by Melody Anne
They paused together as Joseph called Chef Nathan Lockwood, owner of Altura restaurant, and ordered the Anderson VIP treatment, no expenses or experiences spared. He gave the father’s cell number. Of course, there was zero issue of Joseph getting the bill. The chef had always been excited to work with Joseph, not because of the financial boon, but because they both enjoyed seeing people enjoy themselves. The chef promised to have pictures taken and sent.
“Upward and onward,” Joseph said as he hung up his cell. They were only a few steps up when a commotion at the top of the stairs caused them to stop. A couple of men who seemed to be in a hurry pushed through the crowd, one losing his balance. He began falling, rolling several times before crashing to a halt at Joseph and Katherine’s feet.
“Sir, are you okay?” Joseph asked, immediately kneeling to see how he could help.
The man groaned, then took Joseph’s hand, painfully rolling to his feet. As the man got upright, he readjusted his well-worn hat, pulling it tight and low on his head. As he continued to check himself he rolled his shoulders and shook out his body, testing to see if there were any injuries.
When the man made eye contact with Katherine, a startled gasp flew from her lips as her body began trembling. She stepped back, nearly tripping on the stairs as she slid behind Joseph, grasping his arm.
“What is it, love?” Joseph asked, instinctively reaching back and willing his body to expand to block her from any threats.
He turned slightly to see her face was white and tears were streaming down her cheeks — and not happy ones. Her breathing was rapidly accelerating as she tried to speak.
“It’s . . . oh my . . . it’s . . .” She gasped unable to get out the words.
“Please, darling, what’s wrong?” he begged, his voice calm, but just barely.
She took a deep breath. “Him. Joseph, it’s him. The one who attacked me,” she gasped.
Her words finally registered, and Joseph felt adrenaline shoot through him. He turned back to the man, and moved another half step, making sure his wife was fully behind him. Joseph had felt anger before, but never in his life had he felt rage like what he felt as he looked at the man who was still slightly disoriented standing only a few feet from him.
Without a thought, Joseph’s arm flashed in front of him, and into the chest of the man who had hurt his wife. Joseph’s adrenaline was at full tilt. As he started to pull the attacker down the steps, keeping himself between the scum and his wife, Joseph felt strength rejuvenate him as they landed at the bottom of the steps.
“Get off of me you old bastard,” the attacker seethed, while pushing at Joseph.
Joseph wasn’t letting go of the punk and was getting ready to swing when a commotion started around him. Looking over the man’s shoulder he saw Kevin making a beeline toward them. Paul had picked off someone else who was struggling against him. As always, his security was there and on point.
A new commotion started. The guy Paul was wrestling around with gave him the slip, and started running straight toward Joseph, slamming into Kevin’s back, knocking him forward. In that same instant the punk Joseph had a hold of gave a hard arm swing and was getting himself free when the friend got to Joseph. The attacker and his cohort worked hard to get free. Joseph held on with all he had.
And then everything went still.
There were two large men, who moved lightning fast, instantly disabling the creeps who’d been about to overtake Joseph. It went from utter chaos to eerie calm in the snap of two fingers.
Kevin and Paul stepped forward, looking from the two attackers to the new arrivals, not knowing where in the hell the threat was. Joseph wasn’t sure himself. It had all happened too quickly to comprehend all of it.
One of the men turned to Kevin, using his name. “Kevin, you and Paul need to get Mr. and Mrs. Anderson out of here, now! Go down the steps to the garage. A black SUV is in the first space, a driver waiting.”
Kevin opened his mouth to argue and the other man held up his hand.
“I know you want to argue, and I respect that. But we don’t have time. Chad sent us. We’re the good guys. We’ll take care of these men.”
All of the fight left both Kevin and Paul as each man nodded, then turned to Joseph and held out a hand. Joseph took Katherine in his arms and stepped into place between Kevin and Paul. The four of them quickly moved through the parting crowd.
Katherine was shaking in his arms with tears flowing down her cheeks. As they drew closer to their vehicle the adrenaline began draining from him and he replayed what had happened over the past ten minutes or so. It had seemed so much longer, but it had been over nearly as quickly as it had begun. Not only was his own security on the ball, but Chad’s men had been ghosts who were so efficient a bad guy didn’t stand a chance.
Images flashed through Joseph’s mind, and if he was recalling correctly from the one time he’d seen images of Chad’s elite group, the men who’d helped them had been Sleep and Eyes. They’d certainly knocked the men out with one punch each so maybe Sleep was named appropriately.
They reached their vehicle where a behemoth of a man was standing. He nodded at all of them. Kevin and Paul were reaching for their weapons. But the man didn’t move.
“Name’s Smoke. I’m here to drive you guys home. Kevin, you can ride with the Andersons so you feel more at ease. Paul, go grab the vehicle you came in. I’m part of Chad’s team.”
“How in the hell do we know that? How do we know any of you are with the team?” Kevin asked, keeping his body between Joseph and Katherine and the large man.
Smoke smiled as he looked at Joseph and nodded.
