Chapter 3 – Ellie
~Three Days Later
“Ellie, I need a large oat latte and two espressos!” Barry called from the register without looking up from the screen.
“On it!” I answered, working on the order.
I needed this, the distraction, anything to take my mind off the hearing and the way Dr. Bradford had looked at me.
However, even with all the running around and taking orders, I couldn’t shake the image of the strange man across the street. Until now, I still wasn’t sure why something about him felt off by a mile.
I hadn’t figured out who he was or why he was watching me the way he did. And the more I tried to focus on work, the more distracted I was by my own thoughts.
“Hey,” Marcus called softly, his voice calm and tender. “You good?”
I shot a quick glance at him while working on the previous order. “Yeah, why?”
“You’re doing that thing with your face again.”
My brows drew together, accentuating the confusion in my gaze. “What thing?”
“The thing where you’re here, but you’re not actually here.”
I let out a quiet exhale and pulled the espresso shot, but said nothing.
“Everything all right?” he asked, drawing closer.
I rubbed my forehead, hating the idea of my colleagues at work seeing through my mask. “Uh…everything’s fine.” The slight pause came when I looked at him with a forced grin.
He glanced around for a moment, then fixed his eyes on me. “All right. Spill.”
“Spill what?”
“Come on, don’t play games with me,” he said. “We both know that was a fake smile.”
“No, it wasn’t.” A dismissive scoff fell off my lips.
“Yes, it was.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“Because you always smile with your eyes,” he answered. “You didn’t this time.”
I rested a hand on my hips, and my eyes locked onto him. Marcus was starting to read me like an open book. I wasn’t sure whether that was a good thing.
He was the longest-standing employee at Joe’s. Mid-thirties, easygoing, and way too observant for my liking. The man was perpetually cheerful in a way that should have been annoying but wasn’t. Marcus Teel somehow made small talk with everyone, worker or customer, without it looking like an effort.
As charming and sweet as he was, sometimes, the man was a little too confident in his ability to read people.
“Tell me I’m wrong, and I’ll back away.”
I paused for a moment, a faint grin tugging at my lips. “You’re wrong.”
“Oh, come on, don’t be like that,” he grumbled.
“No gossip for you tonight, Marcus.” I grabbed Barry’s order and walked around the counter.
“I know there’s something going on with you,” he called as I left. “You know what they say: a problem shared is half solved.”
I ignored him, chuckling lightly.
After serving the order, I ran into Priya on my way back to the counter. Priya was Indian, the newest employee at Joe’s, who had been on the job for barely two months.
“Hey, there’s a guy at table seven asking if the barista is single,” she said in accented English.
I paused. “You’re gonna have to be a little bit more specific than that. You’re a barista. Harriet’s also a barista.” I shot a glance at the brunette serving a table in a corner.
She raised her brows. “So are you.”
Another pause.
“You’re the one he’s asking about.”
I exhaled. “Well then, tell him the barista is exhausted and mildly unhinged.”
A soft scoff escaped her lips. “I’ll word that better.”
“Hey, Ellie, little help here!” Harriet’s voice interrupted.
I rolled my eyes and grudgingly headed toward her.
The next few hours moved the way a busy shift always did. Too fast for thought. Too loud for silence. My mind was grateful for the distraction, but my body was tired.
I made drinks I could make in my sleep, and my lips ached from all those forced smiles. The hearing and the mysterious events surrounding it stayed at the back of my mind, waiting for that inevitable moment of stillness.
Bit by bit, the rush began thinning, and the café started emptying. That’s when the thoughts on standby began to creep back in.
“You can head out.” Marcus appeared beside me, a clean white cloth draped over their shoulder. “Priya and I will close up.”
I raised my head. The last few tables were settling their bills. “You sure?”
“You’re clearly dealing with something. And whatever it is, it’s the reason you pushed yourself a little too hard these past three nights,” he answered. “You need to rest.”
“He’s right,” Priya said. “Go home, Ellie.”
I hesitated, then untied my apron. “Thanks.”
She smiled. “We hope to see a better version of you tomorrow.”
“Good night.”
