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“Sure thing.” She winked and went to the kitchen.
I relaxed in my old booth and took it all in. Not much had changed that I could remember, other than the staff. I looked toward the bathroom for some reason, then bits and pieces trickled back…
Ella ran to the bathroom. Her uniform was ripped.I recalled coaxing her out, her sassy replies. That was the day we’d met and the beginning of my obsession with her. No, it wasn’t an obsession. Ella had been a breath of fresh air in my stale life. She was enchanting, and I would’ve done anything to be with her.
It freaking blew my mind how quickly things were coming back to me since I’d arrived in Scornrock. I should’ve investigated for myself instead of believing everything Irisah had told me.
Scenes with Ella sitting across from me while I ate pie in this very booth rolled in. She had the prettiest smile, and her whole face lit up when she laughed. I recalled my chest would tighten, and my muscles would tense as her warmth surrounded me. She’d been like a dream come true.
A sharp pain struck my heart. She’d meant everything to me. I was sure of it.
I rubbed my temples, feeling a headache sprouting. Too much shit was a jumbled mess in my brain. I equally felt anger and desire when I thought about Ella. For weeks, I hadn’t been able to figure out why my ex-girlfriend haunted my dreams and disturbed my contented life with Irisah and Cole. When I showered, her name on my dick started to mean more to me than a stupid teenage boy’s mistake, as Irisah had called it. I couldn’t believe I would tattoo a girl’s name on my cock on a drunken whim. No, Ella had been so much more.
When I’d heard Ella’s moans coming from the bedroom at the clubhouse yesterday, it unlocked the door to my soul. Then all I could think wasmy woman was fucking someone else. I could’ve put a bullet in both their heads. She’d betrayed me, and I couldn’t let it pass.
And then she appeared, flustered and nervous, the person I’d been dreaming of and wasn’t sure was real. The shock on her face was genuine. It was like she was staring at a ghost. I’d seen despair, pain, and hatred in her green depths.
I couldn’t speak to her when unhinged, so I hadn’t chased after her when she’d left. I figured it was better to wait until we could talk privately, which was why I’d gone to her place. Only to discover she’d had a visitor, fucking Tomcat.
“Here you are.” The waitress set several plates on the table. She considered me briefly. “RJ, right?”
I hiked a brow. “Yeah.” I didn’t know this woman, did I?
“Didn’t think you’d ever return to Scornrock.”
“Yeah, me either. The place looks the same.”
“Andy does his best to keep the diner going. Some months are leaner than others. You don’t seem to remember me. I was your fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. Nyre.” She smiled, but something in her eyes had me shifting uncomfortably in my seat.
Thoughts pummeled me.Fourth grade. Nine years old. Neglected and hungry all the time. Touched when I didn’t want to be. Whipped when I disobeyed. Mrs. Nyre sent me to the principal’s office when she saw bruises on my neck—
“RJ?” Her voice pulled me back. “Do you remember me?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll let you eat your breakfast. Don’t want it to get cold.” She looked at me weirdly.
I just had to ask… “When does Ella work?” I knew she didn’t, but I wondered what Mrs. Nyre would say.
She flinched, taken aback. “Oh, she hasn’t worked here since she had the baby.”
“Why not? A single mom needs a flexible job to provide for her kid.”
“Um, well… Yes, I suppose.” She shifted on her feet and glanced around the room. “I wasn’t working here back then, so I don’t know anything about it.”
“When was her baby born?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Try and recall,” I said in a tight voice.
“I really don’t know. Four or five years ago, I think.” She glanced at the other waitress behind the counter. “I need to go take care of my other customers. Can I get you anything else?”
“No. I’m good.” I picked up the fork and dug into my meal. I sensed Mrs. Nyre knew the truth but didn’t want to get in the middle of my shit, so I wouldn’t push her. I’d find out everything I wanted to know soon enough. It was interesting that Ella didn’t return to her job, but then she probably hadn’t needed to if Vegas had made her a club girl.
A tremble worked through me, and I was sick to my stomach. I hated remembering details of my childhood. I wanted those memories to be buried forever. But I’d press on. No one could overpower me anymore. I wasn’t a scared, weak child. I was a violent, unapologetic, and merciless killer.
Kill or be killed,the lyrics from the song by Muse played in my head. Words to live by, I’d say.