Joseph felt the rest of the fight leave him. “He’s part of the team, Kevin, and you’re getting a raise. I’m glad to have you on my side.”
With Joseph’s words, Kevin visibly relaxed, but was still on guard. Joseph had no doubt this man would give his life for Katherine. It was why he took such good care of the people he hired to look out for her. He wanted only the best and the most loyal.
Paul nodded at Joseph then walked to the other vehicle. Smoke and Kevin stood guard while Joseph and Katherine climbed inside. Only when Katherine and Joseph were secure in the back did they get in and start driving away.
“This day started so beautifully,” Katherine said as she buried her head against Joseph’s chest.
“We have people who care a hell of a lot about us,” Joseph said. “We have much to be grateful for. I’m sorry you just went through that, my love. The light at the end of the tunnel is that the man is now in custody. He will pay for what he’s done.”
Katherine didn’t say more as she nodded against his chest. He held her close. Two more criminals were off the street. Now, they needed to make sure they stayed off.
Chapter Five
Erin wiped the counter as she spoke to Mr. Thomas, a regular in the diner. It had been a few days since all hell had broken loose in this place that had been a home to her for many years. She looked around the room, and if a person hadn’t been there when the fight occurred, they wouldn’t even know something had happened. It was odd how something so life-changing could take place, and then be forgotten.
That happened much more than people realized. Look at 9/11 for example. The motto of that horrific day had been Never Forget. And the people of the nation had done incredibly well at respecting that day, respecting those families who had lost loved ones and coming together afterward. But a few years went by and then a few more, and slowly the day was being forgotten — not by those it was still directly impacting, but by those who were far removed from it. No matter the tragedy, its impact eventually did fade, it was a sad fact of life.
The bell over the front door dinged, and Erin felt her heart pick up its beat as Ben walked in. The smile he gave her as he strode forward, his steps confident and sure, his eyes on no one but her, sent a little thrill down her spine.
“Hi, Ben,” Erin said as he sat at the end of the counter. Her fingers shook as she m
oved in front of him. Why did this man have such an impact on her? She met all sorts of men working in the diner. Many of them hit on her, and she smiled, flirted a bit, and forgot all about them as soon as she collected her nice big tip.
But that wasn’t the case with this man. From the second he’d entered her diner, he’d fascinated her. Not only was he gorgeous, but his attitude also drew her in. He was confident, sexy, and had a close bond with his friends that drew her closer. She didn’t have many friendships, and she was always a little jealous of those who did. The way other people acted around you told a story of the kind of person you were.
Did that mean she was a jerk?
Maybe. She didn’t seem to attract people who wanted to spend a lot of time with her. Well, she hadn’t until this man had stepped through her door. She was used to being flirted with. She wasn’t, however, used to men coming back over and over again.
“Good evening, Erin,” Ben said. Before she could say something more, he held up his hand. “I have a confession to make.”
Erin had to fight her disappointment at those words. He was going to tell her he was married, but it was a terrible marriage, and he was only staying because of the kids, but he really liked her, and he promised he’d leave his wife soon if only she’d give him a chance. Yep, Erin had heard that line — three times now. What was it with creepy men and twenty-four-hour diners? She felt her armor lock into place as she stared him down.
“What is it?” she asked, her voice automatically colder.
His head cocked to the side as he gazed at her. “I’d really love to know what’s going through your mind right now because you just closed up tighter than Fort Knox,” he said with a smile. She didn’t return the friendly gesture.
“My name isn’t Ben,” he said after only a moment of hesitation. “I didn’t think I was going to do anything more than flirt with a very beautiful waitress, so I didn’t need to give you my name. But since I keep finding myself drawn back here, over and over again, I’d rather you know my name.”
He stopped speaking, and Erin wasn’t sure what she was feeling. They hadn’t spoken outside of this diner, and she knew she’d given out a fake name to people before. He was telling her the truth now before anything much had happened between them. She waited.
“Hi, I’m Steve, it’s very nice to meet you,” he said, holding out his hand.
He was letting her know that it was up to her if she was going to accept his peace offering. Erin normally had a good sense of humor, and she found it rising right now.
“Hi, Steve, I’m Erin,” she said, taking his hand and feeling that spark that seemed to ignite inside her each time their skin touched. “Is your next confession going to be that you’re married with a dozen kids and three wives?” she asked.
“Ah, that’s what was going through your head when the shutters came over your eyes,” he said with a chuckle as his thumb brushed over her palm. He hadn’t released her hand yet from their shake. She realized she didn’t mind the least little bit.
“I can honestly say I’ve never been to Utah. So nope, I don’t have multiple wives, not even one . . . yet,” he said with a wink. “And I pray to the heavens daily that there are no miniature Steve’s running around out there looking for me on Facebook.”
