by Amelia Shea
“I hope I didn’t scare off your company,” he smoothly said.
Sadie looked at his chiseled face. She shook her head. She didn’t know why he was there. He didn’t look dangerous or scary but she couldn’t find her voice to say anything. A little embarrassment rolled through her as she recalled her behavior last night. Sadie did it to piss off Stone and she didn’t think she would ever see this guy again.
“Good. I don’t want to interrupt your day. I just wanted to talk if you could spare some time for me?” He stared at her again, waiting for her to answer but she remained mute.
Sadie nodded again. He must have thought she was an idiot.
He let out a chuckle. “Okay, well, seeing as how this conversation will be one sided; I’ll just get on with it. My name is Ethan Barrett. I am a colleague and friend of the men you met the other night. Stone, T, and Bogs? You remember I’m sure?
Sadie nodded again. She pulled her feet underneath her and sat on them. She leaned her elbow to the left and rested it on the arm of the chair.
“Very well. I’m going to get straight to it. I know what you witnessed, Sadie. And while I am very sorry you saw what you did and all the circumstances that occurred afterward, I want you to know, it’s not what you think. I own Garrison Bail Bonds in Houston. Do you know what a Bail Bond is?”
She nodded. “Is that what Stone does? Bail Bonds?” she asked quietly.
Ethan shifted in his seat, shaking his head. “Stone and T, they run an associate company, Garrison Securities Group. Do you know what a Bounty Hunter is?
Sadie nodded.
“Well then you know it’s their job to find people. We work together to retrieve those who have jumped bail. That was what happened on Monday night. The guys were there to apprehend a fugitive. In the process of apprehension, it was the man who pulled out the gun and shot. Stone struggled to get the gun away and it fired. That man, who is a wanted criminal, shot himself.”
He settled back into the chair and waited for her to roll it over in her head. Everything he was saying made sense. Sadie didn’t witness the man being shot. It could very well have happened exactly the way Ethan was saying it did. She tried to block her worry that Stone could have been hurt. He wasn’t her concern and didn’t deserve it. But if what Ethan was saying was true, the aftermath didn’t make any sense.
“Why didn’t they just tell me that then?” Sadie asked somberly.
He leaned forward again with his hands clasped in front of him. He nodded and sighed. “This job was a rather unique situation. Usually, there is a plan for these apprehensions. We map out every possible scenario so no one gets hurt. Unfortunately, we were not allotted the planning process time. And this particular case was to be done with complete anonymity. I can’t give you the details and I am sorry for that. No one could know that he was in our custody.”
“They threatened to kill me.” Her tone rose in anger.
He held up his hands in a surrendered pose. “Truthfully, they panicked. I understand that in no way excuses their behavior but I’m hoping it explains it. Their tactics, which I agree were extreme and uncalled for, were meant to scare you, not harm you. I assure you, Sadie, you were never in any danger from my men. We are the good guys.”
“Stone told me if I told anyone he’d come back for me.” Sadie watched Ethan closely.
He nodded. “Yes, he did, another scare tactic. He couldn’t risk you going to the authorities. I wish I could give you the answers that you deserve but for your own safety, I cannot. You have my word; we’ve done nothing wrong or illegal. The man we apprehended was a very bad man, Sadie. It was imperative that we got him into custody and off the streets. My only regret is that you were affected.” He seemed genuinely sorry. His answers didn’t seem rehearsed but it was as if he knew what she was going to ask even before she asked it.
Sadie nodded one last time. It was a lot to take in. His explanation made sense. She had no reason not to believe him. It was a case of the wrong place wrong time.
“Why you?” She didn’t explain her question. He knew she was asking why he came to talk to her instead of Stone.
“I usually handle the people aspect of the job. We all have our roles in the companies, this one just happens to be part of mine.”
“What about the others, what do they handle?”
“Well, Bogs is our tech guy. He’s phenomenal with computers. He should have been a professional hacker.” He laughed and she smiled. Ethan had a great laugh. “Stone and T handle the apprehension part of our job. They are licensed PI’s with Garrison Securities.”
