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“Grilled chicken Caesar salad.”
“And you?”
“Baked chicken breast, steamed vegetables, and mashed-potatoes.”
“All right. Coming right up.”
“I don’t know Dad…” Natalie said once the waitress had left again. “Seems to me you should take a chance every now and then. You’ll never know if the right woman is out there if you aren’t willing to take a leap of faith.”
She stared off into the distance as she spoke, but something told me she was well aware of how her words resonated. I halfway wondered if she had noticed the way I looked at her after all, even though I had been trying so hard to keep my feelings hidden. I should have known better though—Natalie wasn’t dumb.
“I guess you’ve got a point there,” the Speaker said. He fixed his gaze on me, clearly about to say something else, but my attention was suddenly drawn elsewhere.
It appeared the waitress wasn’t the only one keeping an eye on the Speaker Finley.
A man dressed in dark clothing, sitting a few tables away, filled me with apprehension I couldn’t immediately place my finger on. Speaker Finley was building quite a name for himself, and he was undoubtedly starting to get recognized by more and more people on a regular. It had to be expected that he would start drawing more attention when he was out in public. But there was still something unusual about the way this particular man stared at him.
Only vaguely aware of the back-and-forth conversation occurring between the Speaker and his daughter, I stared at the man as a waiter approached him. They had a quick exchange before the waiter left his table.
That’s when I noticed there was only one menu at the table, and that the man was alone.
There was nothing wrong with going out for a meal alone; I’d done it on several occasions myself. But once again, something just struck me as off about this particular guy.
Whenever he wasn’t staring at the back of the Speaker’s head, he was casting cautious glances around the restaurant, as if waiting for something.
“I tell you, Natalie, you must be exhausting this poor man,” Speaker Finley said. I realized he was looking at me again.
“Have I really been that much trouble?” Natalie said, staring right at me. It was the most direct stare she had given me since her yoga workout.
“Of course not,” I said. “I’m just tired today, that’s all. I didn’t sleep too well last night.”
“Well, hopefully a good meal will help you get some good rest tonight then,” the Speaker said. “Here’s our food now.”
I turned in my seat, seeing the waitress rolling a tray with our plates on it.
In the second it took for me to turn my head, a loud screech filled the restaurant.
I turned back around, seeing that the mysterious man from a few tables away had abruptly stood, an ugly grimace on his face. As if in a hurry, he sprung forward, and reached for something at his hip. As he pulled his jacket back, several piercing screams filled the restaurant.
Confused, Speaker Finley twisted around his chair.
Reflexively, I jumped up from my seat, knocking over the plate of food that had been placed before me.
Everything was happening so fast, yet it seemed as if I was seeing in slow motion.
I sprung at the man just as he drew a gun, aiming for Speaker Finley’s head. The shot fired into the air, causing a chandelier to explode and making the whole restaurant erupt in screams—Natalie’s being the loudest of all.
* * *
“Thank you, sir.”
“No—thank you,” the police officer said, shaking my hand.
The restaurant had been evacuated and the shooter had been taken away. Yet, everyone remained thoroughly shaken, none more so than the Finley’s.
Before returning to his vehicle to be driven home, Speaker Finley approached me, a grim look on his face. “I don’t know what we would do without you, Colt,” he said, clasping my hand.
“Don’t mention it,” I said. “Just doing my job.”
