Chapter 3 - The Reckoning at the Bar
Sterling swallowed hard. The key ring stopped spinning around his finger.
"Mr. Kane?" Sterling stammered, looking bewildered. "What's... what's going on? Who is this kid? Did she sneak into the back?"
Kane stepped closer until he was standing less than two feet from Sterling. The sheer height and presence of the mob boss towered over the restaurant owner, casting a heavy shadow over the polished mahogany bar.
"This is Rory," Kane said, his tone ominously flat. "She tells me you have an interesting accounting system."
Sterling’s eyes darted nervously to the men standing in a semicircle behind Kane. He tried to laugh it off, turning to the woman beside him. "Look, Mr. Kane, if this is about the late lease payment, I was going to wire it tomorrow! The restaurant industry is tough right now—"
"I don't care about my lease," Kane interrupted, placing the crumpled sheet of paper on the bar right next to Sterling's scotch glass. "I care about this."
Sterling looked down at the paper. His face turned from flushed red to an unhealthy, pale gray. He recognized the handwriting instantly.
"Mara..." Sterling muttered under his breath, anger flaring in his eyes before he quickly caught himself. "Mr. Kane, this is a misunderstanding! Mara is a dishwasher and line server. She’s... she’s confused! She makes mistakes with her hours all the time!"
"She drew seventy-seven dates, Sterling," Kane said softly. "And my young friend here added the stars."
Sterling sneered slightly, letting his true nature slip. "Mr. Kane, with all due respect, you’re taking the word of a four-year-old brat and a disgruntled employee over mine? I run a million-dollar establishment! I don't owe her a dime—"
CLANG.
Before Sterling could finish his sentence, Leo stepped forward and slammed a heavy, solid steel ash tray onto the marble bar right beside Sterling’s hand. The sudden sound shattered the calm of the restaurant. Several diners gasped and pulled back in their chairs.
"Speak to Mr. Kane with respect," Leo warned, his eyes dead and cold. "Or you won't be speaking for a month."
Sterling shrank back, his hands shaking so hard his watch rattled against his wrist.
"I... I can check the books again," Sterling whimpered, sweat glistening on his forehead. "Maybe there was a clerical error..."
"There are no errors," I spoke up, holding tighter to Mr. Kane's finger. "Mommy cried every night. You told her she was dramatic."
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Kane looked down at me, then looked back at Sterling. The temperature in Kane’s eyes dropped below freezing.
"Open the safe, Sterling," Kane commanded softly. "Now."
