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At the end of her shift, Kira was yawning as she walked to the supervisor’s office to tell him she was done for the night. To her surprise, the man barely opened the door for her.
“Hey, I was just letting you know I’ve finished cleaning the front, and the last customer was twenty minutes ago. Is it okay for me to head out?” she asked.
The supervisor, a skinny man in his forties with worry lines etched into his cheeks and forehead, nodded at her through the three-inch gap in the door. “Of course. You’re good to go, Kira. Before you go, here’s your first paycheck.”
He stuck an envelope through the door and Kira took it, a little surprised. “Oh, already? It’s barely been a week,” she said, opening it up. Her eyes went wide and she looked up at the man with shock.
“Something wrong?” he questioned, already trying to close the door.
“It’s just… this seems like too much money,” Kira pointed out. “I mean, I’m just a waitress. I assumed the rate would be minimum wage.”
“Would you prefer minimum wage?” he asked, frowning.
Kira shook her head fervently. “Oh, no. I mean, I’m very grateful. Thank you. I just didn’t expect it to be… so much.”
“Well, you’re a very hard worker. Whatever the amount is, I’m sure you’ve more than earned it,” he replied. “Enjoy your evening, Kira.”
He shut the door and locked it. Kira stared at the door stunned for a moment. Then she turned and slowly walked out of the restaurant in a daze. She was still staring at the check as she walked down the street toward her car a few blocks down. Her mind was swarming with exciting thoughts. If this was how much she could make in one slow, easy week at the diner, there was hope for her. She could give her parents plenty of assistance and still have a little left for herself. She could finally start saving money, rather than just treading water. Kira had been operating in panic mode for so long, she could hardly imagine letting some of that anxiety go. She was so excited to tell her parents some good news for once.
Kira was so wrapped up in her joy, she barely noticed when a man stepped out of a shadowy alleyway and began following her. Her eyes swam over the dollars and cents again and again while her heart pounded. It took a minute or so for her to notice the shuffling footsteps behind her.
Much closer than expected.
The hairs stood up on the back of her neck. Kira knew better than to turn and look at her potential assailant. She didn’t want to tip him off that she knew he was there. She tried to assure herself that he was just another pedestrian, that he had nothing to do with her. But his steps were getting closer. He was moving quickly, doing more than just keeping up with her now. He was gaining on her.
As she passed a streetlight, she noticed his shadow stretching out not far behind her own. Kira could see the moonlight reflecting off the hood of her car just twenty paces away now. She just had to make it there in one piece. She subtly took her keys from her pocket and thrust the jagged key between her fingers. Her hands shook, making the keys jingle as she walked. Kira could hear the man’s labored breathing now, he was so close. Panic rushed through Kira’s head as she picked up the pace, and so did he. When she was only ten feet from her car, Kira broke into a sprint. She didn’t dare look back as her feet pounded the pavement, the man’s footsteps clattering right behind her. Kira pressed the unlock button several times as she rushed to fling the driver’s side door open. She jumped inside with such momentum that she hit the horn, scaring both Kira and her follower with a loud honk. She slammed her hand down on the door lock button, listening to the comforting click as the man crossed right in front of her.
Kira watched him stalk past with a phone to his ear and his gaze locked on her. He didn’t look away until he was well past her car, and Kira couldn’t shake the feeling that somehow, he was talking on the phone about her. She sat in the car for a few minutes, breathing deeply and trying to calm herself for the ride home in the dark. Finally, she managed to convince herself that it was just her paranoia acting up. Of course she was nervous walking these streets alone as a young woman at night. Her mind had to be playing tricks on her.
As she calmed down enough to drive home, she longed for the security of the casino. She wondered what Luka was doing, who he was protecting.
Who he was hurting.
Kira had reminded herself a thousand times that Luka wasn’t the prince of her dreams—he was a dangerous member of the Russian mafia. No matter how safe he made her feel, no matter how fast he made her heart race, there was no changing that reality. Kira had to find her own comfort now, be her own security guard. From now on, she would just be more careful.
After all, that paycheck was more than enough reward to keep her coming back for more and more shifts at Cal’s Corner. For that kind of money, she would simply just have to get used to walking alone at night.
