CHAPTER THIRTEEN #2
Giving them a quick nod, Peggy grabbed two plastic menus from her podium.
With a flick of her head, she urged them to follow her to a booth in the center of the diner.
Setting the menus down on the rectangular table, she glanced back and forth between the pair as they took their seats.
It wasn’t often that such a handsome couple came into the restaurant.
Perhaps her day wasn’t going to be so dull after all?
“Can I get you two something to drink?” she asked with a bright smile.
“Two coffees,” Kade answered immediately. “One black, one with cream and sugar.”
“You’ve got it, I’ll come back with the coffees and take your order,” Peggy said before leaving the pair alone.
Tracking the waitress as she walked behind the metal bar, Lexi wiggled out of her puffy winter coat and tossed it on the bench seat beside her.
Quickly taking stock of the sparse diner, she noticed only three other patrons gracing the space.
Directly behind Kade sat an elderly couple, bickering with one another over the thickness of their overcooked bacon.
Off to her right, was a young teen perched on a rickety barstool, hunched over his cell phone and shoveling scrambled eggs into his mouth.
It was very apparent that no one in the restaurant was equipped to help her escape.
She would need to rely on herself and herself alone.
Something she wasn’t sure she could do once she caught how Kade was staring at her.
“It smells good in here,” she said, distracting herself by picking up her menu and glancing over the various items. “Do you know what you’re going to order, Jon ?”
Tilting his head to the side, Kade raised a brown brow and licked his lips before answering her question. He was hungry, but not for anything on the menu.
“Well, I want to eat you, but I think they would kick us out if I tried,” he said cheekily. “So that feast will have to wait until we get home.”
Dropping her menu to the table, she brought her green eyes to his. Ignoring the flush burning her cheeks, she felt her heart race. Shit, she thought. Did he really have to say that?
Oh, let him, her alter Nikki pleaded. C’mon just one last fuck before we slice his throat, please? You know you’re going to miss that cock once it’s gone!
Pushing the annoying voice to the back of her mind, she swallowed hard. Bringing her hand to her throat, she began to nervously play with the black turtleneck hugging her bruised skin. There was no way she could allow that to happen. No matter how badly she wanted it to.
Smirking at the blushing girl, he gave her a small wink before turning his attention to Peggy slinking her way towards their booth.
It was good that the regular waitress wasn’t there.
They wouldn’t be at the cabin long and he didn’t want to draw any unnecessary attention with this little outing.
It seemed as if everything was working in his favor.
Grinning warmly, Peggy plunked down two steaming mugs of coffee and a ceramic creamer cow down upon the sticky table. Removing her notepad and pen from her black apron, she gave the couple her undivided attention.
“Alright, two coffees and some cream! Sugar is in the container by the salt and pepper shakers,” she said, motioning to the far end of the table. “Do you guys have any questions or are you ready to order?”
“I think we’re ready. Right, Sweetheart?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m ready,” Lexi agreed. “I... ugh...I’d like a double stack of blueberry pancakes...extra syrup and butter...and a double order of bacon and eggs over easy.”
Making a surprised face, Peggy quickly scribbled her order onto her notepad. She never would’ve guessed such a skinny girl could have that big of an appetite.
“Trying to get some energy before hitting the slopes, huh?” the waitress asked.
“No, actually,” he cut in. “We’re just getting some things from the store and then we’re headed back home.”
“You’re not skiing?” Peggy asked. “But the weather is perfect right now!”
“Yeah...well, we have other things planned for our honeymoon,” he stated suggestively.
Gasping excitedly, the waitress beamed at the couple. Young love always made her so happy to see.
“Oh, wow! Congratulations, you love birds!” she said, her voice lifting two octaves higher than normal. “Oh, honey...no wonder you look exhausted. You’re a lucky girl!”
Blinking at the waitress, Lexi resisted the urge to scoff at her presumptuous statement. Oh, yeah. She was such a lucky girl. Held captive by a lunatic. So lucky, indeed.
“Actually, I’m the lucky one,” Kade chirped, taking Lexi’s menu. “Pancakes aren’t the only thing she’s hungry for, if you know what I mean.”
Letting out an airy laugh, the waitress turned her clear blue eyes to Lexi and gave her a knowing look. The girl seemed completely mortified but she wanted her to know that she completely understood and didn’t judge her one bit. She was once young and in love, herself.