“So, why was Bogs there then, if he’s just the tech guy?
“As I said before, this was an unusual assignment. And don’t let Bogs hear you call him ‘just the tech guy.’”
Sadie let out a small laugh.
“I hope I’ve eased your mind. If I’ve answered all your questions, I’ll get going so you can get back to your day.” He smiled as he gazed down at her book.
Sadie looked over at her current read. The cover was a shirtless tattooed guy on a motorcycle with a woman in a bustier draped all over him. Her face burned—this was so embarrassing. She loved her “dirty girl” books but it had always been a private guilty pleasure.
Ethan stood up and adjusted his coat. He really was handsome with his chiseled face and blue eyes. She checked out his hands. No ring. He must have had many women vying to be his. He probably dated supermodels. Stone probably dated models, too. He wasn’t the classy hot guy like Ethan but she had always been a fan of the rugged type anyway. The thought of Stone prompted one last question.
“I have one more question. Is Stone always such an asshole?”
He burst out laughing. “He has his moments.”
He was still laughing as he walked closer to her and extended his hand. She took his hand. Sadie found herself laughing a bit too.
“It was nice to meet you, Ethan Barrett.”
“The pleasure was all mine, Sadie Wallace.”
“And I should apologize for the display I put on last night. I’m not really like that, I just…” Sadie stopped and inhaled a deep breath. “I don’t know why I acted like that,” she lied. “If I made you feel uncomfortable, well, I am really sorry,” she finished, feeling like a complete idiot and glanced down at the dirt.
“Sadie?” She looked up and he had a heated glimmer in his eyes. He leaned closer to her. “No need to be sorry, I’m not.” Charming was the only word to describe Ethan Barrett. He winked at her and slowly released her hand. Damn, the man was sexy.
After Ethan left, she went on a run. Running always cleared her head. She went over everything he told her. She kept trying to find loopholes in his story but she couldn’t. Sadie knew he didn’t tell her everything but he claimed it was for her own safety, which she appreciated. Still, she was left with a nagging feeling that something didn’t add up. She just couldn’t figure out what it was. Sadie could usually tell when someone was lying. They would fidget, lose eye contact, sweat, and stutter; Ethan didn’t do any of that.
Maybe her nagging feeling was disappointment. Chances were she wouldn’t see Stone again. It was just as well. She didn’t need him or his judgment anywhere near her. This was what she kept telling herself. She never wanted to lay eyes on him again. Except in her dreams, of course.
*
Those dreams were interrupted three hours later by her boss Bernie. She was in the middle of a fantastic dream. She was with Stone on a beach, naked, with waves crashing in the background. He was kissing her and his hands were all over her. His lips were on her neck and his hand was trailing down her bare stomach. His light touch caressed below her belly button moving downward, a little further, almost to her… Cue the blasting ring tone. Bernie. He needed her to change shifts and come in at seven instead of ten. She was pissed at the interruption; it was just getting good.
The only good thing about the interruption was that she would be off at two in the morning. She hadn’t been home that
early on a Saturday night in a while.
Her shift started with Kate, and three hours into it, Melinda came in. She hadn’t seen her since the bathroom incident the other night. They hadn’t been scheduled together since. She tried a couple times to engage Melinda in conversation but she just busied herself with customers and cleaning tables. She was embarrassed.
After two hours of awkwardness, Sadie decided to rectify the situation. Melinda was changing over pots at the coffee station when Sadie walked up beside her and blurted out,
“I once gave head to Tyler while driving down Main Street!”
She clanked the two pots together almost dropping one and whipped her head in Sadie’s direction. Her eyes widened with shock. Sadie nodded vigorously.
“I swear, true story. I was out with Tyler and he told me he’d never gotten a blowjob while driving and it had always been his fantasy. I thought it was kind of sexy so I did it. Well halfway down Main Street, blue lights start flashing and Tyler tells me we are being pulled over.”
Melinda started laughing, “Oh my God! What happened?”
