My dreams used to be filled with hope and possibilities, a sneak peek into a desperately wanted future, but those kinds of dreams no longer came. Now whenever I closed my eyes, I was back in that room. I felt the chain gripping my wrist, the sweat trickling down my spine, and the all-consuming fear that took over my every thought each time I heard their footsteps coming down the hall. I always knew what was coming—the needle. At first, I’d tried to resist them, twisting and pulling against their grip, but it had only made it worse. They’d known how to cause pain without leaving marks: twisting a handful of my hair in their fist, forcing my arm behind my back, or delivering a painful jab to my abdomen. Eventually, I’d stopped trying to fight and let them shoot the drugs into my veins. It was absolute hell, and there was no escape, not even in my dreams. I tried to wake myself up. I tried to break the cycle, but I was trapped. I couldn’t pull myself out of the nightmare. Then, I heard his voice. It was soft and low, just barely a whisper, but it was enough. The dingy, old room with the putrid yellow walls and the dirty mattress started to fade. The overwhelming panic subsided, and I was finally able to let go of the fear. For the first time in weeks, I felt safe—I was safe, and it was all because of him.
The next morning, I pulled myself out of bed and rushed to the bathroom to take a shower. I was eager to start my first day of work. I turned on my shower and was about to undress when I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I was surprised to see a goofy little grin on my face. It’d been a long time since I’d had a reason to smile, but thinking of Nathan holding me in his arms until I was able to go back to sleep definitely gave me something to smile about. I was still grinning like the Cheshire Cat even after I’d gotten dressed and headed to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. Unfortunately, that giddy little feeling died a miserable death when I found Max sitting at the table.
He had to be furious with me. I’d heard Nathan arguing with him the night before, and I had no doubt that had only made him even more angry. I bit my bottom lip as I headed over to the counter and reached for the coffee pot. I almost dropped it when I heard him say, “Good morning, Ms. Carmichael.”
“Good morning, Max.” After I poured my coffee, I walked over to the table and sat down next to him. He looked up at me with a half-smile, and I knew I had to do it. “I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry about yesterday.”
“Okay.”
“Well… maybe I should clarify that a bit. I’m sorry that you got chewed out by Nathan, but I’m not sorry that I ran off without you.”
“Glad we got that cleared up,” he grumbled under his breath as he took a sip of his coffee.
“I really am sorry. I didn’t mean to cause you trouble, but the whole thing rubbed me the wrong way. Nathan never mentioned to me that he was going to have someone watching over me, otherwise I would’ve sorted it out with him.”
“I’m sure he figured you were used to it.”
“What does that mean?”
He leaned forward and studied my reaction as he asked, “You were one of the Satan’s Fury girls, right?”
“Not exactly.” I knew where he was going, and I tried to swallow my annoyance. “I worked there.”
“Okay. So, you worked there. However you want to say it, you were part of the club. When they ran into trouble or your safety was a concern, they had someone watching over you.”
“But that was different.”
“How?”
“The club was under attack… people were after them for one reason or another. They put us on lockdown or whatever because they didn’t want anything to happen to us.”
“It’s the same.”
“It’s not the same. Nathan doesn’t have people coming after him.”
“That’s not exactly true.”
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s not for me to explain, but I can tell you this: your safety is important to him, and it’s my job to make sure nothing happens to you. I plan to do my job and to do it well, whether you’re on board or not.”
“Why is he so concerned about my safety?”
“You’ll have to talk to him about that.”
I groaned as I rested my forehead down onto the table. “He isn’t exactly the easiest guy to talk to.”
“You have no idea.”
I looked up at him with my eyebrow raised. “Gee, thanks.”
“I’m just telling you the way it is.” He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “There are things you’ll have to get used to.”
“Fine.” My mind was spinning, and I just wanted it to stop. It was my first day at work, and I wanted to get on with it. I stood up and put my empty coffee cup in the sink. “I need to get to work.”
His lips curled into a mischievous grin as he snickered, “Ready when you are.”
“Of course you are,” I groaned.
