Les is right. This place is a shithole. Like walking into a smoldering cigarette. Everyone here looks burned out. A tap away from falling off the edge. From their ashy clothes to their cherry red faces.
I assume they're oil workers. Must be in town for a drink. This is the place to do it. Cash only. Drive-through window. No security cameras in the parking lot.
We cut through the off-sale part. A lady says "hi" to Les like they've met before. Ignores the rest of us. Good. Wouldn't want to be recognized in this place.
The shortcut brings us to the back of the bar. We take seats at a table. Les peels off a few big bills. Tells the man in overalls we came in with to buy a round.
A drink sounds perfect. I start to tell him my order. He shakes his head. Laughs. No special orders here. There's one kind of beer. One kind of liquor. One generic cola. Just different ways of serving the three.
The man in overalls comes back. Passes out the beers. Watery, see-through stuff. Like the bar is trying to stretch supply to meet demand. I drink better at the hole in the wall back in Betrug. That's saying something.
The rest of the bar drinks the stuff like water. Rightfully so. Chug hard to catch a buzz.
Sam and I feign interest in the drinks. Les chats with the man in the overalls. Points at a door across the bar.
"Enjoy your beers. I need to take care of that problem," Les says. Wheels away with the man .
Sam and I drink in silence for the next couple minutes. Try to make small talk with that other woman. She seems as uninterested in us as we are in her. Switch back to silence. It doesn't last long.
Someone is screaming from the other side of the bar.
*** PLEASE SUPPORT MY WRITING! ***
This story will only be posted on Wattpad for a limited time. If you'd like the full version, head to your favorite online e-book/book retailer and pick up your own digital/print copy. Search for "Invisible Hand Sobieck." Or leave a review of the book on Amazon once you're finished reading on Wattpad. Thank you. ~Ben
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The Invisible Hand - A crime novel
Mystery / ThrillerA corrupt sheriff hires a ruthless vigilante to hunt down a murderer during the modern day North Dakota oil boom in this crime thriller full of unexpected twists and turns.
