“Who hasn’t? Well, aside from this one back here.” Melissa tossed her thumb over her shoulder at Alexis.
Alexis couldn’t even laugh at Melissa’s joke. It took everything in her not to burst into tears, but she tried to swallow back the emotion and the growing fear. Even if the Marshals didn’t think she was in immediate danger, she couldn’t help all her fears from coming to the forefront of her mind. It was as if she had been freshly deposited in Cupid City after entering the program. She was a terrified woman once again, and she knew she’d be watching her back nonstop.
“You doing all right?” Lonnie asked.
“You don’t look so good,” Melissa said.
Alexis scrubbed her face. “I’m okay. What can we get you today, Lonnie?”
“I’ll take whatever you recommend.” Lonnie’s eyes seemed to zero in on her.
Melissa looked between them before pointing to the back. “Um, I need to go do a… a thing. Yeah, a thing. You got this, Alexis?”
But before she could respond, Melissa disappeared.
“Are you okay?” Lonnie asked again.
Alexis busied herself grabbing a cupcake for him, not making eye contact. It was against the rules of the program to tell anyone her secret, but for some reason, she trusted him. Even if she barely knew him.
Perhaps it was because the Marshal who brought her to Cupid City was friends with Cass. And Lonnie was friends with Cass. It made her feel like she could trust him by association. Especially since she knew Cass ran a security agency. Plus, with Lonnie coming in daily and after spending time with him at the club, she had a bit of a friendship starting with him.
“Yes,” she said, keeping her eyes on the small box she was closing. When she reached across the counter to hand it to him, he didn’t take it. Instead, he settled his fingers under her chin and tilted her face so their eyes met.
That intimate touch normally would have her flinching. It had been a few years since she had a man touch her and even longer to have one touch her without force. But his fingers were soft and his touch gentle. It calmed her.
“I’m here if you need to talk,” he said softly. Then he pulled his hand back and took out his wallet, leaving cash on the counter. Before he walked away, he grabbed a napkin and pen off the counter, scribbling a phone number on it, along with his hotel and room number. “Day or night.”
Alexis watched him walk out the door before looking down at the napkin. She took it and tucked it into her pocket. She wasn’t sure she would ever use it, but it didn’t hurt to have it.