“Good night,” they chorused.
I grabbed my bag and walked out, pushing through the door and into the cool air.
Outside, the night’s air brushed against my face as I walked down the street. My shoes scuffed on the pavement, my senses on high alert. For some reason, it was eerily quiet tonight—too quiet.
In the distance, a dog’s incessant barking punctuated the stillness, accompanied by a faint wail of sirens. Above, the crescent moon was hanging somewhere in the sky, surrounded by a myriad of twinkling stars.
I’d walked these streets at times later than this, and never had I felt so uneasy. It was as though someone were watching me. I couldn’t prove it, but I could feel a lingering gaze.
My eyes scanned the familiar environment, searching for anything out of the ordinary.
Gary, the homeless man, was sitting by a dumpster, humming a song while petting his cat. Across from him was a couple making out against the wall. And just ahead was a black SUV with tinted windows.
The car was way too expensive for this neighborhood. But that wasn’t the weird part. That title belonged to the tall man standing beside it. Motionless. He was wearing a black outfit and a hat that concealed his face.
I almost froze when I spotted him.
He gave off the same bad energy as the strange man from the hearing room. I slowed down, my brain already calculating the different routes I could take other than this.
There wasn’t any, at least not until I reached the end of the street. And I’d have to pass him to get there. So I was left with two choices. Turn around and walk thirty minutes back home, or damn everything and walk past this stranger.
The soft giggles of the previous couple caught my attention. When I looked in their direction again, they were already heading toward Frank’s and Suzie’s, a small restaurant to my left.
Then a thought hit me.
What if I went in with them and secured a window seat? That way, I’d keep an eye out for the strange man and the black SUV. Besides, I may just be overthinking this; people stand outside all the time.
No one’s following you, Ellie. Stop being paranoid, I told myself.
“Better safe than sorry,” I mumbled under my breath and began walking over to the restaurant.
The strange man didn’t move. He didn’t even tilt his head in my direction.
See, totally fine.
I still wasn’t convinced yet.
The bells jingled as I pushed the door open and walked inside. The scent of roasted garlic and baked bread drifted into my nostrils, a subtle reminder that I was hungry.
The place was almost empty, with just a few customers hanging around. I secured a booth by the window, the perfect angle to spy on the strange man without being noticed.
I settled into that seat, my bag on my lap, feet tapping rapidly against the floor. I picked up the menu from the table and stared at it as if it had something useful to say.
“Hi.” A waiter appeared beside me.
Startled, I almost flinched. But I didn’t.
“What would you like for the evening?” he asked with a polite smile.
I hadn’t come here to eat, so I ordered a tea.
“Coming right up.” He dematerialized.
I looked out the window, and the man was still standing there like a statue. My brows knitted together as I wondered who he was and what he was doing there.
Even though this might have nothing to do with me, the man was still creepy. I held the menu over my face while discreetly studying both the man and the SUV.
The second I lowered it, my breath hitched when I saw a man already seated across from me. How did he get here? When did he get here? I didn’t hear him move.
Dressed in a black tailored coat, he stared at me in silence, his presence commanding attention. His short dark brown hair caught the soft light above, neat and glistening. His eyes, a cold steel-blue, bore into mine in a way that was rather unsettling.
The man’s expression was blank, and the faint scar along his collarbone accentuated his ruggedness. His gaze alone was intimidating as staring at him seemed like staring into the abyss.
He sat in silence, broad-shouldered and powerfully built, his presence so heavy it twisted my stomach with fear. This man was scarier than the stranger from the hearing room and the man outside combined.
One look from him was enough to announce his coldness and ruthlessness. The quality of his outfit and the scent of his expensive cologne hinted at power and wealth. And the cheap kind.
His eyes were empty, like he had no soul, and that creeped me out more than I cared to admit. The intensity of his gaze was powerful enough to crush anyone’s spirit. Mine included.
My palms were sweaty, and my heart was already racing in my chest. This man didn’t need to say a word to inflict fear. His presence alone was spooky as fuck.
I managed to glance out the window again, and the previous man was still at the same spot. Motionless.
