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“Did I make it back in time, sir?” I asked in a mocking tone, my eyebrow raised in an attempt to provoke the asshole across from me as I slid back into the booth beside Kellan. His hand automatically found mine again, playing with my fingers beneath the table. I expected some sort of retort from Merrick, but it didn’t come. Instead, his jaw tensed, muscles working as he gripped the edge of the table in a vise-like grip.
My brows furrowed in confusion at the strange behavior, but Kellan’s voice cut through my thoughts before I could voice them. “Have you decided what we’re doing for your birthday?”
“Nope, but it’s my birthday after all, I think you two should plan something for me,” I declared with a self-satisfied grin. If I was being honest, I would have told them that I really didn’t care what we did, as long as we were all together.
“I’m sure we can come up with something.” Kellan laughed, his thumb rubbing circles on the back of my hand. A shiver ran up my spine at the comforting touch. That line between friendship and more was becoming fainter and fainter by the second … at least to me. I was sure they were only trying to be nice though.
A sound of disapproval left Merrick’s chest in a low rumble, but before he could say anything Pam traipsed over, her sneakers squeaking with every step. She swayed as she stopped beside me, her hand reaching out to clutch the table to steady herself. She’d obviously been into more than just cigarettes judging by the scent of cheap whiskey mixing with the stale smoke on her breath. I bit my tongue, knowing I’d be in more trouble for saying anything in front of customers.
“You finish up in the back?” Pam slurred, leaning against the side of the booth. I sucked in a deep breath, needing to center myself before I lost it on her. She’s been outside for the past half hour yet had the audacity to ask me if I’d done my work.
“Yes,” I said in a clipped tone, internally cursing myself for letting my annoyance show. I knew she was about to let me have it, and that wouldn’t be good for any of us. Her face twisted in anger, her lips already curled into a sneer.
“Mrs. Bardot, you look stunning tonight. Did you do something with your hair?” Kellan cut in, stealing the words from her mouth. She sputtered for a moment, her brow gradually smoothing out. Merrick made a choked sound of amusement and my foot automatically twitched to kick him in the shin.
“Ouch,” Merrick whispered, and I narrowed a derisive look his way, silently willing him to keep his mouth shut. Looking back at Pam, she was smoothing a hand over her hair, messily thrown up into a claw clip. I’d seen pictures of her and my father when I was a child, and she was an attractive woman before the weight of this town fully settled on her shoulders. But ever since they moved to East Haven, hoping for a small-town life, the pressure of running a business here and dealing with the gangs and the Barones took a toll on both of them. This was part of the reason why I had to get the hell out of here as soon as possible. I didn’t want this life to drain my will to live just as it had for them.
“I started using a new conditioner.” She beamed at Kellan, her shoulders losing some of their earlier tension and her amber eyes softening.
“I can tell. I’ll have to get the name of it for my mom,” Kellan responded, clearing his throat at her continued attention. “Say, would it be possible for Gi to get off a bit early today? We’ve all been so busy with graduation coming up and me working at the community center and Merrick at the garage, it feels like we haven’t seen each other in ages.” Kellan threw on the charm, his voice coaxing her and putting her at ease, along with his bright smile.
Pam’s lips pursed but to my surprise, the dreamy expression didn’t completely lift at the mention of me leaving early.
“Order up,” Greg announced, slamming the tray of foam takeout containers down onto the counter. I never wrote takeout on the orders, but it never failed, Greg always packaged them to go, not wanting them to stay a moment longer than they had to.
“I guess it’s okay,” Pam said, twirling a stray piece of hair around her finger, her eyes going distant for a moment before they hardened into a glare on me. The fog of Kellan’s charm had clearly started to lift. “Just remember not to stay out too late. You have a shift tomorrow morning.”
“I won’t,” I rushed to assure her, not allowing her any time to change her mind. Kellan’s smile must have been magic because she’d never let me off early otherwise, not even when I was soaked in sticky, iced tea from a toddler’s temper tantrum. One night, I sliced my hand open on a can and she still kept me twenty minutes late that night.
I rushed to the counter, nearly knocking her over in my haste to get the food from the window. Despite Pam being in a half-decent mood, I had no doubt that by the time I turned around she would be collecting their money. Because even though they treated my friends like garbage most nights, they never forgot to make them pay their bill. Not that either Merrick or Kellan would ever let me give them their meals for free, but it was the principle.
“You get those boys out of here. They’re bad for business,” Greg muttered under his breath, slapping his meaty palm down on the boxes before I could slide them into my hands.
