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“Double talls,” Linc said to Nell. “Coffee. Chocolate times two.”
“Anything for you, sweetie,” Nell said.
She looked at Nova and smiled, then walked away.
“Did you order for me?” Nova asked.
“Tall stack of pancakes,” Linc said. “Comes with bacon. You’re already drinking coffee. And don’t tell me for a second you’re now one of those who refuses to drink milk. Especially chocolate milk.”
You always knew how I liked breakfast.
Nova wanted to speak those words. Before she could, Linc pulled himself from the booth.
“Stay here, darling, I’ll be right back. Have to talk to someone.”
Just like that, Linc hurried toward the door and was outside the diner. Nova watched as some man in tattered clothes, scratching at his right elbow took one look at Linc and started to run off. Linc caught up in a second and kicked the man in the butt. Literally.
The man fell to the ground and Linc proceeded to stomp on the man’s back, working up to his head. Linc paused as the man pleaded. Linc grabbed the man’s right arm and twisted it.
“Refill and some advice to you?”
Nova turned her head and Nell stood at the table.
“Sure,” Nova said.
Nell leaned forward and filled Nova’s coffee cup. Nell’s boobs poured out of the top of her shirt, which was kind of unavoidable since Nell had some acreage on her chest. Nova felt completely insecure with what now seemed like boring old C’s.
“Looks worse than it is out there,” Nell said.
“I haven’t seen him in a long time,” Nova caught herself confessing. “Last time was…”
Nell grinned. “They all change. And they never stop. I feel like women grow older and wiser. We become ourselves. We appreciate ourselves even though we are taught by society to hate ourselves. But men? They can’t settle. They’re always on the move. On the hunt.”
“He’s beating the crap out of that man,” Nova said. Her voice felt empty, saddened. “The guy looks homeless. He can’t defend himself. Is that a fair fight?”
Nell leaned down again. Hello, boobs.
“That man is a junkie,” Nell whispered. “That man broke into my uncle’s store and stole money. That man followed one of the waitresses here home and tried to do stuff to her. That man can’t keep a needle out of his arm. Linc and the others? They don’t tolerate that. They make the laws. They make the rules. And they serve up their own version of justice. You either get it or you don’t. Like I said, looks worse than it is. I mean, once you know…”
Nell walked away.
Linc returned a few seconds later, stopping at the counter for a towel, handed to him by Nell. Linc cleaned himself up the best he could and returned to the booth. His eyes were darker now. Meaner. Evil enough that for a second Nova felt unsure of Linc.
Nova waited for Linc to talk about what just occurred. She actually wanted to hear what he had to say. She wanted to hear his version of things and know that her first crush, love, her first everything was an outlaw with some kind of boundary and not just a total psycho.
“Nick show up yet?” Linc asked, bypassing any attempt at a conversation about him beating up that guy outside.
“No.”
“And you have no idea where he could be?”
Nova shook her head. She picked the handle on the coffee mug in front of her.
“You have to give me something here, Nova,” Linc said. “Before we attempt to get into this.”
“What does that mean?” Nova asked.
Nell came to the table carrying a tray.
