I nodded. "You know I don't give a shit about any of that. Just get me in the cage with him. It's been too long already." The gap between this fight and my last had been larger than normal; another gift from Caesar's management. Being out of the ring this long made me edgy, but there was nothing I could do.
"Good." He grimaced and ran a hand through his thinning hair. "Well I better head out front. Got some more unpleasant business to take care of."
"Yeah?"
His mouth drew into a thin line and he shook his head. "It's that new girl, Grace. She's been drinking on the job. I didn't want to believe it at first, but I've been in this game long enough to know when someone is loaded. I don't know if she's been taking it from our stock or bringing her own or what, but either way she's out of here."
Everything inside me seemed to tighten all at once. I'd partially been bluffing when I told Grace this would happen. I'd figured the odds were about fifty fifty. But Charlie was sharp. I should have known they'd be worse than that.
"She's not stealing it," I said slowly.
Charlie blinked in confusion. "You knew?"
I nodded.
"Why didn't you say something?"
"I was trying to help her. Thought maybe she could get it under control; no harm no foul, you know? But she wasn't interested."
He blew a long breath out of his nose. He had every right to be angry. The legal ramifications if anything went wrong were enough to sink this place, and he knew I knew that. "Well, what's done is done, but I can't have that shit in my bar." He got to his feet and began moving toward the door.
You ever experience one of those choices you know is going to ripple throughout the rest of your life? Joining the army was one for me. The army isn't just a job, it's a way of life. I knew that once I went through that door, everything would be different. My values, perspective, friends, career prospects. An entire future altered on a simple yes or no.
I had that same feeling now. Helping her would change things. I think it had already. I'd been back in the real world for two years, and for the most part I'd kept to myself. This was the first time I'd felt a real connection with another person besides Charlie. I wanted to write it off as a selfless act, like maybe I'd finally found my altruistic side, but that just wasn't true anymore. There was more to this than just being a good person, and that frightened me. It had taken me a long time to get my world back to equilibrium, and the balance was precarious at best. One stumble and the whole house of cards could come crashing down.
But then I thought about the alternative, just letting Charlie do his thing, and I knew I'd regret it forever. Grace would walk out that door into the darkness, and I'd never see her again. She'd be alone with her pain, and it would burn through her like an infection until there was nothing left. That story, the one where I did nothing, definitely didn't have a happy ending for her. The other one? The odds were slim, but maybe there was a chance.
"Give me one more shot," I said.
He paused at the door. "What?"
"Let me talk to her once more. Maybe I can bring her round."
"You said she shut you down."
I nodded. "Yeah, but this might change things. She needs this job, Charlie."
"I can't take the risk, kid. If anything happens—"
Even now, with me having forty pounds and several inches on him, he still called me "kid." Not many people could get away with that, but from him it just felt like a sign of affection. "It won't. Look, if she doesn't agree to work with me, you can do whatever you want, but just let me try, okay? I can help her, Charlie. I know what she's going through."
His expression remained blank.
"A year ago, you took a chance on me when you didn't have to," I continued, "and it saved me. She deserves the same chance."
He studied me for what felt like an eternity. He was a hard man in almost every way, but he had a soft spot for me. I prayed it was enough.
"If she drinks so much as a drop before or during one of her shifts, you tell me, understand?"
I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. "Got it."
He moved to leave, but then hesitated. "You sure you know what you're doing here?" He had the sort of weathered face that looked older than its years, a landscape shaped by sun and wind, but still, I could see lines of concern etched there now. He wasn't just talking about Grace's problem anymore.
I shrugged. "No, but I'm doing it anyway."
I found her behind the bar. "Grace, you got a minute?"
A variety of emotions played across her face as she turned to me. Surprise, annoyance, curiosity. "We're kind of getting smashed here," she replied, nodding to the queue of people waiting for drinks. "So no, I don't."