled, as did Cosmo. “He’s just being honest, Gold.”

Goldie grabbed the back of Dean’s neck playfully, pushing him to the shower. “Big mouth, get in the shower.”

As soon as they were all gathered in the basement, they went over a few of their best routines, Abs and Haze tossing the practice bottles back and forth, while the mood soured. That was the routine that Hippy and Abs usually did together.

Mims asked Goldie on their way out of the basement, “Is he okay?”

Goldie didn’t have to ask who he was talking about. “He’s Hippy. He’s fine.”

Goldie took Dean to an early dinner, and when they got back to the pub, they saw it was already getting packed.

It was way too early, but they rushed in and headed upstairs to see Abs running around like he was losing it, clothes slung over his shoulders and over both arms. “Head to your room. Your clothes are on the bed. All the people who are going to the show tonight are here for a pre-game, and they’ll be back after the show. ”

“That explains it,” Dean said while running to Goldie’s room.

They dressed in the clothes Abs had laid out for them, both in tight jeans, and Dean in a blue mesh with a white tank under it, and Goldie with a gold satin shirt fully opened with a black tank under it.

They headed down with the others, and the night started at four in the afternoon.

By the time the afterparty began, they were all tired as hell, but it didn’t stop them from putting on the best show they had in months.

Liquor flowed, the kitchen was pumping out food, the noise of the crowd was deafening, and everyone was having a great time.

That’s why, when Haze picked up a tip that had been left at the bar for him, he called all of them around him to see the item left under the twenty-dollar bill.

“What the fuck?” Goldie said, though no one heard him.

The picture was of Hippy, tied and gagged to a wooden chair.

The End for now….