CHAPTER13
LUKA
The enforcer satin his car with both hands on the steering wheel, his callused fingertips drumming out a soft rhythm as he watched pedestrians stroll down the street. His sharp green eyes squinted as he followed them from one end of the block to the next. The digital clock on the dashboard read eleven-thirty, glowing green in the darkness. The shiny sedan was parked along a shadowy patch of the street, in a spot between two far-flung streetlights. It was like a dead zone, a pit of blackness away from the Vegas neon. He waited there like a panther in the shadows, every muscle of his body relaxed but poised for the hunt. He barely blinked while he surveyed the passersby, waiting for the proper prey to cross his path.
He had been lingering here in the shadows for nearly four hours now. It didn’t bother him. Despite the fiery impression he left on his victims, Luka was quite a patient man. His father had taught him the value of biding his time. Being an enforcer meant knowing when to strike and when to hang back. He made himself unobtrusive and stuck to the dark corners until it was time to strike. Tonight, he had to get things right. He was closer to his target now than he had been in over a week. It took precise planning and timing to close in on her. Luka had frightened her away once already, and he did not intend to lose Kira again. Not when she was right there.
He glared at the unassuming facade of the diner. The name of the place was barely visible, just plain, black lettering over the door. The decals were beginning to peel back now, but evidently the owners didn’t care about appearances. Judging by how few customers Luka saw pass through that door, they couldn’t possibly care much about being successful either. He was immediately suspicious of the establishment, the neighborhood it was located in, and the people hanging around here. He didn’t approve of the crowd, though he had no concrete proof to back up his suspicions. He had been in his line of work long enough to have a sixth sense for trouble, and these few blocks felt like a trap.
But for whom?
Luka hoped it wasn’t for Kira. His heart rate picked up when his eyes fell on her moving around inside the rundown restaurant. She was a breath of fresh air, a flash of striking beauty amid the filth. Luka wished he could get a better view of her as she swished around, keeping busy. She wiped down tables and counters, swept and mopped the floors, and polished the silverware all while keeping up with the occasional customer. Luka smiled to himself. Kira was always a hard worker. He was quite certain Cal’s Corner had never hired such a stellar employee before. She was too good for that place. She belonged at the Shining Star, dressed to the nines, surrounded by luxury and good taste.
But she had fled the casino like it was on fire that night, never to return. Somehow, she preferred waiting tables at a dingy diner in a seedy part of town to raking in big tips at the casino. Luka was determined more than ever to understand why, especially after she’d refused to let him in when he visited her home. Perhaps she hoped her cold shoulder would discourage Luka. But it actually had the opposite effect. He had made it his mission to find out where she was going, what she was doing, and if she was safe.
Of course, he couldn’t dedicate every waking moment to this personal mission, since he still had a full schedule of mafia operations to run. Tonight, he was coming off a day-long escort for the Sokolov family. Along with the other security team members, the enforcer had accompanied them to a business dinner at the spacious home of a well-connected real estate mogul. Luka had enjoyed the high-class cuisine and beautiful environment while he kept his eyes peeled for any signs of danger. The affair had gone off without a hitch, and Luka had basically run out of there as soon as he was free.
After a few days of driving by her house, hanging around to see when she left and when she came home, and making note of her movements, Luka was certain he knew where to find her. And he was right. He had shown up a block down from her house just as she was walking out to her car that evening. Luka had dropped back and followed her at a safe distance to the shady neighborhood across town. When she’d parked, so had he, just blocks away. He’d watched her get out of her vehicle and quickly make the three-block walk to Cal’s Corner. She’d ducked into the restaurant dressed very plainly in a white shirt and jeans. He’d watched her put on an apron and get to work, and he hadn’t moved since the start of her shift.
But now he saw things starting to change. The lights were flickering out inside the diner. The OPEN sign on the door was flipped to CLOSED. Kira hung up her apron, disappeared into the back of the restaurant for a few moments, then came back out. She pulled her hair down from its tight ponytail and shook it out, scratching her scalp with her fingernails. She combed through it and smoothed it down over one shoulder as she stepped out onto the dimly lit street.
