7. Mila
7
MILA
My first night working was… unexpected.
For one thing, I know for a fact I made more in tips than any of the other servers for the night, and it was all thanks to the brothers, who had left me more than five hundred dollars on the table for their food.
It more than made up for Annette and her friends, leaving me a measly two dollars and eight cents as a tip. Something I wouldn’t have thought too much about, had the number not been so random. A five-dollar tip or no tip at all would have just been careless, something I could have forgotten about once the night was over. But a whole two dollars and eight cents? That was fucking ridiculous.
I knew better than to let someone I didn’t know get to me, but Annette had been terrible to me from the start.
I checked my surroundings as I pulled up outside of the motel.
The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, and slowly, I peered behind me as I got to the front door.
Maybe I was being paranoid, but it felt like there were eyes on me. However, all I was greeted with was the stillness of the night.
I shivered as a cold wind blew through, then quickly unlocked the door and got inside.
My nose wrinkled as an undefinable smell entered my nostrils.
I didn’t know where it was coming from, and I had tried to clean up the motel room as best I could when I first arrived, but it was still there.
I tried to ignore it and moved to where I kept my stash.
Keeping so much money here made me feel insecure, but the alternative was to bring it with me to work, and that sounded like an even worse idea.
I didn’t know what my next step should be, though, so for now I was hanging around, in limbo.
Once I counted the money and ensured it was all there, I headed to the bathroom and took a hot shower, trying—and failing—to feel clean.
I brushed my teeth in the shower, and scrubbed away the day’s dirt, going through the motions.
After my skin was rubbed raw, I stumbled out of the tub, ignored the tiny little cockroach I found on the floor by the tub, and fell swiftly into bed.
I was exhausted but found I couldn’t sleep.
Why couldn’t I just sleep?
I stared up at the blank ceiling in the dark, feeling… wired.
Three sets of eyes haunted me for the rest of the night, and I didn’t know what to make of it all.
My eyes sprang open when the alarm on my phone went off.
Heart pounding, I took in my surroundings and reminded myself I was safe.
I was no longer at the clubhouse and was no longer under Daniel Hayes’ thumb.
He was probably dead right now.
I should feel sad about it, shouldn’t I?
I felt nothing.
Even when he wasn’t here, he was still able to remind me just how badly he had fucked me up, and the scars he left behind would be something I carried for the rest of my life.
I threw the blanket off in disgust and made my way to the bathroom, studying my thin frame and tired eyes in the mirror.
My blonde hair was a mess. I went to bed with my hair wet last night, so this would be a ponytail day.
I walked away from the girl in the mirror and quickly got ready.
I was used to waking up early, and my internal clock wouldn’t let me go back to sleep now.
So for now, all I could do was try to find something to occupy myself with.
My stomach grumbled, reminding me I hadn’t eaten anything since lunch yesterday.
I had been too exhausted to even think about dinner.
And now, my body was letting me know that in the worst way possible. I could feel the shakes coming on, and I would probably faint if I didn’t get something in my stomach soon.
I quickly put on my shoes, grabbed my car keys, phone, and purse, and hightailed it out of the motel room and into the bright morning light.
I squinted slightly and headed to my car, thanking my lucky stars that at least my wheels had stayed intact throughout the night.
This wasn’t exactly the best neighborhood, but it was what I’d found as soon as I crossed over the state line, and I imagined any other motel I might find would be in a similar or worse state.
I hopped in my car, the morning heat beating down on me, and sweat clinging to the skin on the back of my neck.
I started the car and rolled down the windows, but just before I was about to take off, I paused.
That feeling that someone was watching me was back.
But who could be watching me?
Who knew I was here?
And even if they did, what good would it do them?
Daniel Hayes and the Heartless Saints were no more.
At least, I didn’t think so.
A quick search on the web had told me nothing. But then again, it was still too early for the news media to catch wind of it. It wasn’t like the clubhouse was frequented all that much by outsiders.
What if Dad proved himself to be the cockroach I always thought he was and survived the attack?
But no, that wasn’t possible.