“Well, just as long as you two are enjoying your honeymoon, that’s all that matters,” she said with a nod. “So... back to the food. What would you like to order, Sir?”
“I’ll have the T-bone steak and eggs. Rare and over easy, please,” he stated, handing the waitress the menus.
“Perfect, I’ll get these in. Shouldn’t be too long. As you can tell, the cook isn’t swamped back there,” Peggy said with a roll of her eyes before turning on her high heels and heading towards the kitchen.
Waiting until the waitress was out of earshot, Lexi furrowed her brow and gave Kade’s shin a sharp kick under the table.
“Hey!” he yelped, narrowing his dark eyes. “What the hell was that for?”
“You know exactly what that was for,” she hissed, folding her arms over her chest.
Holding up his hands in mock surrender, he smirked cockily and leaned over the table. He loved it when she asserted herself, but didn’t want her to be too upset with him over something so trivial.
“Alright, alright, I’m sorry! I truly am. Please forgive me, my love?”
Glaring at her abductor, she pursed her dry lips together and shook her head.
Hell no , she would never forgive him. Not just for this little shenanigan, but for all of it.
Even if she did harbor some twisted feelings towards him, there was no redemption for the Devil currently giving her puppy dog eyes.
Kinda like how you won’t even forgive yourself? Nikki wondered.
“Have you been here before?” she asked, abruptly changing both conversations.
Picking up his brown coffee mug, he nodded as he took a sip of the bitter hot liquid. The tiny little mountain town held all sorts of memories that he would rather forget.“Yeah. I’ve been coming here off and on since I was a kid.”
“Oh?” she asked, doctoring her own coffee with a splash of cream and two sugar packets. “So, you know the waitress, then?”
“Nope. Haven’t seen her before in my life. Which is perfect, actually. But the cook, on the other hand...I know him really well,” he said, glancing to the opened window between the kitchen and the bar.
Following his gaze, she looked toward the window and locked her eyes on the man working in the kitchen.
An older gentleman, perhaps in his mid-fifties.
Surly and dirty looking, with a deep scowl on his face that made him look like every villain she had ever seen on tv.
Clearly, the man wasn’t happy working behind the greasy cooktop.
“Looks like he’s having a hard day,” she muttered, bringing her coffee to her lips.
“Hard day? Nah, I wouldn’t worry about him. Tony’s life isn’t too rough. Now his wife’s life, on the other hand...her life is the hard one,” he stated, his voice low so only she could hear.
“What do you mean?” she asked, leaning in to listen.
Shrugging his broad shoulders, he placed his mug on the tabletop and eyed his love. There was a method to his madness. Hopefully, she would take his bait. He would love to see her play again.
“Well, you see. Tony has a little bit of a drug habit, but not a lot of money. So, when he can’t get his drugs, he likes to take it out on his sweet wife.
He’s put her in the hospital six times already.
Cops want to lock him up, but she’s dropped the charges every single time.
Says she loves him too much and that he will never do it again.
It’s a lie, though and everyone knows it.
Tony’s never going to stop beating her. She’s going to die soon, Sweetheart. He will kill her next time.”
Ohhhh, he beats his wife? Did you hear that? Something ought to be done about this lowlife. Dontcha think? Nikki quipped from the back of her mind.
Frowning at her captor, she gripped her ceramic mug and slammed a mental door in her alter-ego’s face.
She knew exactly what they both wanted her to do.
She would be damned if she was going to fall for the sob story.
There was only one life she was going to allow herself to ever take, and it sure as hell wasn’t the cooks.
“Pity,” she muttered, taking another sip of her sweetened coffee.
Noticing her lack of enthusiasm, Kade pushed out a loud breath and leaned back in his seat. “Well, we’ll be here for a few days, maybe it’ll give us something to think about, huh?”
Replying with a shit eating grin, Lexi felt a surge of triumph as she watched utter annoyance dance across his face. He really thought one little mention of some random man beating his wife would make her revert to her old ways? Obviously, he didn’t know her as well as he thought he did.
“We’re only going to be here for a few days? So where will be headed next?” she asked, curious to know the agenda.
Chewing on the soft flesh of his inner cheek, Kade paused a moment and thought over his answer carefully. He knew he needed to be vague but didn’t necessarily want to lie to her. She did have a right to know what her future entailed.