by Liv Bennett
“What do you want me to tell her? You texted me. I met you at Macy’s underground parking lot. I sucked your dick. We fucked, and that’s the end of it.”
I jerk my head toward Lena and shuffle a step back, bumping against the wall. Her words sound every bit as vile and corrupt as she is.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Austin’s growl seems to shake the entire room. “That’s not what happened. You’re lying, Lena.”
“You wanted me to tell her what happened. I told her. You can’t deal with the truth? Well, that’s your problem, not mine.” She starts spinning on her heel, a smirk on her lips as she looks at me.
“All right. That’s it. You’re fired,” Austin says, fighting hard to keep his voice low. “Collect your stuff and get the fuck out of my restaurant.”
Lena cranes her head over her shoulder to send Austin her trademark smirk. “It’s not your restaurant. It’s your father’s. Besides, you can’t fire me for telling the truth. I’ll take your sorry ass to court.”
Austin shakes his head with a defeated, bitter smile. Lena knows exactly how to hurt him—just mention his father’s success over his. “I’m not firing you for this. I have surveillance footage of you dealing cocaine to the patrons. You’ll get serious prison time if it ends up with the police.”
That shuts up Lena for good. Her eyes wild with outrage, she stalks toward the door and shoots me a glare that shows the deep, dangerous layers of her true self. In different circumstances, where she wasn’t trapped, I have no doubt she’d run her long nails down my face.
“If I were you, I’d be careful crossing the streets,” she warns me before she dashes out.
Jesus Christ. What’s wrong with her? I realize every fiber in my body is trembling with shock. She claimed Austin’s family was in the drug business while she herself was actually guilty of the same crime.
Austin comes beside me and closes the door. “Don’t believe her. She’s lying,” he says with the shaking voice of a crushed soldier.
His heartbreak is palpable in his big blue eyes that glisten with tears that he’s struggling to hold back. I can see he’s dying to reach over and touch me. I know because I feel the same yearning to feel his skin against mine, to have the heat of his body to warm me up from the inside out, to embrace him and tell him everything’s gonna be all right.
Watching him hurt kills me. I can’t shut off my emotions for him, can’t ignore my heart racing whenever he’s around, my own body aching for him…with him.
“I believe you,” I whisper, hesitant yet hopeful. “But, it’s beyond that.”
How can I possibly tell him by making himself my alibi for the night of Fran’s murder, he became the top suspect in my eyes. If he’s indeed the murderer, the odds of me seeing the morning sunrise will plunge to zero. If he has nothing to do with the murders, my suspicion will put an irrevocable end to whatever we have going on between us.
So, I lie. “What’s happened with my sister and Fran has been too much for me to deal with. I need time to heal. I can’t do it when I’m with you.”
“That’s bullshit. Tell me what’s really bothering you.”
“No, that’s all. There’s nothing else.” I can’t look him in the eye. My fingers are fidgeting. Even a stranger could see through my lie.
“I don’t believe it. You let me take care of you up until yesterday. What changed? Look, I want to be there for you. I want to protect you. A fucking murderer is on the loose. You can’t be wandering alone on the streets and staying at strangers’ homes. It’s not safe.” He looks like he has more to say but can’t find the right words. But, I know. He doesn’t want history to repeat itself. He’s scared of losing me too like he did Natasha Royal, his dead girlfriend.
God, how fucking hard this is! Risking becoming the biggest asshole in the world, I shake my head and reach for the door handle. “I can take care of myself. I’ll go back to the hotel. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.”
Without waiting for his reaction, I run out of the office and escape him.
Unlike his imposing entrance, his exit from the restaurant is hardly noticeable. Head hanging down on his chest, steps slow and quiet, his moves reserved, he steps out of the restaurant like a ghost.
The beaten sight of him breaks my heart. I can barely keep myself from running after him.
Erin approaches me, wincing, as soon as Austin is gone. “Lena’s firing wasn’t good. She wasn’t the greatest to work with, but she could manage tables like no other. We’re down to two employees. There’s no way we can wait all the tables.”
“I know. Isn’t there anyone interested? The pay is competitive.”
“Not at the moment. Since Ruby Evans’s death, no one new has applied, and all the previous applicants said they weren’t interested anymore. This is bad. This is really bad.”
Max comes to me when the last customer leaves. No wandering eyes, no chitchat, he even keeps a significant distance between us. “We’re closing early tonight. Please do come on time tomorrow. You’ll wait tables with Erin.”
“Of course.” I glance at the clock on the wall. It’s only nine thirty. Erin and I head for the changing room to grab our stuff.
“Are you staying at Fran’s friend’s place?” Erin asks as she slides into her blue leather jacket and wraps a black silk scarf around her neck. She listens to me while glancing down at the screen of her iPhone.
“No, she changed her mind after what happened with Fran. I can understand her concern.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” She nods and starts typing a text and looks up at me when she’s done. “What are you gonna do now?”
“I’ll go back to the hotel where I was staying.”
“Do you have enough money to pay for the hotel? You can ask Max for an advance if you’re short on cash.”
“It’ll just be a few days until I figure out a better solution. I just don’t want the stress of looking for a place right now. It’s been too much, you know?”
“Of course.” Erin offers to drive me to the hotel and stays with me until she makes sure I’m able to get a room. As soon as I check in and have the card key to my room in my hand, she starts toward the exit. “I should go home and study. I have a midterm early in the morning.”
“All right. I’ll see you tomorrow at work. Good luck.”
Her phone rings with a call, and she picks it up after she waves at me and walks out. As horrible as my day started, having a friend watching over me helps to relieve the heavy burden.
I hop on the elevator and find my room at the end of the hall. It’s a different room but on the same floor and has the exact same layout and furniture. I switch on all the lights in the room and throw my purse on my bed before heading to the bathroom for a shower.
Dark circles have formed under my eyes, and grease has gathered at the roots of my hair. A shower won’t do it. I need a long bath to help me with the trauma of the day. Running the hot water, I spurt the body wash into the bathtub and slide into it. As I descend into the scalding hot water, I can feel my muscles starting to relax.
Disturbing thoughts about Fran and Ruby rush back to me. I struggle to push them away. Will the police ever be able to solve their cases and catch the murderer? Even if they could, nothing will bring them back. Families have been ruined after their deaths, and a little girl is motherless now.
I stay in the tub until the water turns cold, my eyes closed. I rinse myself off with cold water and wrap a towel around me.
When I step out of the bathroom, the lights in the bedroom are off. Before I can remember if I left them off, hands reach around me from the side and cover my face with a wet tissue. My legs lose balance, and I can’t breathe.
I can tell the attacker is a man. He’s strong, his hands too rough for me to fight back. I fight, nonetheless. I run my nails down his hairy arms, kick his legs, and elbow his ribcage so I can free myself and get a glimpse of his face.
My eyelids slowly close; my arms lose their
resistance, and my consciousness starts slipping away. My towel slides down, and coldness takes over. Coldness and complete darkness.
The next time I wake, I’m staring straight into a murderer’s eyes.
-TO BE CONTINUED-
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About the Author
Liv Bennett lives in California with her husband. Reading and writing erotic romance are her favorite forms of relaxation, in addition to long walks and yoga. She's a social drinker of coffee, but a serious tea addict.
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