Everyone at the clubhouse was drunk and high off their asses.
They wouldn’t have been prepared for an attack.
Dad was dead.
I had to believe that, or I didn’t think I could function.
I shivered.
Perhaps it was my paranoia talking.
Years of having to constantly watch my back was a hard habit to break.
I shook my head slightly and reversed the car out of the parking lot, trying to remember where I had seen the nearby breakfast diner.
Three blocks later, I pulled into said diner.
It seemed to have been built in the 1970s, and hadn’t been remodeled since.
But food was food, and I didn’t have the energy to look for food elsewhere.
I parked the car near the door and climbed out.
An older man who looked like he was a former Marine came out at the same time I reached it and held the door open for me.
He shot me a smile.
I nodded my thanks and quickly moved in, surprised to find it busier than I had expected.
“Just find a seat at any of the open tables, sweetheart,” a woman, probably in her mid-thirties, shouted at me.
I looked around and found a booth in the corner by the window that looked out toward the front.
Perfect.
This way, I could see people coming and going into the diner.
A menu was tucked away by the condiments on the table, and I grabbed it, then looked at all the options they had.
My mouth watered, and my stomach grumbled.
The waitress who had directed me to find a seat approached me with a tired expression, but a kind smile.
I didn’t think anyone had ever shot me a kind smile before.
Not even the teachers at school.
Not when my last name was synonymous with everything bad and ugly in Chicago.
I blinked, trying to keep from appearing too surprised.
“What can I get you, dear?”
“Um, can I have the breakfast plate, with scrambled eggs and bacon?”
“And would you like toast or pancakes on the side?”
“Pancakes, please. And some coffee.”
The smile never left her face as she wrote down my order and left to put it in.
I ran my hands down on the table in front of me, feeling the smooth surface as I kept my eyes trained out the window.
A shadow fell over me.
“Are you stalking me now, angel?”
I jumped at the sound of the familiar voice. I had heard his voice for the first time last night, but there was no doubt in my mind who it was.
And sure enough, when I looked up, I was met with familiar brown eyes that in the morning light didn’t look as harsh as they had in the restaurant—definitely not when he was all alone.
I peeked behind Silas, expecting his brothers to be with him, but it seemed he was all alone, and I couldn’t tell if I was relieved or disappointed.
No—
I was relieved.
I had to be, especially since I wouldn’t be subjected to Killian’s hostile stare if Silas had come here alone, but?—
Why had he come here?
Was it really a coincidence that he was here when I was?
I blinked as the words he had said to me finally penetrated.
“ Stalking you?” I asked slowly, putting more emphasis on the first word. He was messing with me, wasn’t he? He couldn’t possibly believe I would stalk him, especially after one meeting.
He smiled, and my heart thudded loudly in my chest.
“Yes,” he said, taking a seat across from me. I opened my mouth to tell him to sit somewhere else, but he spoke before I could get the words out. “Not that I mind. You can stalk me any time you want.”
“I wasn’t stalking you,” I replied, trying hard not to react so strongly to his closeness. My eyes moved down to his body of their own accord. A scattering of butterfly tattoos moved up his forearms and disappeared into the sleeve of his shirt. I wondered briefly if he had any other tattoos on his body. He had a rose on his right hand. I hadn’t ever thought hand tattoos were sexy, but on him, it worked.
“No?”
I shook my head, chasing away the errant thought, and his lips twisted in a way that made me wonder what it would be like to kiss him.
Nope. I was not going there.
“That’s a shame,” he said quietly.
The waitress came back with my coffee, her eyes moving from me to Silas and staying on the man. I didn’t blame her.
Silas was out-of-this-world handsome.
Probably not as handsome as Killian, but hell, he was still so beautiful, my breath was catching at the mere sight of him. Handsome men were a different, dangerous breed I wasn’t used to handling.
I had no experience with men of any kind. The guys at the club were either old, or had a hardened way about them due to the rough lifestyles of drugs, booze, and violence. They just did nothing for me.
Sebastian Cline was handsome in his own right, but there was something… oily about him that sent bouts of disgust through me every time he so much as looked at me.
