Read Online Philadelphia by Treasure Hernandez - Free Book Online

Obviously the water at the river only spread the blood and didn’t do a decent job of cleaning it off.
    â€œWhere’s the bathroom?” she asked the bartender.
    He pointed toward the back of the bar, unfazed by how she looked. This was the type of bar where he saw all sorts of messed-up shit walking through the doors.
    Billie locked the bathroom door behind her and stood in front of the sink. She pumped the decrepit soap dispenser until she got a few bubbles of pink goo, and began cleaning her face. Her head was throbbing from the impact of her attacker’s punches. The warm water was so soothing that she wanted to jump in the sink and soak for hours, and she hardly cared how rusty it looked. The first thing she was going to do when she got home was run a nice hot bath.
    She started to reconsider her decision to stop for a drink. The bath sounded much better all of a sudden. She dried her face with a few paper towels from the roll, fixed her hair, and went back to the bar. She would have this one drink then hit the road.
    â€œYou want some ice cubes to put on that lip?” The bartender held out a plastic bag filled with ice.
    â€œSure.” She pressed the bag against her mouth. The coldness on her lip felt just as soothing as the warm water had.
    Billie finally took a good look at the bar she was in. It was dark and it was depressing. She fit right in with the rest of the customers drowning their emotions. This wasn’t the type of bar where people came to party. They came to forget their problems, to escape their troubles. Billie was definitely done after one drink. She would rather be at home in a hot bubble bath drinking a nice glass of red wine.
    There was nothing Billie wanted to look at in this bar, so she decided it best to just stare into her glass. The ice cubes were more interesting to her than the sad patrons in their alcoholic haze.
    â€œWhat’s up, Stone?” The bartender slid a bottle of Heineken toward the man who sat next to Billie.
    Billie slightly turned her head and looked out the corner of her eyes to see the man. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw his face. She couldn’t believe her luck. It was Phareed’s right-hand man, sitting next to her at the worst dive bar in all of Philadelphia. She knew him from mug shots for various petty crimes, all of which he was able to get out of.
    Billie felt her pulse speed up and her palms get sweaty. She took a sip of her vodka to calm her nerves. She placed the bag of ice next to her on the bar, took one more sip, and then turned toward Stone.
    â€œHi.” She smiled as warmly as she could for a woman with a busted lip.
    â€œHi.” He sipped his beer. “You should keep the ice on that lip.”
    â€œI’m good. It looks worse than it is. I’m Sheila.” She put her hand out.
    â€œStone.” He took her hand. “What happened?”
    â€œOh, I got jumped by some kids. No big deal. They got like fifty bucks.”
    â€œWhat the fuck is wrong with kids these days? Hearing that shit makes me angry.”
    â€œIt’s fine, really.” She smiled. “What happened to you?”
    â€œWhat you mean?”
    â€œWell, I’m here to forget I got jumped, but why would a fine man like you be in a depressing bar like this?”
    â€œI like to come in here when I’m stressed and I need to get away. No one bothers me in here.” He sipped his beer. “And I own the place.” He smiled.
    â€œOh, a businessman,” she said in a flirty way.
    â€œSomething like that.”
    â€œWhat’s that mean?”
    â€œWell, I work for someone else. This place is my own thing. Make a few extra dollars on the side.”
    â€œI like that. A man who isn’t afraid to get his.” She put her hand on his shoulder.
    Stone took a real look at Billie. Despite the busted lip, this woman was fine. She had a class about her that he found intriguing. “What’s your