Since I was in training, I knew I would be busy, especially in a place like West End. From the minute they opened their doors, the crowds steadily rolled in, and I was excited to have the chance to work there. More customers meant more tips, but it was more than that. I had money—plenty of money—but I hadn’t earned it. It was my parents’ money, the money they’d spent their entire lives working for, but I didn’t feel like I deserved to have it. My sister, Josie, had done the responsible thing by going off to college and preparing for her future, while I’d acted like a spoiled brat and run away from home. I’d made so many mistakes, but I refused to keep living in the past. One way or another, I was going to find a way to make them proud of me, and while I was at it, I’d find a way to make me proud of me.
Once I’d gotten my things, I headed back to the kitchen to find Max. “I’m ready.”
He nodded, and I followed him down to the car. He opened the door, and I slid inside. Seconds later, we were on our way to the bar. “How long is your shift?”
“He didn’t say.”
He reached into his front pocket and then extended his hand into the backseat. “Here’s my card. Just call or text when you’re ready for me to come pick you up.”
“You aren’t staying?”
He looked at me in the rearview mirror. “You’ll be safe here.”
“Okay.” I stepped out of the car and headed inside. I turned back towards the car and gave him a quick wave.
He waited for me to go in before he drove off. I was a bundle of nerves as I walked into the bar. Brooklyn was standing at the hostess counter with two of the other waitresses. One of them was blonde like her, but her hair seemed more natural and less processed than Brooklyn’s. The other waitress was tall with naturally wavy, brown hair and big, brown eyes that reminded me of one of my sister’s old China dolls. When Brooklyn saw me heading in their direction, she rolled her eyes and sneered, “She’s Katie’s replacement.”
I lifted my hand and gave them a half-wave as I smiled. “Hi. I’m Tristen.”
“Hey, girl. I’m Ava.” The curvy brunette smiled as she took a step towards me. “Come on.”
“Thanks, Ava.”
We’d only taken a few steps when Brooklyn shouted, “She’s yours for the day, Ava. If she screws up, it’s on you.”
“I’ve got it,” she shouted back. It was clear that she wasn’t Brooklyn’s biggest fan when she grumbled under her breath, “Fuckwad.”
When we got back to the staff room, Ava gathered up my uniform and showed me where to change. “Thanks for your help, Ava.”
“No problem.” She turned and started walking towards the door. “I’ll meet you out front by the kitchen.”
“I’ll be right there.”
Once I was done, I headed out to meet Ava. She motioned for me to do a full turn, then said, “Looking good.”
“You don’t think the skirt is too short?”
“Hell, no. Not with your figure. With legs like that, the shorter the better.” She handed me a note pad and started walking. “Today, you’ll be my shadow. It’s your chance to ask questions and learn what you need to know.” She looked back up front to where Brooklyn was still talking to the other blonde. “But tomorrow you’ll be on your own. Jada is off for the next couple of days, so Tony will want you serving. I hope you’re a fast learner.”
“I am.”
“Good. Now, let’s get to it.”
The next few hours were a complete blur. People just kept rolling in, and poor Ava never stopped moving. She was buzzing around from the kitchen to the tables to the bar and back again, and I started to worry that I’d never be able to keep up. She seemed to notice that I was getting a little panicked, so she stopped for a second to reassure me. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but it really isn’t all that bad. It’s all about timing. Once you catch on, you’ll be fine. You’ll see.”
“How long have you worked here?”
“A couple of months.”
I swallowed hard, trying to push down my anxiety, and smiled. “OK. Let’s do this.”
Things slowed down after the lunch crowd left, so Ava suggested that we take a quick lunch break. She grabbed us a couple of sandwiches, and since it was a nice day outside, we headed out to the front deck. As soon as she sat down, she smiled. “You’re doing great, by the way.”
“I’m not so sure, but thanks. I think I’m getting the hang of it.”
“You’ll do fine.” She took a bite of her sandwich and looked over at me, studying me as she chewed. “So, what’s your deal?”
“My deal?”
“You know… where ya from and all that.”
I hesitated for a moment. I wasn’t quite ready to tell the world about my fiasco with the cartel or how Nathan rescued me, so I avoided it all together. “Well, there’s not much to tell.”
“Somehow I doubt that.” She took a sip of her sweet tea and continued, “A chick like you definitely has a story.”
“I guess you could say that I’m a girl who’s made some stupid mistakes and is looking for a fresh start.”
“Hmm… sounds like some asshole did a real number on you.”
I nodded. “You could say that.”