But Silas and his brothers?
They were dangerous, all right, but they were also magnetic .
It was hard to act normally around them.
“What are you having?” the waitress asked Silas, not looking so tired anymore.
No, it seemed she had perked up.
I slumped back against the soft cushioned booth as I watched Silas lean back casually, as if this entire restaurant was his kingdom.
He was just so… comfortable about everything going on.
He was comfortable in his own skin.
I was almost envious.
“I’ll have what she’s having. And a cup of coffee as well.”
The waitress nodded and looked at me with approval in her eyes, as if she was praising me for capturing a man like that, before she walked off.
I didn’t have the time to tell her I didn’t want the man.
I didn’t want to catch such a dangerous man.
And he was all that.
All man.
And dangerous.
Everything about him screamed experience , and though twenty-four wasn’t young, next to him, I felt incredibly na?ve. Like a lost little girl who didn’t know how to handle the world.
“What are you doing?” I asked, moving away from my depressing thoughts and onto the problem at hand.
“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m having breakfast with my stalker.”
“I am not your stalker!” I said, a little louder than I intended. Several heads in the diner turned my way, and I could feel a slight blush coming over my skin.
I was pale, and in this bright restaurant, the red was likely very noticeable.
Silas didn’t say anything for a moment.
Just smiled at me the same way he had done back at the restaurant last night.
And that smile got on my nerves.
“Stop it.”
“Stop what?” he asked.
“Stop smiling at me like that.”
“You don’t like my smile?”
The fact that he was still smiling while asking showed he wasn’t as put off as he should be.
Perhaps because he knew the truth.
Perhaps because he knew it wasn’t that I didn’t like his smile, but that I liked his smile a little too much.
Fucking hell.
I looked down at the table.
We didn’t say anything more for a bit, and I actively resisted the urge to squirm in my seat. The last thing I wanted to show him was how uncomfortable I was in his presence.
I could fake confidence and bravery.
After all, I had been doing that for most of my life.
But under his gaze, the very foundation of my being began to shake. How easily he could make me crumble.
“Do you live around here?” Silas asked me, his voice strange.
I peeked up at him, noting the way the sun beamed off his eyes, making them look almost ethereal.
I answered his question without thinking about it. “I just got to the state.”
I closed my mouth as soon as the words were out of my mouth. It wasn’t like me to share anything with anyone, especially something so personal.
I wanted to retract it and make up some lie, but the satisfaction in his eyes stopped me.
As if he knew I was telling the truth, and he approved.
I shouldn’t want his approval.
Shouldn’t and didn’t were two completely different things.
I looked down at the table without saying anything.
“You’re a quiet little thing, aren’t you?”
My eyes flew up and met his. I could feel a small frown forming between my eyebrows before I could really force myself to neutralize my expression.
“I’m sorry if I’m not entertaining enough for you, but you’re the one who sat down at my table.”
“Ah, no need to apologize, angel. I find you are plenty entertaining for me.”
I scowled. “Is this a joke to you?”
Face serious, he replied, “No. Not even a little bit.”
I didn’t know how to react to that, especially under the intensity of his brown eyes. I shifted a little, and thankfully, our food arrived just in time, saving me from the awkward silence that was quickly descending into our space.
I didn’t know why I was behaving so awkwardly.
I wasn’t an awkward person—at least, I hadn’t thought so, but there was just something about the man that made me want to lose all my composure.
I didn’t like it.
Not one bit.
“What thoughts have got you scowling like that?” Silas asked.
I took in his face, trying to gauge if he was messing with me, but he seemed genuinely interested. As if he was truly fascinated by everything that went on inside my mind.
“You,” I answered without thinking.
One side of his lips tilted up in a half smile. “Me?”
“Yes. You. What are you even doing here?”
“I’m enjoying my breakfast.”
“Enjoy it elsewhere. There are plenty of empty tables around.”
“I’m enjoying the company,” he said, forking up a good amount of eggs and plopping them into his mouth. I watched his lips as he chewed.
