Page 33 of Hayes (Voodoo Guardians #37)

“So, you’re a pilot,” giggled the young woman beside him at the bar. She was walking one long, claw-like nail up his arm, and it wasn’t having the effect he’d hoped it would. In fact, it was having the opposite effect.

“Uh. Yeah,” he said, pulling his arm back.

She sneered at him and then scooted closer. He pushed back, and she glared at him. She couldn’t be more than twenty-two or twenty-three, but she was definitely trying to mark her territory.

“I heard the Navy pilots earn extra money when they’re deployed,” she smiled.

And there it was. He’d seen it and experienced it before, but this one was pretty blatant. He stared at her, frowning with a strange expression.

“Where would you hear that? I make about twenty bucks an hour. That’s all.”

“Yeah, right,” she snorted. He stared at her, and she frowned. “No way!”

“Sorry. That’s why I live in my van,” he lied.

“God, you’re so pathetic! I know you’re lying. My girlfriend dated a pilot, and I know what they make.”

“Then you shouldn’t have asked a question that you already knew the answer to.” He stood, pushing the beer toward the bartender, then walked to the bathroom. He hoped the woman would get the hint.

By the time he returned, she was already working a little scam on some stupid tourist. He sat down, reaching for the beer, and the bartender reached for it as well, causing it to spill.

“Damn,” he muttered.

“Sorry,” she said louder than she needed to. “Let me get you another one.”

“No, it’s alright. I don’t need another.”

“Yes, you do,” she said, staring at him. “And I’ll explain why.”