by Aubrey Rose
“Well, I thought seeing as you couldn’t have coffee with me earlier, I was hoping maybe you could now?”
“But I’m working...”
Stuart smiled hopefully.
“Maybe you’re due for a break?”
Ellie cast a glance back over her shoulder at the rest of the diner. It wasn’t particularly busy, since the lunchtime rush had come and gone. It probably wouldn’t matter if she took a five minute break and it would at least give her the opportunity to figure out why he was being persistent in the first place.
“Fine, but it can just be five minutes.”
Stuart nodded at her, his grin growing wider.
“Coffee, is it?”
“Yeah, and maybe if you have any of that apple pie left?”
Ellie grinned. “We might have a little left over after lunchtime.”
She turned and headed for the kitchen but she was distinctly aware of Stuart’s gaze as he seemed to study every move she made.
Pushing into the kitchen, Ellie paused and leaned back against the doors. Clearly she had just lost her mind—there couldn’t be another excuse for her behaviour.
Ellie had been so sure she’d made up her mind about Stuart and seeing him just that morning at Grey’s estate should have simply been the icing on the cake that sent her running in the opposite direction. And yet here she was planning on having coffee with him.
“Tony, is it OK if I take my break now?”
Ellie grabbed a plate and cut a large slice of apple pie fresh from the oven. It smelled heavenly and she was half inclined to cut a piece for herself. But if she did that then Stuart would probably get the wrong idea about her comfort level.
No, it was better to keep everything as uncomplicated as possible.
Ellie smothered a giggle as she realised she’d just convinced herself that a slice of pie would complicate her life.
“It’s fine, Ellie, just don’t make it a long one. I need you in here to prepare for the dinner rush.”
She nodded and plopped the plate down onto the tray nearby along with two cups. Effortlessly she carried the tray out through the swing doors, grabbing a coffee pot as she passed it on the way back to Stuart’s table.
She set everything out before she hesitated and stared down at the place where he expected her to sit.
“I promise I won’t bite,” he said, as though aware of her inner turmoil and indecision.
“I didn’t think you would,” Ellie answered as she slid in across from him.
She reached for the coffee pot but Stuart’s hand was there before her own. The feel of his fingers as they brushed against hers made Ellie jump. She whipped her hand back fast enough to send her cup spiralling over the edge of the table.
Stuart’s hand was there before it hit the floor.
“I’m so sorry, I don’t know...”
He cut her off as he replaced the cup on the table top.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s a way for me to keep my reflexes sharp.”
The grin she was coming to love spread across his face once more.
When she reached for the jug of coffee once more Stuart didn’t interfere. She watched him from beneath lowered lashes as she poured the dark, rich-smelling drink into both cups.
“Did you get the job with Grey?”
Ellie couldn’t help bringing his name back up. She liked Stuart but the more time he spent with Grey the less she could trust him.
“Yeah,” he answered before pushing a forkful of apple into his mouth.
She watched as he nodded around a mouthful of apple pie, an appreciative sigh escaping him.
“This is so good!”
He mumbled around the crumbly pastry and sweet apple filling, making Ellie laugh.
“It’s one of our best sellers.”
“I can see why.”
There was a moment of silence and Ellie struggled for something to say. She’d never been very good at the whole small talk side of things and the simple fact that she liked Stuart complicated things further.
“Does it bother you that Grey hired me?”
Stuart’s sudden and very blunt question surprised her and Ellie struggled to keep the look of shock from her face.
“Why would it?”
Stuart shrugged and took a long gulp of his coffee.
“There’s something going on between you two. I’m not sure what exactly, but it’s definitely there.”
“There’s nothing between Grey and me, nothing but hatred...”
“Hatred? Isn’t that a little strong? Surely something happened to bring about such strong feelings? You don’t just wake up one day and hate a random stranger.”
“It’s not something I want to talk about,” Ellie answered, her tone curt and irritated. He was probably just here as a way for Grey to figure out how best to silence her.
“Look, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you...”
Stuart started to speak but with a wave of her hand Ellie silenced him. She stood and reached for the cup of coffee she had poured for herself.
“It doesn’t matter. This was a bad idea...”
The bell over the door jingled, drawing Ellie’s attention.
She turned as Ricky stepped inside and Ellie gasped.
One of his eyes was so badly bruised it had closed over, the blackness of the mark in stark contrast to the pallor of his skin. A jagged cut split his lip and with the way he stood favouring his ribs, Ellie knew the bruising on his face wasn’t the only injuries he’d sustained.
“Ricky!” she called out to him, instantly moving towards him. Her arms outstretched, she caught him as he slumped against one of the booths.
“What the hell happened?” Ellie whispered to him, suddenly aware that every eye in the diner was fixed firmly on them.
“I didn’t get out of town...”
His voice was hoarse and Ellie could see the pain on his face as he tried to speak around the cut on his lip.
“Who did this to you?”
“Who? You know who, Ellie. I told you this would happen... The only reason I’m here is because I got away.”