Taking a huge sip of my coffee, I realized too late I didn’t blow on the scalding liquid or give it a chance to cool. I tried to hide the fact that the liquid burned as it slid down my throat. I looked off to the side, out the window, as my eyes watered.
My skin flushed from embarrassment and from his intense gaze.
I wished he would stop looking at me like that.
“Eat, angel.”
I scowled. It seemed to be my go-to face whenever he was around. I didn’t like being told what to do. I was going to eat anyway—not because he told me to, but because I was hungry. Yet there was something that irked me about his face as I grabbed the fork and shoved some eggs into my mouth.
“Why the nickname?” I asked. That wasn’t what I had intended to say, and it was easy enough to figure out why he called me that. And now, I was giving him the opportunity to throw some more cheesy lines my way.
“Because the first time I saw you was the first time I felt my heart stall. Now, who would have the power to do that but some divine entity?”
“Entity?” I repeated with a small quirk of my lips to show my amusement.
He laughed, and I startled in surprise. He had a nice laugh. It was deep and sent shivers down my spine and made goose bumps rise on my skin. I couldn’t remember if there was ever a time in my life when I’d reacted as strongly to a laugh before.
His laughter slowly died off when he noticed my attention on him, and his eyes softened.
Somehow, a part of me didn’t think a man like him ever went soft, or would show it to anyone.
The expression appeared unpracticed on his face.
“What?” he asked.
I didn’t answer him. I took another bite of my food and kept my gaze downcast.
“Do you say that to all the girls?” I had meant for my voice to come out teasing, but instead, it just sounded awkward and unsure.
“No,” he answered seriously. His face showed no humor in that one word.
He really didn’t flirt with the other girls like this? That was hard to believe. Then again, he probably didn’t have to work for their attention. I stared back down at my plate, not knowing what to say to that.
His voice was gruff when he spoke again. “Why do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Look away. I don’t think it’s because you’re shy.”
“Do you think maybe it’s because you’re intimidating?”
He didn’t reply right away. He almost seemed surprised I would find him intimidating. But he was that, and so much more. Him and his brothers. Surely, they were aware of that.
“Are you intimidated, angel?”
“Yes.”
His lips quirked up in a small smile. “I don’t want to intimidate you.”
He looked genuine enough when he said it, yet it sounded like a lie. I narrowed my eyes at him. His smile widened. Shaking my head, I went back to my food, taking big bites and hopefully putting an end to this farce of a “date.”
Silas barely paid attention to his food. Instead, he watched me eat, as if that would make him less intimidating.
Once I was done with my food, I flagged the waitress down for the bill, and she came out with one receipt in hand. I hoped she didn’t think I was going to pay for Silas because that was not happening.
Before I could ask for a split check, Silas slapped down a couple of hundred-dollar bills on the table. “That should cover it?”
Her eyes went wide. “Yes. Would you like the change?”
“Keep it, sweetheart.”
She giggled and wandered off. I scowled at her retreating figure before directing it over to Silas. “That was unnecessary.”
He shrugged. “I would never make my girl pay on the first date.”
“I’m not your girl,” I deadpanned. “And this isn’t a first date.”
It was like he didn’t even hear me. He stood up and held out his hand for me. I ignored it and got out of the booth myself, sidestepping him so we wouldn’t touch.
Still, my arms brushed up against his hard front. I bit my lip to hide my reaction, but fuck, was the man made of muscles?
He chuckled at my attempt, and I quickly walked out of there, Silas hot on my heels.
“So, what are we doing for the rest of the day?” he asked, falling into step beside me easily.
“ We’re not doing anything. I am going home.”
“Great! I’ll take you.”
I stopped when we got in front of my car. Unlocking it, I looked at him, then at the car, before shaking my head and moving to the driver’s side.
“Goodbye, Silas.”
He didn’t stop me when I got in my car and turned it on. He stayed where he was, watching me with an expression on his face that I didn’t like very much.
Hopefully, he and his brothers were just passing through New Orleans, and I wouldn’t ever run into any of them ever again.
Somehow, I didn’t think that would be the case.