With that, Erin felt her armor fall away as she laughed. “I have to admit I like the stories of kids coming out of the woodwork, finding parents after living a full life, having no idea they had family out there. I have a regular in here who has three siblings. A few years ago a forty-year-old woman contacted their dad and said I think you’re my dad. They took all of the tests, and sure enough, he was her dad. Her mother had gotten pregnant in high school, told him the baby was gone, he’d moved away, eventually met his wife, and had a family with her. But now with all of this social media and genealogy testing, people are finding family they never knew existed before. It’s insane.”
“Now, you’re just trying to terrify me,” Steve said. She tested his name out inside her head and decided she liked it. “You look much more like a Steve than a Ben,” she told him.
“My mother would definitely agree,” he said.
“How are you feeling?” she asked. Of course she was referring to the fight from only a few days earlier.
His grin never faltered. “I have to admit I might be a bit sore. My old bones don’t recover quite as quickly as they used to. That fight was more of a workout than I’ve had in a while.” He stopped, reached up, and brushed her hair away from her forehead. “How are you feeling is the more important question.”
Erin’s smile grew. She knew, as well as he did, that her wound was about as superficial as a cut could get. The fact that he was asking, and that he seemed to truly care, showed her why she was attracted to the man. It had been a very long time since a man had been so kind to her — especially a man she was so damn attracted to.
“I don’t know. I could get a staph infection, or a new wrinkle from the horrific mark. But only time will tell,” she said as she sighed. They both laughed together.
“You surprise me,” Steve said. “Not a lot of people are able to do that. I can usually make a quick assessment of someone and they don’t change my opinion. Most women who witnessed what you saw would be seriously freaked out; they wouldn’t be cracking jokes.”
“I’ve found that if you don’t laugh at what you can’t control, then you’re going to be pretty dang miserable the majority of the time. I’d rather brush off the things I can’t do anything about, and focus on the things I can change,” she told him.
“If the rest of the world had that much conviction, we’d all be in a much better place,” he said.
“I agree.” Then she held up a hand before moving over to her coffee pot and grabbing it, filling a cup in front of him. She took out a piece of cherry pie, scooped a healthy dose of ice cream on it, and placed that down. He grinned.
“It looks like you’ve read my mind,” he said as he dug in.
“I’m just loosening you up. I want some answers,” she told him. He didn’t even blink as he waited for her to continue while he sipped on his coffee and ate his pie.
“First things first, where in the world did you learn how to fight the way you were fighting? Secondly, how in the world weren’t you seriously freaked out as five men came for you? And most importantly why did you ask your friends to step back? Was it a macho man thing? Do you have an ego problem? Or do you like to flirt with death? And—”
“Whoa, there,” he said, interrupting her. “That’s a lot of questions, and if you want any of them answered, you have to pause for a second.”
Erin met his sparkling eyes and found herself smiling back. She did tend to rant when she was curious about something. Maybe that’s why she wasn’t close to many people, maybe she never gave them a chance to have a back and forth conversation. She sealed her lips and waited. She didn’t say anything, afraid if she started speaking again, she wouldn’t stop and let him answer anything.
“First and foremost, I absolutely hate fighting. But, when people like those idiots cross a certain line, there’s no way I can be the man I am and not step up to the plate. I won’t allow them to get away with that kind of behavior.”
“What makes you the person who decides?” she asked. It wasn’t a mean question, it was curiosity.
“I was in the military for a lot of years. I received the best of the best of training in hand-to-hand combat though in my position I didn’t have to use much of that skill. I still wanted to stay sharp just in case.” His grin grew before he paused to take another bite of his pie. She waited. “Though I didn’t need my military training with those guys. Even a blindfolded monkey could’ve taken the drunk jackasses out.”
Erin laughed. “I wouldn’t have been able to,” she said. But he had a point. They’d barely been able to stand they’d been so inebriated.
“I think you’re a hell of a lot tougher than you think. You handled the entire situation quite impressively.�
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“Thanks,” she said, her cheeks heating. It wasn’t easy for her to take a compliment. She wasn’t sure why.
“As for why I didn’t allow help from my friends” — his grin grew — “maybe it was a bit of ego stroking. I know those four men are better fighters than I am, and will always have my back, but I took what the drunks were saying personally, and I wanted to handle it. If it would’ve looked as if any patrons in here were going to be injured, it would’ve changed the dynamics and they wouldn’t have hesitated to step in. None of us would put innocent bystanders in jeopardy just to prove a point.”
“You’re all big. The five of you sitting together is a bit of an intimidating sight,” she said.
He emptied his cup and she refilled it. “I’m not a humble man at all. I know what I’m capable of. But I know what they are all capable of as well. If I would’ve gotten into any kind of trouble, they would’ve made it look like Godzilla had just ripped through a house of cards. But those are truly my brothers and we have a code among us. We trust each other fully and we listen. I asked them to let me handle it and they respected that.”
“Do you guys work together? What’s your job?”
He didn’t even blink. “We’re just super tight friends. We also do some odd jobs together sometimes.” Then he utterly distracted her as he took her hand again, his thumb rubbing over the pulse in her wrist, which jumped up a few beats. She completely forgot she’d asked about his job.