He coughed, a sudden spasm of pain rumbling through his body. He collapsed forward, and Ellie and she knew he had passed out. It had obviously taken every ounce of strength he had to get this far. She tried to hold him up but Ellie wasn’t strong enough and he slipped from her grip and down towards the ground.
Stuart was suddenly there, his strong arms wrapping around Ricky, propping him upright.
“Where do you want him?”
His expression was grim and very serious as he held Ellie’s unconscious brother in his grip.
“Out back...”
It was the only place nearby that Ellie could think of. Everyone in the diner had seen Ricky’s arrival and the whispers and sideways looks told her that they’d heard everything he’d said before he passed out.
Stuart didn’t hesitate. He lifted Ricky as though he weighed nothing at all and Ellie gasped. Stuart looked strong and she’d noticed the muscles beneath his dark t-shirt but it wasn’t until he picked Ricky up that she suddenly realised how powerful he truly was.
She followed him as he made his way towards the kitchen door.
Kelly appeared in the swing door, her smiling expression slipping away as she saw Stuart barrelling towards her.
“You can’t come back through here...”
“Hold the door.” Stuart barked the order and Kelly instantly obeyed, moving out of his way as she pushed the door wide.
Ellie moved up alongside him and directed him through the kitchen to a door that stood off to one side. It had once been the staff break room but now they mostly stored their bags and coats, preferring to take a break in the main area of the diner where there were always people around to talk with.
Ellie pushed the bags and bits of discarded clothing from the bench, making room for Stuart to put Ricky down.
“What the hell are you involved in? Who is this?”
Stuart’s tone was harsh as he gestured to Ricky. Tears instantly sprang to Ellie’s eyes as she tried to bring Ricky around.
“He’s my brother. You wouldn’t understand, no one would. I’m not sure even I understand the half of it...”
“Ellie, this is serious. Your brother has taken a nasty beating but if what he says is true...”
“That he got away?”
Stuart nodded and remained silent as Ricky moaned and stirred.
“Ellie, where the hell am I?”
He struggled to sit up and cried out, clutching suddenly at his ribs.
Ellie lifted his t-shirt and gasped. His chest was a mass of purple and black, each breath he took lifted his chest but one side lifted more than the other.
“Don’t.”
He tried to push Ellie’s hands away, his expression dark as he fought against her.
“Ricky, what happened? You have to tell me?”
“Why do you care now? You didn’t last night...”
His voice was filled with bitterness and Ellie flinched back away from him as though he had slapped her.
“I’ve always cared. Every time something happened I was always the one there to help you, to bail you out.”
“So what changed last night then, Ellie? Because you made yourself perfectly clear that I shouldn’t bother to rely on you.”
“How can you say that? You tell me you’re caught up with Grey, after everything he’s done to this family and I’m not allowed to have a moment to be upset? You knew what Grey was like, you knew how dangerous he was...”
“I thought he had done the same thing to Melanie that he’d done to you...”
Ellie stumbled back from her brother, an icy feeling filling her chest, choking the air from her lungs.
“Why would you think that?”
The words left her in a rush of breath as her heart raced in her chest.
“She told me about what he’d done to her, the way he’d tried to...”
Ellie cut Ricky off, clamping her hands over her ears. She had her own nightmares to contend with, the last thing she wanted to hear about was the things Grey had done to some other naive fool.
“Ellie, she’s gone. She stole something important from Grey and now she’s gone, disappeared...”
Ellie slowly let her hands drop from her face but she couldn’t form the words to ask Ricky what he meant by disappeared.
“When you say disappeared, what exactly do you mean?”
Stuart, who had remained silent during the entire conversation, finally interjected, his voice making Ellie’s heart skitter in her chest in a way that had nothing to do with her fear of Grey.
“She’s gone. I tried to find her after I saw Ellie last night. I was going to confront her about landing me in it with Grey... There was a place we’d agreed to meet but when I got there...”
Ricky broke off and dropped his face into his hands.
“I’ve been such a fool, Ellie. I thought she was playing me but now I know she wasn’t.”
“How do you know, Ricky?” Stuart pressed, his voice low and filled with authority. It was the type of tone that if he were asking her the questions she’d have gladly given up every secret she’d ever had.
“When Grey’s men picked me up, they knocked me out while they were transporting me but I came round right before we got there. I was looking for something to help get me out, you know like maybe I could find a weapon or something but instead I found...”
He choked off and Ellie could see the horror reflected in his eyes. She wanted to say enough was enough, she wanted to tell him that he didn’t need to say it aloud, that they’d heard enough.
But Stuart wasn’t done.
“What did you find, Ricky?”
“I found her earring! There was all this sticky stuff and hair, except I didn’t know it was hair at the time until they opened the trunk and I could see. When they did I could see it all, it was all over my hands because I’d been scrambling around looking for a weapon. As they pulled me out something bit into my hand and when I looked down there was a tooth...”
He raised his hand, the small puncture on his palm giving credence to his story.
“She’s dead. I know she is and now they want to kill me too...”