Before she could respond, Tony stuck his head out the side door and yelled, “A big group just came in. We need you two out front.”
“We’ll be right there.”
By the time we got back inside, Brooklyn had already seated a large group of men in Ava’s section. Before we walked over to the table, Ava looked at me worriedly. “I’m gonna need your help with this one.”
“You’ve got it.”
We spent the next hour serving the group, making sure they had everything they needed. By the time they were gone, I was feeling much better about things. I’d caught on to the timing and had gotten into the groove. I even caught Brooklyn watching us from time to time, and I think she was surprised by how well I was doing. The dinner crowd came and went, and at the end of my shift I felt pretty confident. Once we got everything cleaned up for the night, I went to the back room to change and text Max. I was completely exhausted, so I didn’t waste any time. I grabbed my things and headed out front. I hadn’t made it far when Tony stopped me.
“Hey, how was the first day?”
“I think it went okay.”
“Ava said you did great. You think you can handle a few tables of your own tomorrow?”
“Sure.”
“Good to hear. I’ll see you in the morning.”
As expected, Max was waiting for me by the front door. As soon as I got inside the car, I leaned my head back against the headrest and closed my eyes. He was quiet on the way back to the condo, so I assumed his day was like mine—long and exhausting. When we got off the elevator, he smiled and said, “See you in the morning.”
“Thanks, Max.”
He waited as I opened the door and stepped inside. I was surprised to find that the lights were out and there was no sign of Nathan. I figured he’d gone to sleep, so I decided to do the same. As I got in the shower, I thought back on my day and was rather pleased with myself. I’d survived my first day and actually enjoyed it. With a smile plastered on my face, I changed into my pajamas and crawled into bed. I’d forgotten what it was like to be so happy, and I owed it all to Nathan. I turned to face my door, and before I realized what I was doing, I got out of the bed and started towards Nathan’s room. For reasons I didn’t understand myself, I wanted to share my day with him. I stopped at his door and raised my hand to knock, but as I stood there staring at his door doubt washed over me. It was late, he was probably sleeping, and he didn’t want to hear about my silly waitressing job. Feeling foolish, I turned and rushed back to my room. I’d just crawled back into bed, when I heard a tap at my door. Damn.
“It’s open.” My heart started to race as I watched the door slowly creak open and Nathan stepped inside. His hair was disheveled like he’d been sleeping, and he was wearing black pajama pants with nothing else. Holy hell. I’m pretty sure my entire body melted right there on the spot. I tried to fight it, but a little gasp escaped my lips as my eyes roamed over the muscles of his bare chest. I couldn’t have dreamed up a sexier image.
“You okay?” His voice was low and husky, sending little chills down my spine.
“Yeah. I’m fine.” I pulled myself up and turned to face him as I propped myself up on my elbow. “Did I wake you?”
“No.”
He walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed. When he didn’t say anything, I started to get nervous and began to babble. “I started my new waitressing job today. It’s down at the West End Bar and Grill. It’s a really great place, and I really like the people there. Especially Ava. I really like her. She was really sweet and showed me the ropes. I think it’ll be a really great job.”
“Really?” he teased.
“Yeah, I really do.” I giggled. “Sorry. I got a little excited there for a minute. It’s just so different from working at the clubhouse with all the brothers.” His eyebrows furrowed at the mention of the club. It was clear there were hard feelings there, even though I didn’t fully understand why. I didn’t like to see that look on his face, so I looked away as I explained, “I think it will be a good place to work.”
“So, how was it different?”
I told him about everything, from Ava showing me the ropes to serving our big group. He listened and asked questions, and while I was talking, he leaned back on his elbow and rested his head in his hand. It was easy and comfortable being with him, like we’d done it a hundred times before. I continued to rattle on, and the more I talked, the heavier his eyelids became and the lower his head drifted down on the mattress. I wasn’t ready for him to go, so I continued to talk about nonsense things, like my new nail polish color and the sandwich I had for lunch. As expected, it didn’t take long for him to fall fast asleep. I lay there looking at him, noticing how relaxed and peaceful he looked. Mr. Tough and Powerful was gone, leaving a completely different man who looked young and vulnerable lying next to me. Seeing him that way twisted my heart into knots. It was then that I knew I was in trouble. I just didn’t realize how much trouble I was really in.