He stared out the front window. He knew it could end badly. She didn’t need to be anywhere near the shit that was going down.
“Look…” T started.
“I got it. It’s done,” Stone replied, ending whatever conversation T was going to start. This ended tonight. He’d make sure she didn’t say anything. He’d steer clear of her. He had to.
They all opened doors to get out.
“Stone?” Bogs said.
Stone turned to the back seat.
“I’ll get the info on her right now. I’ll have it by afternoon.” It was a Bogs way of apologizing. He would stay up until he got what Stone needed, it would be making amends for messing up. He watched as his brother’s strong usually humorous face faltered. That face was incapable of hurting a female, Stone knew that.
“Yeah, thanks.” He gave Bogs a chin lift, got out of the truck, and headed to his door with them following.
Chapter Five
There were a few questions and some concerns when Sadie went in for her next shift the following night. She needed a ride to work so she called Melinda. She was hounded for details on what happened. Melinda kept saying she knew he was interested. Interested he was, but not how Melinda thought. He was interested in Sadie keeping her mouth shut. Melinda teased that it was only fair to tell her if he was as hot in bed as he was in person. Much to her disappointment, Sadie was honest. They didn’t have sex and she hadn’t seen him after that night.
She hated herself for admitting it but she still dreamed of Stone. She relived their moment with an ending that had her screaming out his name as she came. Sadie tried to picture a different face and body. But she’d always come back to those green eyes and that thin, long scar. It was the only way she could climax. In her fantasies he didn’t speak. Sadie didn’t allow his cruel words to tarnish her fantasy.
Life went on. A week had passed since that night. Stone never came back. Mostly it was a relief. While he might not kill her, he was a dangerous man.
She was glued to her television for the whole week. She even bought the newspaper every day, which she usually never did. She was waiting to see Stone’s mug shot flash on her screen or on the front page of the paper. But there was nothing. Sadie thought about going to the police. She even parked in front of the station once. But she just sat in her car thinking about what Stone said. If she told anyone, he’d know. She tried to psyche herself up to walk in. She replayed her “do the right thing” speech a dozen times in her head. She was a witness to a murder. Well, she wasn’t absolutely sure the guy was dead, but at the very least attempted murder. She had to tell someone. She’d be brave, maybe even a hero when Stone and his thugs were caught. She’d probably have to testify in court. Face to face with Stone.
She never got out of the car at the station. She never told anyone. She felt like a coward.
Here she was again, watching the clock. Tick, tock, tick tock. They’d been pretty busy today. She’d been on the move since her shift started at eleven a.m. Sadie loved day shifts, the day flew by. She jumped at the chance for an extra shift when one of the girls called in sick. She’d been waiting for day shifts since she started. She was told the shifts were given by seniority and her time would come. Four years later and she was still waiting. Some of the other waitresses volunteered for the night shift, like Pearl. Not Sadie though, she was just biding time until she moved to days. There had been plenty of waitresses hired after her. They were trained and ready to start. Kate was the only one who lasted. Bernie hired a new girl, Tracey, about two weeks ago. If all went well, her day shift would be here soon enough.
Sadie just finished up a bill when she heard a group come through the door. She didn’t even bother with a glance, hoping they sat in Melinda’s section. After dropping the bill at table five, Sadie helped Juan clear tables seven and eight. A large group of older ladies had just left. She thought they were part of a book club. They had fun, laughed a lot, tipped horribly.
She headed back with Juan to the kitchen and scanned the dining area. She saw a group of five or six in Melinda’s section. They were in the far corner table. It looked to be three guys and two girls. From what she could see they were still looking over the menu.
Sadie grabbed the rag to wipe the counters down when Brenna walked in.
“It’s so cold out there. Brrrrr. I was not meant for winter, Sadie. I am a flip flop kind of woman.”
God, she loved Brenna, she made her laugh. She was in her thirties and married with two kids. Her husband brought the kids in sometimes in the early morning for breakfast. She gushed over all of them, announcing to anyone who could hear that she had an amazing family. She truly did, and Sadie envied her.
“Me too, Bren.” Sadie laughed.
“Leaving at eight?” she asked as she shivered.
“Yup, eight, and not a minute later. I don’t want to turn into a pumpkin or worse, a raving bitch!” Sadie teased.
She burst out laughing as she walked toward the back. “Well, then I best clock in so you can get outta here.”
Sadie glanced up at the old cola clock. She had three minutes left. Thank God.
“Hey, can we get some service here?” A deep voice came from the far left in Melinda’s section.
She peered over the counter looking for Melinda but she didn’t see her. Where