“We need to get you out of here. Everyone in the diner watched you come in and it won’t take long for word to get back to Grey.”
“But how? I mean where can he go? There’s no money...”
The helplessness of the situation closed in around Ellie and she struggled to breathe.
“It’s fine, I know somewhere. Can you walk?” Stuart leaned down, holding his hand out to Ricky.
“I appreciate it and everything, man, but I don’t even know who you are. How do I know you’re not just going to send me back there?”
Stuart shrugged. “You don’t know but what other choice do you have? If you stay here, Grey will come for you.”
“Ricky, go with him, he’ll keep you safe.”
“How do you know? Who is he?”
Ellie shook her head and stared up into Stuart’s dark eyes.
“If you hurt him I will hunt you down and make you pay.”
She levelled her gaze at Stuart putting every ounce of authority behind her voice. Despite who he worked for, despite what should have been common sense telling her she was mad, she trusted him.
She couldn’t explain it but there was something about Stuart that told her he could be trusted. Of course it didn’t make any sense, and if she had to explain it to anyone they would tell her she was mad.
And maybe they’d be right but it didn’t change the fact that Ellie felt she could trust him, more than anyone else in her life.
“I’ll keep him safe, I promise.”
“Don’t I get a say in this?” Ricky piped up.
“No, you don’t. This family has been torn apart enough by Grey Mattheson. I’m not going to let him get you too.” Ellie turned on her brother, placing her hands on her hips as she spoke. It was all true. Mattheson had taken enough from them all. It was time it came to a stop.
“I can walk,” Ricky said, addressing Stuart’s earlier question.
Ellie watched as he struggled to push up and off the bench he sat on, beads of sweat breaking out across his forehead.
Stuart held his hand out and Ricky finally, reluctantly, took it, letting Stuart pull him up onto his feet.
“Please keep him safe,” Ellie urged as she followed their staggering progress out to the back of the diner.
“I will,” Stuart said over his shoulder, a smile curling his lips in a way that made a dimple appear in his cheek. Ellie wanted to reach out to him, to brush her fingers against the small indentation. But instead she knotted her hands into her apron and watched them both leave.
CHAPTER NINE
Stuart pulled the car door open and helped Ricky into the front seat. From the moment he had left the diner the feeling of someone watching him had grown stronger and he couldn’t help but wonder if the drive would be an uneventful one.
Sliding across the bonnet he tugged the driver’s door open and hopped in behind the wheel, his movements fluid as he pushed the key into the ignition and gunned the engine. The old Ford Mustang roared to life and tore out of the parking space, kicking up dirt and gravel as the wheels spun searching for purchase.
The moment the tyres caught, the car surged forward taking them out and away from the town.
“I really appreciate you doing this but if you want to just drop me at the first gas station outside town, I can find my own way. I’ll never tell Ellie.”
Stuart cast a sideways glance at Ricky as he struggled to settle the seatbelt across what he assumed were broken ribs.
“You might not tell her, but I’d know, and anyway, I’m not taking you out of town.”
Stuart spun the wheel, taking the car up onto the Cliff Road and out towards the large mansions that overlooked the sea.
“You work for him, don’t you?”
Ricky’s tone was one of resignation.
“Do I really look like one of those goons?” Stuart said, not sure if he should feel offended or not. After all this was the second time he had been accused of working for Grey. Granted, this time it was true, but there was no way people were guessing based on the way he looked. As far as Stuart was concerned there was no way he was similar to Wilson.
“It’s not so much how you look, more that you have this air about you...”
Stuart kept his gaze trained on the road.
“What does that mean? And no, I’m not taking you to Grey, so you can relax and put the blade back in your pocket.”
“I don’t believe you.”
Ricky pulled the knife all the way out of his pocket and held it gripped tightly in his bruised hand.
Stuart shrugged and kept the car moving in the direction he wanted.
“Turn the car around and take me out of town or I...”
Stuart cut him off with a laugh.
“Or you’ll what, Ricky? You’ll stab me, and I’ll send the car careening over the edge of the cliffs? You’re not that stupid.”
“I won’t go back to him, I won’t give him the satisfaction of finishing the job. I’d rather go on my own terms.”
“I told you, I’m not taking you back to Grey. I am, however, taking you to the one place in this godforsaken town where you’ll be safe.”
“And where is that?”
Ricky’s voice was heavy with sarcasm as he stared out at the high iron gates and tree lined avenues they whipped past.
“My brother lives out here. Riley Reynolds. I’m going to take you to his place. Nobody is getting in there, you’ll be safe and I’ll have kept my promise to your sister.”
The road grew steeper, the twists and turns more pronounced with each house they passed.
“You’re a Reynolds?”
Ricky sounded genuinely surprised.
“Yeah, I’m probably what you’d call the black sheep of the family. I never really fit in with the whole money side of things.”
Silence greeted Stuart’s answer and he concentrated on the road ahead. He checked the rear-view mirror, keeping track of the car that had followed them at a distance since they had left the town.