“They’ll be leaving as soon as I give them their food,” I said pointedly, eyeing his hand until he reluctantly lifted it. His fingers combed back through his thinning russet-brown hair and he huffed out an irritated sigh before waddling back to the grill. I didn’t bother telling him that I would be going with them, knowing he would just say no regardless of anything Pam already said.
Turning back to the counter I slipped the containers into bags, catching the guys handing crisp bills to Pam as they slid from the smooth, pleather booth seats. I cast a furtive glance over at the two creepers, making sure they weren’t paying attention to me as I met the guys by the front door. Thankfully, they were too engrossed in their bottles of beer Pam must have given them, not that they needed any more booze … but I guess she wasn’t the best judge of that either.
I kept my eyes fastened on the metal door handle, begging the fates to continue to shine their good fortune down upon me. My muscles tensed when a slurred “Sweetheart” rang out behind me from either Jim or Bob. Only a few feet separated me from the sanctuary of the cool night air. My heart pounded in my chest when I noticed Merrick still beside me, his feet cemented in place and his body rigid as he stared at the two clowns, and I could only imagine the lascivious, leering looks they must be pinning me with.
“Merrick, don’t,” I warned, my slender fingers wrapping around his massive bicep in a feeble attempt to keep him by my side. Kellan eased the bags from my hand and opened the door. The breeze washed over Merrick and me, and I hoped it would cool the anger boiling just below his surface. His muscles strained under my touch, begging to pound into their withering faces, and I could see the leash he held on that fury straining under the pressure. “Please,” I whispered, glancing up at him, my eyes pleading. His gaze flashed to me at the sound of desperation in my tone and the rage fled almost immediately, his jaw relaxing as he nodded begrudgingly.
Wrapping my arm around his, I pulled him alongside me and out into the nearly empty parking lot, a sigh of relief slipping past my lips. Thankfully, the sound was swallowed up by the wind brushing through the leaves in the towering oak trees, their boughs casting ominous shadows over part of the parking lot. To my dismay, that happened to be where Merrick’s 1962 Chevy Impala was parked, the weathered red paint barely visible in the poorly lit area. He was able to get the coveted antique car cheap from a family friend and was slowly restoring it to its former glory. It was a feat in itself it was even running. Only a few rickety lamp posts lined the sides of the parking lot, my parents unwilling to sink any more money into this place than was necessary.
I tugged Merrick closer, craving the feel of his thick arm wrapped around mine. He huffed out a breath of amusement but slid his arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his side and cocooning me in his warmth. An excited giggle slipped out, and I tucked my chin into him so he couldn’t see the giddy smile that plastered itself on my face.
The flash of headlights from an incoming car cut through the light flutter in my chest, the easy feeling slipping away and replaced with a nervous twist of my stomach. Merrick pulled the keys from his pocket and tossed them to Kellan with his other hand since he was already waiting by the driver’s side door. I stiffened against him, and he wrapped his arm tighter around me as though it could shield me from the terror behind the steering wheel of the blacked-out sedan driving past us. Keeping our eyes focused on the back of the car, we don’t dare stare after them. It was best to ignore them, to feign ignorance of what was about to happen.
Some of the tension eased from my chest as Merrick opened the passenger door for me, and I hopped into the back seat, with Merrick taking the front once I was settled. Kellan turned the key in the ignition, having waited until we were both safely inside the vehicle just in case it drew any more attention to us.
“Scumbag,” Merrick muttered under his breath. Watching in the rearview mirror, I waited with bated breath as the figure, clad in a black suit, slammed his car door behind him, striding to the front of the diner. “Someone needs to take care of the Barones.”
My throat dried at Merrick’s hissed declaration. Not because I didn’t agree with him, I just couldn’t give him any ideas. No one stood up to any of Barone’s men and lived to tell the tale.
They were the main reason this town was so soul-sucking. Everyone lived under Barone’s iron thumb. They were the ones who made the rules, and demanded a cut from every business in town in return for their protection, because they weren’t the only gang, far from it. They controlled the mayor, the city councillors, the governor, and any government representatives in our area. It didn’t matter who was voted in, as soon as they were nominated, they were on the Barone’s payroll. Because no one said no to the Barones … not unless they had a death wish.
Kellan put the car in reverse, pulling back just enough to angle the car toward the exit, clearly not wasting any time getting us out of here.
Inhaling sharply, my eyes darted to the road as the man looked back at us. It might have been common knowledge that the Barones controlled everything but they weren’t keen on attention. And staring too long could be the last mistake you made.
