Stirring Up Trouble

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Book: Read Stirring Up Trouble for Free Online
Authors: Andrea Laurence
near-daily fine from the police wasn’t enough to quiet things down, what else could she possibly do?
    She was about to find out.
    Taking a deep breath and steeling herself, she marched across the street and through the front door of the bar. She’d actually only set foot into Woody’s once before, when she tried to talk to Emmett about the noise the first time. Bars were not exactly her hangout of choice, although she knew her brothers liked to come here and watch football. Maddie didn’t care about any of that.
    Inside, she was immediately struck by the stale stench of beer, pretzels, and the unmistakable body odor that comes from too many people crammed into a room too small and too warm. If the police didn’t work out, perhaps she could call Mack the fire chief. They had to be over capacity for a place this size.
    It was also louder than she ever expected. She’d thought it was loud when she listened to the band from her bedroom, but this was a whole new experience. How these people didn’t have bleeding ears, she didn’t know.
    Turning away from the band, she headed toward the bar to find Emmett. Before she could lay eyes on him, she found an unexpected traitor sitting on a stool and sipping a soda.
    â€œSimon Chamberlain!” she shouted, although the music dulled the effect of the sharp accusation.
    Simon turned to look at her, but he didn’t seem impressed by her arrival. He set his drink down and leaned his elbow on the bar. “Evenin’, Maddie.”
    â€œDon’t you Evenin’, Maddie me. I call the cops to shut this circus down and find you here enjoying the music.”
    â€œI wrote him a ticket,” Simon said with a shrug that supposedly made everything okay.
    â€œAnd?”
    He shrugged. “And he didn’t care. He promised me the set would be over by eleven. It’s almost time, so why don’t you go home, have a nice cup of chamomile tea, and by the time you’re ready to go back to bed, the music will be over.”
    â€œI don’t like your tone, Simon. I’ll not be patronized by my baby brother.”
    â€œYou say that like you’re so much older than I am. Get over yourself.”
    She hadn’t gone to the bar to be insulted by her own brother. He was the law, and yet, he was ignoring the law to suit himself. “Whose side are you on, Officer Chamberlain? Are you taking bribes from Emmett?”
    â€œHey now.” Simon stood up and gazed down at her with an unhappy expression, drawing his brows together. He’d certainly grown a lot over the last few years. For so long, Simon had been the pipsqueak of the family. In high school, he shot up to the same height as his brothers, but he was thin and lean like a beanpole. It seemed like age and the uniform made him appear larger and more intimidating than she remembered.
    â€œYou might be my sister but I’m not going to let you insinuate something ugly like that,” he warned. “It’s not a felony, it’s a noise ordinance, Maddie.”
    â€œMadelyn,” Emmett said, pushing between them. “Didn’t expect to ever see you in here again.”
    Maddie took a step back. She didn’t like being that close to Emmett. He was so tall and broad shouldered he made Simon suddenly look smaller. It was bad enough she could feel Emmett’s body heat radiate through his shirt, and smell the woodsy scent of his soap. That alone made her pulse shoot up and her cheeks burn. She didn’t need to risk actually touching him.
    â€œI don’t want to be here,” she snapped, moving even farther away from the two men. “I’d much prefer to be asleep, but you seem determined to make that impossible.”
    â€œI’m sorry,” Emmett said in a deep soothing voice that almost made her believe him. “Would you rather I gather twenty drunks to sing Disney songs outside your bedroom window?”
    Maddie couldn’t help

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