Page 7

Smiling, she writes my order down on her notepad before scooping up our menus and turning toward the kitchen. When I turn back to Smith, he looks like he wants to delve deeper into our conversation but I shoot him a warning look and he rolls his eyes as he pulls his phone out of his pocket. Relieved, I scan the dining room again, searching for our subject as I try to push thoughts of my least favorite person in the world out of my mind but even after all these years, she’s fucking relentless. Like a parasite that no amount of medicine can kill.

“So…” Smith starts and I shake my head, flashing him a look that makes it clear I’m done talking about this. He sighs as he leans back in his chair. “Dude, come on. How long has it been since she left?”

“This conversation is over.” I don’t want to think about how long it’s been since Piper destroyed everything we had and walked away from me or how empty my life has felt in the years since. She doesn’t matter to me anymore. Someone walks out of the kitchen and I glance over before nudging Smith’s foot with mine. “Look who finally decided to show up.”

Ben Girouard walks toward the register and smacks our waitress on the ass as he passes by her. Hatred burns in her eyes as she glares at him and I shake my head.

“What a pig,” Smith growls and I nod.

“I know but we need something concrete.”

Smith nods and pulls his phone out of his pocket, pretending to be playing a game as he begins recording Ben. We both watch him as he strolls right up to the register and opens it before pulling a couple of twenties out and shoving them in his pocket.

“Did Marina say anything about missing money?” Smith asks and I shake my head, disgust twisting my stomach as Ben shuts the register and starts walking toward the hostess who seated us.

“No, but she may not know.”

He nods. “We need to get Streak to dig into the restaurant’s finances.”

“Not that there will be much to dig into,” I reply, scanning the almost empty dining room. “My parents used to come here for their anniversary every year and they had to make a reservation like a month in advance. They said it had gone downhill but I didn’t realize it was this bad.”

The waitress walks out of the kitchen with a tray in her hand and Smith sits forward, tucking his phone away.

“Well, let’s see how the food is.”

“Here you boys go,” the waitress says as she stops at our table and sets a plate in front of each of us. “Can I get y’all anything else?”

Smith smiles up at her. “I think we’re good for now, darlin’.”

“Just holler if you need me,” she replies with a blush staining her cheeks and I nod as she turns and walks back to the counter. By the time I glance back at Smith, he’s already shoving a huge piece of lasagna into his mouth and I sit back with an arched brow to see his reaction. He chews for a second before his face contorts with disgust and I laugh. To his credit, he doesn’t spit it out but once he has forced the first bite down, he doesn’t take a second.

“That’s fucking terrible,” he whispers and I nod, combing through the noodles on my plate that look like they were cooked a week ago.

“Yeah, we should get pictures of this shit, too.”

He nods as he pulls his phone out again and starts snapping pictures of the food. “I gotta tell ya…”

His words are cut off by a crash from the kitchen and we both turn as Ben slaps one of the waitresses across the face. I’m out of my chair before I even realize what I’m doing but I don’t get far before Smith grabs my arm.

“Sit down, brother,” he hisses, his gaze flicking around the room and I do the same, deflating when I see the two other tables brave enough to risk lunch here, watching me. “We have to keep a low profile.”

I stare at him for a second before shaking him off. Everything he says is true but I also can’t let something like that just happen and not do anything. After charging across the dining room, I step into the kitchen and Ben turns to look at me. The man is a little pissant and I mean that literally since he just barely reaches the top of my chest as I glare at him. My gaze flicks to the blonde he hit.

“You okay, darlin’?”

She nods. “Yes.”

“You feel safe enough to stay here?”

“I…” Her gaze flicks to Ben and I notice her hands shaking before she turns back to me with resolve in her gaze. “Yes, I’m okay.”

“Guess what…” I say, turning back to Ben with my skin on fire and my fingers itching to wrap around his throat. I pretend to glance down at his name tag. “…Ben. You just made a new best friend.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

I take a step forward and flash him a menacing smile. “It means I’m going to be back here every goddamn day and if I ever see you put your hands on another woman, I’ll show you how it feels. Are we clear?”

“You think I’m afraid of you?” he sneers, crossing his arms and I glance around the kitchen as the three cooks and dishwasher look on with a mixture of amusement and trepidation. Fuck this little shit, thinking he’s a badass and hitting the women who work for him. Before he even realizes what’s happening, I sweep his legs out from under him, flip him on his stomach, and shove my knee against his spine as he screams.