Chapter 4
“ Y ou’re not Hayes.”
Oh my God. Had she really just said that? Devi winced as she stared up at the handsome guy accompanying Sondra this morning.
Hayes had left the Elk Horn Tavern last night before she’d worked up the courage to speak to him. Sitting at the bar meant that she didn’t need to serve him. But all night she’d thought up reasons to go speak to him.
However, she’d waited too long and when she’d finally worked up the courage, he’d been gone.
But she’d figured she’d see him this morning at Aaron’s Café. Such an original name. Only, this guy wasn’t Hayes.
He was younger, his dark hair wasn’t interspersed with gray and his face didn’t show his years. Maybe because he was actually smiling. He appeared far friendlier and more approachable.
But he wasn’t Mr. Tragic Eyes.
Where was he?
“I’m not.” His grinned as amusement danced through his eyes. “I’m Donovan. And you sound disappointed.”
“What? Oh, no. I’m just . . . he’s been in here every morning with Sondra. I . . . who are you?”
Now he was out-and-out smiling. “Donovan.”
“Well, yes, I know that. But are you a bodyguard as well?”
He studied her closer this time. Shoot. Should she not have asked that?
“Hayes told you that he was a bodyguard?” he asked.
Oh no. Was she going to get Hayes in trouble? Was this guy his boss? Hayes didn’t seem like the type to take orders.
“Are you his boss?”
“You’re just full of questions, aren’t you?” he asked.
“Ahh. Yeah, I’m nosey.” She shrugged unapologetically.
“Devi! Take his order. You’re getting a line,” Aaron snapped.
Oh shoot. She was. “What would you like?”
“Uh, Sondra would like?”
“A spiced chai latte with oat milk,” she said. “I know. She orders the same thing every morning.”
“And do you take the order every morning?”
“Uh-huh. It’s my job. What would you like, sir?” she asked in a polite voice since she could feel Aaron glaring at her.
“What does Hayes usually order?”
“An Americano. No cream, no sugar.” That’s what he’d ordered yesterday, anyway.
Donovan grimaced. “Yeah, he would. That sounds terrible. I’ll have a latte.”
“Sure thing. That’s nine dollars,” she told him.
He handed her some bills and walked off to join Sondra at her usual table.
She took the orders for the next two customers.
Then Aaron grabbed her arm as she walked past him carrying a plate with a muffin on it.
She flinched and the muffin wobbled. Devi watched it worriedly, knowing that he’d blame her if it dropped onto the floor.
Aaron grabbed her arm right where Vega had last night. She’d woken up with it bruised this morning.
She’d always bruised easily which was a pain in the butt when people kept grabbing her.
“What are you doing?” Aaron snapped at her.
“Let me go.”
“I’m this close to firing you, Devi. So tread very carefully.” Aaron held up his thumb and forefinger so they were an inch apart.
Her heart skipped a beat. Losing this job would be a disaster. It sucked most days, but that was all due to Aaron. Devi actually liked being around all of the customers. And she couldn’t survive working just one job, unfortunately.
So Aaron had her over a barrel and the bastard knew it.
“You need to stop talking so much and do some work,” he told her.
She smiled at him tightly. “Well, I would get on with my work if you’d let me go.”
Aaron snarled and let go of her so suddenly that she nearly stumbled.
Lord. What was wrong with the men in this town? Between Vega, her father, and Aaron she felt like she was surrounded by assholes.
Thank God for Mac. He was keeping her faith in men alive.
And maybe Hayes. He seemed like a decent guy. Not that she could know that for sure.
Forcing a small smile and hoping that she didn’t look as shaken as she felt, she walked out to place the muffin in front of Mrs. Dearsley.
“Thank you, Devi. How is your father?” she asked.
“He’s all right. Thanks, Mrs. D.” She’d known the older woman for years. And she didn’t think she’d want to hear how, when she’d gotten home from the bar last night, she’d done a small dance of joy to find her father gone.
She had no idea where he’d gone and part of her wished that wished he’d never return.
Devi realized that was a terrible thing to think about her own father. But he hadn’t been her dad for a long time. He was the noose around her neck. The anchor holding her down, drowning her.
And removing him from her life would be like scraping the rot off her bones.
Gruesome, but true.
Although she hadn’t gotten much sleep; she’d been too on edge, worried that he was going to come home drunk and mad.
But by the time she’d left this morning, he still wasn’t home.
Long may that last.
Rushing back to grab the next coffee order, she realized it was for Sondra and Donovan. Her new bodyguard.
Where was Hayes? Had he been replaced?
You do not feel sad about that.
You barely knew him.
“Here you go,” she said as she put the drinks down on their table.
“Thank you, Devi,” Sondra said.