“He’s the least of your problems,” the man across from me said, his voice deep and menacing.
I swallowed hard, struggling to mask my fear as I looked in those cold, empty eyes of his. “You know, there’s literally other tables you could sit at.” My voice was a bit shaky.
Silence.
“Sir, I’m not comfortable with you sitting here,” I added.
He kept his gaze on me but said nothing.
Seeing he wasn’t ready to respond, I rose to my feet. “Fine, you can have the booth.”
“Drop the case,” he said flatly.
My heart skipped a beat. “What?”
He looked up at me with a straight face. “Drop…the case.”
I knew he was referring to the State v. Daniel Vetrov’s case. My presentation in the hearing room must’ve caught the attention of those actively involved. This was good for Vetrov. But bad for me.
This man was here to intimidate me, to scare me off. The fact that he wanted me to drop the case meant I was on to something. Clearly, Vetrov was innocent; if he wasn’t, this man wouldn’t be here.
“Why?” I asked him.
“Because I said so,” he replied, his tone dripping with conviction.
He was clearly used to giving orders and having people grovel at his feet. No wonder his voice was authoritative and laced with condescension.
My face twisted into a faint scowl that masked my fear. I sat back down, holding his gaze. “Who are you?”
He waited, watching me with the same flat expression he’d had since he appeared in that seat. “Drop the case before it’s too late.”
He was threatening me.
This was the point where I let my fears and insecurities take control. But I refused to back down.
“No,” I said.
My refusal wasn’t loud or dramatic. However, it was confrontational, and I could tell he wasn’t pleased with my response.
He stayed silent, his expression unchanged.
I leaned in, summoning the little courage I had. “An innocent man is serving time while the real culprit walks free. I will not stop until justice prevails.”
Finally, something shifted in his expression. Not much—barely a flicker. But I saw it. It seemed I’d surprised him. Maybe he wasn’t used to people saying no to him.
He stared at me a bit longer than the conversation required before rising to his feet. That’s when I realized how tall he was. At least over six feet.
“You’ve been warned…Miss Hendy,” he said.
I swallowed, watching him walk away with slow, measured strides like he owned the place. It wasn’t until after he walked out the door that I let out a heavy sigh of relief.
I sat there for another minute—maybe two—shaking as I stared at the seat he’d occupied. My legs were trembling beneath me, my heart pounding like a freaking drum.
When I looked out the window, I saw him walking toward the SUV parked across the street. The man in black, who’d been standing like a statue, opened the backseat door.
That’s when it dawned on me that he was the vehicle’s owner and that the man worked for him.
The waiter returned with my order. “Your tea, ma’am,” he said.
I looked at him and flashed a forced grin as I accepted it. “Thank you,” I said, struggling to steady my shaking hands.
My whole body was tense, and my pulse wouldn’t stop racing. I released a quiet exhale, attempting to calm my nerves as I sipped from my cup.
Relax, he’s just trying to intimidate you, I said to myself. It’s all just empty threats.
If that were true, why was I still shaking like a leaf? Why did his last words still echo in the back of my mind?
“You’ve been warned…Miss Hendy.”
I was so sure that he not only knew my name. Men like him always did their homework on their targets before showing up. That meant he already knew everything about me: my home address, my workplace, and even my class schedules.
Fuck.
I wanted to believe he was bluffing. But the man who’d occupied the seat across my table didn’t look like someone who made empty threats. He looked more like a man of few words and more action, definitely someone I didn’t want to mess with.
Although his English was smooth, the man was clearly Russian. And considering the power he exuded, he was most likely a member of the Russian Mafia.
I should withdraw right now before things get messy. I should drop the case and walk away. But if I did, wouldn’t I just be making myself his puppet?
Yes, I was afraid. However, giving up without much resistance on my part would only make me look weak. Fear wasn’t the same as cowardice.
I sat there, drumming my fingers against the table, torn between giving up the case and pushing it through.
Even if I wasn’t sure about Vetrov’s innocence before, this man’s confrontation just confirmed my claims.
What was the plan now? Drop the case or fight for justice for a total stranger, even if it would endanger my life?