AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Collin, who had kept tabs on me throughout his lunch, watched as Tom strode toward me.
“Ellie, I’d like to ask you a few questions.”
I glanced down at the table I was serving. “Can this wait, Tom? I’m in the middle of something right now.My job.”
“No.” His voice was firm. “We can either go outside to talk or we can go down to the station. Which would you prefer?”
My face flushed with anger, but I stuffed it down. “I’m sorry,” I said to the customers at my table, who seemed touchingly concerned about me. What with their Outer Banks and “The Lost Colony Lives!” T-shirts, they were almost certainly tourists.
Collin sat several tables away, in full eye- and earshot of our conversation. His complete attention was focused on me.
“This is myex-boyfriend Tom, and he seems to have lost his mind.” I tilted my head to the side and cast a glance at him. “We had a wild and crazy two weeks, but now he thinks he can dictate everything I do.” I turned to Tom, whose mouth had dropped open in shock. “I don’t care that you had my name tattooed on your ass. You don’t own me, Tom Helmsworth. Using your uniform to make me do whatever you want is abusing your power.” I winked at Collin. “Even if we had a wild night with those handcuffs.”
Tom’s face turned crimson.
Collin smirked, enjoying the show. Bastard.
I leaned closer to the table. “If y’all will wait just a few minutes longer, I’ll get rid of him, and your drinks or dessert will be on me.”
That seemed to appease them, even though I knew the comp was coming out of my tips. I shoved Tom’s arm. “We need to get this settled once and for all.”
Tom looked like I’d whacked him upside the head as he stumbled toward the back door. Carly stood staring at me bug eyed from behind the cash register as I followed Tom outside.
“I’ll be right back.” I offered her a sweet smile, but I had serious doubts I’d be invited back to Darrell’s Restaurant, either as a waitressora customer if the police kept questioning me while I was working.
The hot, humid air seemed to finally restore Tom to his senses after I shoved him through the back door. As he regained his footing, Collin’s parked truck caught my eye.
“You can’t do that, Ellie!”
I put my hands on my hips. “Seems like I just did.”
“You know what I mean! You made me look like a fool!”
“And how do you think you made me look? All those people think I’m a criminal! My tips will suck.”
“There are bigger things at stake here than your tips.” Tom gave his head a hard shake and leaned against the Dumpster.
“What’s so important it can’t wait the two hours until my shift ends?”
“We found a dead body!”
Why would Tom specifically search me out and tell me about finding a dead body? Then it hit me. “Myra.” I stumbled backward and clutched my chest. My head felt light, and my knees began to buckle.
Tom’s eyes flew open and his anger faded. “No. God, Ellie I’m sorry. It wasn’t Myra.” He saw my face and added. “Or Claire.”
“I need to sit down.”
To my surprise, Tom grabbed my upper arm and led me to the curb. I crouched down and put my head between my upright knees, taking several deep breaths until my head cleared.
“You’re right. I should have handled this better, but I know you’re hiding things, and I’m frustrated that you won’t tell me what you know. If I knew what in the hell was going on, I might have a chance to stop it.”
More like what had been loosed from hell. “You can’t stop it,” I mumbled and then closed my eyes. Now what on earth had possessed me to say that?
“Why not, Ellie?”
I sat up. “What made the colony reappear?”
He shuddered in surprise as he searched for a ready answer. “It was uncovered by a storm.”