“Yes, thank you, Devi,” Donovan added.
“Are you all right today?” Sondra asked, surprising her. “No bruises?”
Shit.
How did she know about the bruise on her arm? For one moment, alarm filled her. Then she realized that there was no way Sondra could know about Vega.
She had to be talking about the fall she’d taken yesterday.
Urgh.
She’d forgotten about that. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t a major occurrence. And it happened often.
Still embarrassing, though. Especially in front of Hayes. It was like having a giant pimple on your nose when you run into your crush.
Not that she had a crush on Hayes. That would be stupid.
“Oh, I’m fine. Thanks for asking,” she told the other woman.
It was kind of her to ask even if she wished that she hadn’t.
“Did something happen?” Donovan asked.
“I’ve got to go back to work,” she said hastily.
“Devi fell over. Smacked down hard onto her hands and knees. I’m surprised you didn’t bruise your knees, dear,” Sondra said.
“Nope. All good. I’ve really got to?—”
“Hayes rushed over and just picked her up. Very kind of him.”
Urgh, she really wished the other woman would stop talking.
“Hayes touched you?” Donovan sounded incredulous.
Was that so hard to believe? That Hayes might touch her? Why? She wasn’t gross or anything.
Oh God, was she?
“Um, yes,” she replied. “Why is that so surprising? He was just helping me up.”
“Helping you?”
Why was Donovan repeating her? And how come he sounded like he’d been sucking on a Carolina Reaper?
“Yes. Should he not have helped me?” she asked.
Even Sondra was giving Donovan a curious look.
“Uh, no, it’s just I haven’t really known him to help people. Or to even really take notice of other people unless he’s guarding them or they’re a threat. So it’s interesting that he noticed you. And helped you.”
“Yes, it is,” Sondra added.
“No, it’s really not,” Devi told them quickly. “I’m very noticeable. People notice me all the time.”
Dear. Lord.
What the heck was she saying? People noticed her all the time? She spent her life trying to remain unnoticed.
Her nickname was Mouse for God’s sake!
She was losing it, she really was.
“I have to go.” She rushed back to the counter, ignoring Aaron’s glares.
She guessed that she wasn’t getting a lunch break again today.
No lunch break. No food. No Mr. Tragic Eyes.
This really had turned out to be a crappy day.
Fuck this guy was annoying.
And boring.
He was jumpy.
Hayes got it. He was being threatened. But he acted like he’d been attacked or something.
“You need to wait out here,” he ordered Hayes as he walked through the waiting room toward his office. Then he stopped at his door. “After you check the office. I shouldn’t have to tell you that.”
Wow.
He hadn’t realized that Donovan was a saint. But he had to be to put up with this jerk without murdering him.
Hayes moved to the door. If Alan hadn’t run off from him once they’d exited the elevator, he would have reached the door to his office first.
“Actually, Mr. Stein, it’s locked.”
Hayes glanced over at Stein’s receptionist as she stood from behind her desk off to the side. She was an older woman, her white-gray hair twisted up into a bun. She wore a bright floral top which was a bit sore on the eyes.
“Locked?” Stein snapped. “Yes, of course it’s locked.” He drew a key from his pocket and unlocked it. Then he stepped aside and gestured to Hayes. “Well, go. I don’t have all day.”
Hayes gritted his teeth together. He wanted to point out that it was highly unlikely that anyone would be waiting in his locked office.
However, he would have insisted on checking it first anyway so he headed in. It didn’t take him long until he was walking back into the other room.
“All clear.”
“Good, good. You can’t come in with me, I’ll be taking some sensitive phone calls. You can wait out here and watch me through the glass.” Stein pointed to the glass wall.
Yay.
Lucky him.
Yeah, Donovan was definitely some kind of saint.
“Doris, get me some coffee,” Stein ordered without even looking at his receptionist.
God, he was a dick.
Hayes shook his head as Stein walked into his office.
“Do you want a coffee or anything, dear?” Doris asked him.
Hayes glanced over at her and then looked around the room. This was going to kill him. He would likely need the caffeine to stay awake.
How the hell had Donovan done this?
“Yeah, thanks,” he said to Doris.
She peered up at him from where she sat behind her desk.
“How do you take it, dear?” she asked him.
“Black. No sugar.”
Doris shuddered. “Sounds terrible. You know, I’m not really sure that Mr. Stein needs more caffeine. Pretty sure he hasn’t been sleeping.”
“He’s worried about these threats.” He was also a dick. But Hayes didn’t add that part.
She shook her head. “He’s always getting on someone’s bad side. I don’t know why these threats are affecting him so much. He’s not always this . . .”
Much of an asshole?
“This emotional,” she finally managed to say.
“Doris! Coffee! Now!” Stein ordered.