“Officer McCarthy pulled us over. He said Tyler was swerving in the lane, gave him a Breathalyzer. I think he knew what I was doing but he didn’t say anything. Even now whenever he comes in for coffee, he gives me a disapproving look.” Sadie snorted and rolled her eyes.
Melinda burst out laughing. It took some time for her to reel it in. She wiped her tears from laughing so hard. Sadie reached out and rubbed her hand on Melinda’s shoulder.
“You’ll get no judgment from me, Melinda,” she stated with complete sincerity.
Melinda nodded and pulled her in for hug. “Thanks girl!”
Sadie pulled back and scrunched her brows. “Did you just thank me for giving Tyler head on Main Street?”
She howled out laughter as Sadie walked away.
It had been a long night. She was counting down the minutes until she could leave and head home. Sadie had a cheap bottle of wine and a tray of enchiladas she made earlier waiting. It was just her and a video this Saturday night. She wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Go on, sweetheart, it’s been a long day. A couple minutes isn’t going to make a difference,” Pearl said while passing by Sadie.
“Yeah head out, girl, we got this,” chimed Melinda.
Sadie looked around the diner. It was quiet, only a handful of customers.
“All right, thanks, ladies!”
She headed back to the break room and grabbed her bag. She counted her tips and separated Juan’s share on her way through the kitchen.
“Later, Willie.”
He grunted. “Later.”
Sadie pushed through the swinging doors and halted.
Walking through the entrance was Stone, T, Bogs, and the same girls from the other night. The girls were laughing at something Bogs said. Pearl walked up to the register and grabbed some menus.
“Follow me,” she said.
She watched as the redhead grabbed Bogs’ hand and trailed behind still giggling. T walked behind them next to the blonde. She was saying something Sadie couldn’t hear. She was using her hands and obnoxiously waved them around. Sadie was surprised she was able to move in her outfit. She had a tight black dress on and five-inch heels. She watched T. He looked bored.
When she didn’t see Stone follow, her eyes darted back to the door. He was still standing at the entrance, staring at her. His eyes were serious. His face was hard; she thought he might be clenching his jaw. His eyes skimmed her coat and bag. He looked pissed. He looked mad to see her. What did he expect? She worked there.
From the corner, Sadie saw Blondie shaking her ass as she neared Stone. She wrapped her arms around his waist and smiled up at him as he gazed down. Sadie was sure he was getting an eyeful of boobs that were about to explode out of her two-sizes-too-small dress.
“C’mon, sexy, everyone’s waiting,” she said in a ridiculously sultry voice.
She looked over to Sadie and gave her the once-over. Bitch! Blondie cocked her brow and turned her attention back to Stone.
“Feed me, lover, and I’ll make sure I give you dessert later.”
Sadie was pretty sure she just vomited in her mouth. Gross.
He gave Blondie a grin and wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they walked toward their table. He didn’t even glance back at Sadie while she watched them go. Before they got to the table, his arm lowered down her back until his hand landed on her ass. Jealousy escalated. She didn’t even know where the jealousy was coming from. Stone wasn’t hers, obviously. She continued to watch. Her eyes were glued to his hand on Blondie’s ass until he pulled it away when they took their seats. It was then that she realized the rest of the group was watching. The redhead was smirking. Girls were good at reading each other. She knew Sadie was jealous. T had his head down in the menu while Bogs was wide eyed and amused.
Humiliation washed over her. She must have looked ridiculous. She was standing there like a love-struck jealous idiot. Sadie almost didn’t even recognize the girl she’d become in the last week. She promised herself after Tyler that she would stay away from guys like him. Guys like Stone. She heard laughter coming from their table again and glanced back over. Blondie was wrapped around Stone’s arm giggling. She glared at Sadie over her shoulder as she snuggled closer.
She just wanted her life to go back to the way it was. Life before Stone and all this bullshit drama. She used to be able to blend in and fade everyone out. But with Stone, she couldn’t. Her face burned with dread. She felt a hand on her back; she turned to see Melinda at her side.
