Page 6 of Reckless

“How many times do I have to tell you? Those women meant nothing!” The man said, chasing after her. He left a trail of pungent smelling cologne in his wake, and his chunky gold chains rattled with each step.

The blonde spun on her heel, nearly knocking into a server with a tray of empty plates. She didn’t apologize though, too focused on her traitorous boyfriend. I hoped she dumped his ass.

“Tell that to the burning in my fucking vagina, Brandon!”

My eyebrows shot up and I caught Helena’s equally shocked expression as we swiveled into the still warm stools.

One thing that was true about Sal’s was it was the perfect place to catch some gossip, and it seemed this morning was no exception.

Everyone in the restaurant was watching their interactions. Forks were hovering mid-bite and the noise that was so prevalent when we first walked in had come to a screeching halt. The only thing that could be heard were the crooning words of Elvis still playing in the background.

Brandon, the cheater, took a step closer to her, shoulders hunched up to his beat red ears.

“Babe, you know I love you and only you.”

She tilted her head like she was considering his words.

“Kick him in the nuts!” I yelled out, to which the couple turned to glare at me.

Helena knocked me in the side with her elbow with a smile on her face and laughter spilling from her lips. “You’re a menace!” she whispered.

I shrugged my shoulders. It was true. I was a menace. Personally, if some man pulled that shit on me and made my vagina burn because he was unfaithful, he wouldn’t even be left standing. But to each their own. Some people liked being caught up in the drama of not knowing if they can trust the person they’re with. It made their otherwise boring lives feel exciting.

The couple quickly exited after that, and the diner returned to its normally scheduled chaos. Though, I continued to watch them through the windows, and saw the girl cave, letting Brandon kiss her enthusiastically, shoving her up against the window. I shook my head. Guess those two were a match made in STD heaven.

“You girls want your regular?” Sal asked, appearing from behind the counter, pencil poised and ready to jot down our order just in case we decided to fuck with him and change up our usual as we tended to do from time to time. We joked it was to keep him on his toes. I’d known Sal as long as I’d been alive. He was like a pseudo-father to me in a way. The years had taken a toll on him, etching deep lines across his forehead. His dark hair had started to recede and over the last year, two thick stripes of silver had appeared on the sides of his head. His tan arms held the evidence of grease stains earned from slinging plates. I smiled wide at him, my shoulders relaxing as I made up my mind. “Sounds good. I like food to go with my theater,” I told him.

He shook his head, scribbling down my order before handing off the paper to the chef behind him. “That? You shoulda been here last night. Whole crew of Underwoods came in looking for someone. Took me all night to clean up after them. I’m lucky they left me with any plates.”

My stomach soured and I licked my lips feeling tightness clench around my chest. “They were here?” I asked.

He nodded, pouring us each a cup of coffee then glanced around before coming in close to whisper, “Yeah. Someone offed Kenneth Carlisle.”

Helena gasped, and my stomach rolled around like I was on a roller coaster.

My hands gripped the steaming cup of black coffee in front of me. They trembled slightly before wrapping all the way around it like it was the only thing that was keeping me steady. I knew word of his murder would get out. That the Underwoods would be out for blood. But coming here? It was too close. Did they suspect me? My mind flit through my memories. How I’d worked to keep my identity hidden. But maybe someone saw when my hood was down.

That migraine I’d fought off last night began throbbing behind my eyes again.

“So, what were they doing here?” I asked, bringing the cup up to my lips. It tasted bitter. Usually, I took my coffee with a heap of sugar and a splash of milk, but the nerves were in charge of me today apparently.

“Seeing if anyone had information.” He began wiping down the counter, but his eyes tracked my movements. I squirmed underneath his intense stare. He knew me far too well, but it was better that he didn’t know anything. Like Aunt Dee Dee, the two of them were too perceptive for their own good, but I couldn’t risk their lives.

“You’re not doing anything stupid, Stell. Right?” He whispered after a beat.

I rolled my eyes, hoping to sell my lie. “Would I do anything stupid?” I asked, hoping no one nearby could overhear us.

He leveled a stare at me—rag paused from his wiping. “Andi wouldn’t want you getting hurt.”

I averted my gaze from his intense eye contact, feeling the twin pinpricks of tears gathering at the bottom of my lash line. “I’m not going to.”

His shoulders tensed as he shook his head, turning to grab the two plates for Helena and I.

Two scrambled eggs and a side of crispy bacon plopped down in front of me as Sal was called away to take several orders and payment. But my appetite had disappeared. Knowing Sal, he wouldn’t take that excuse, so I picked up a fork and poked at the eggs making them appear like I’d eaten some.

I’d lost a lot in my life, but losing my twin was the moment that broke me. Now I walked around with a heart full of vengeance and a body that carried the scars of what I’d survived. Going to the Underwood’s Casino and breaking into the boss’s office was a risky move. But now I had a flash drive full of information that could lead to my sister. Possibly. I wasn’t a hundred percent sure what information I’d even downloaded in my haste, but even the mere possibility of finding her whereabouts was worth the risk. When she’d been taken, I promised myself I’d do anything to get her back, and with each passing day my anxiety grew. Wondering what I could do to get her back became my new life mission. Worry about what she could be enduring ate at me. That worry slithered under my skin and made a home beneath my chest like a second heartbeat, thrumming away with the constant reminder that she should still be here.

Aunt Dee Dee had written her off for dead, but I knew better. My sister was alive. I could feel it in my bones. And those fucking Underwood’s had crossed the wrong sister.