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“Sure. I’ll be right back with your order,” she chirped then hurried away.
I removed the cell phone the gangster had been using to contact me on and placed it in the middle of the table. Part of me hoped it would ring again, while the other part prayed for it to remain silent. We’d gone about an hour of the instructed two hour drive east, so I knew he would be calling again soon with further instruction.
“I know it’s hard,” said X, “but try to relax for a while. Zone out, if you can. Switch off your brain. We all need that time out so we can concentrate better when needed.”
I knew he was right. I felt like I’d been on a constant rollercoaster, not just over the past twenty-four hours, but the past few months.
The waitress returned with our order.
The scent of the beef, onions, and relish made my mouth water, and I barely stopped to think before I picked up the food and took a massive bite. I couldn’t get the burger down quickly enough, only chewing enough to swallow, before taking another bite. Sitting opposite, X did the same, wolfing down his meal, barely taking a breath between bites.
I finished my food and took a long swig from my glass of water. The coffee was still too hot to drink.
I propped my forehead on my palm, allowing my eyes to slip shut. I didn’t want to sleep in a public place, but I remembered reading that even a power-nap could help improve alertness and concentration.
Perhaps I should have been more paranoid, but I knew X was watching over me, and no one would try anything under his steely blue gaze.
When I jerked awake, my coffee had grown considerably cooler, but X was sitting watching me.
“Better?” he asked.
I nodded, though I still felt foggy-headed. I was sure the fug would clear as soon as we got on the move again.
I drank the cooling coffee in a few gulps, and waved the waitress away when she appeared with the jug to pour refills.
“We’ll just take the bill, thanks.”
“Umm,” said X, his cheeks coloring in a way that did strange things to my insides. “Unless we plan on making a run for it, I hope you’ve got some money.”
I smiled. “You mean I’m paying? What kind of date do you think this is?”
“Vee, if I was going to take you on a date, I’d take you somewhere a whole lot nicer than this.”
“Yeah,” I said, warming to the topic. “Like where? Some big, fancy restaurant where I won’t know what cutlery I’m supposed to use first?”
He held my gaze. “No, I was thinking more a moonlit picnic on the beach. A soft rug on the sand, the waves lapping, a bottle of champagne being popped.”
“I prefer beer,” I said. “And it still sounds to me like you’re trying to get out of paying.” I teased him, though secretly his description warmed me. His idea of a date sounded perfect.
He laughed. “You’re a hard woman to win over, Vee.”
“Next time, try starting out with not being paid to kill your date.”
He nodded slowly, as if seriously considering my suggestion. “Fair point.”
Luckily, I’d grabbed a wedge of notes before leaving the house, and had stuffed them in the bag, together with the guns, which sat by my feet. I put some cash on the table, and we got up and left.
We went to where we’d left the truck, hidden around the side of the building. I was conscious of how much time had passed.
“It’s getting late,” I said as we approached the vehicle.
X nodded. “It’ll be dark soon. It’s better for us to wait until night anyway.”
“Why?”
“More cover. It’s easier to go unseen at night.”
“But they know I’m going to meet them anyway.”