Melinda looked over to the group and back to Sadie and whispered, “Screw them, Sadie. You’re better than that whole table put together.” She sent a serious glare back to the group.
She nodded and gave her best effort at a smile. “Yeah, screw them,” she said in a low voice with less conviction than Melinda. “Thanks.”
Melinda nodded and pushed her toward the door. “Get going, girl. Be safe!”
She walked to the door and tried not to look over to see Stone. But she failed. Sadie gave them one more glance as she opened the door. Only one set of eyes were on her and she was surprised at whose they were. T was looking right at her. He wasn’t laughing or smirking. He almost looked sympathetic, if that look was even possible on his hard face. He said something to Stone who was seated across from him. His head gestured her way and Stone turned.
****
“She gone yet?” Stone asked T, who was sitting across from him.
T looked over Stone’s shoulder. His expression was hard. He looked back to Stone and gestured to Sadie while staring at him. “No but she’s ready to bolt. You want her to stay away, bro, I think you just succeeded.” T turned his focus back to his menu.
Krista was cuddled up to him and he allowed it. He knew it was childish but he was pissed at Sadie. Coming in to find her leaving should have been a relief but it wasn’t. He wanted to see her. He never intended for Krista to pull that shit but he had been mad that Sadie was leaving so he went with it. Dick move again.
Stone glanced over his shoulder and expected to see Sadie angry. He could see her jealousy before when Krista came on to him. Of course, him being a prick, he fed into it to piss her off. He was such a bastard. He stared at Sadie standing at the door. He was waiting for her to flip him off and storm out the door but she didn’t. She just stood there. Stone watched as she let out a sigh and gave him a small smile. He straightened in his chair as he became fully aware that all traces of jealousy were gone and her brown eyes were now left with only hurt. Fuck! He liked her jealousy but what he was seeing now, the look in her eyes, that was breaking him. He took in a breath and turned in his seat to face her. She tilted her head to the side, gave him a small shrug, pushed through the doors, and made her way out to the parking lot.
He turned back to the table and shook off Krista’s embrace. He met T’s eyes. His eyebrows shot up in question. Stone had fucked up again, all because he c
ouldn’t get involved with her. And he couldn’t. His job wouldn’t allow an outsider to get too close. He had to keep her away from him, even if that meant being a jerk to her. His mind knew he had to stay away but his heart wanted to protect her and stand by her. After reading her file, he wanted to punch something or someone. And now he’d done the same thing everyone else in her life had done. He hung his head low.
“Are you okay?” Krista asked in a sugary tone that had Stone raising his head and glaring in her direction. She shifted her seat and glanced away. He looked over at T. T cocked up his brows again in question. “What are ya gonna do?”
Stone jumped up from his seat and stormed to the door without a word to the group. Everything in his head told him to “sit the hell back down and let her go, she’s not yours.” But his heart gave a big “Fuck you!” to his mind. All those smiles he had seen her give to others, he wanted them. Her laugh that he’d heard when she was joking with customers, he wanted that. The easiness she had when talking with the other waitresses, he wanted that. He wanted it all. He was done trying to stay away. He wanted her, needed to be with her. Fuck what was right!
He pushed through the door and made his way around the diner to the side. He saw her fumble in her purse and pull out her keys. She hadn’t noticed him as he walked over to her car. She dropped the keys and bent down to grab them. Stone stopped next to the passenger side door looking over to where she had disappeared. She popped back up and was just about to unlock the door when she saw Stone standing across from her, only her car separating them. His sudden appearance caught her off guard and she jumped back. She stared at him with wide eyes. She looked like a deer caught in headlights, startled and so damn cute. Her hair whipped into her face from the breeze and her small hand tucked it behind her ear. There was an innocence about Sadie that drew him in. The first time he walked into the diner, her body, all tits and ass was what caught his attention. It’s what caught every guy’s attention. But it was her face and those doe eyes that brought him back day after day. When he finally got to see her smile, he knew she had ruined him for any other girl. Thick full lips, smiling and sweet eyes, laughing, he was done. Now, he was left to wonder when he’d become such a fucking pussy.