My gaze flicks to the windows surrounding me and I shudder as my phone rings. Slipping off the stool, I grab it out of my bag and make sure Reed isn’t looking before pressing it to my ear.
“Hello?”
“Hey, T. What are you up to?” Theo asks and I let out a relieved breath. I’ve been so fucking paranoid since that note showed up so it’s nice to talk to him.
“Not much. Just at work.”
“Oh, do you need to go?”
I shake my head, scanning the empty parking lot “Naw, I can talk for a minute. What’s up?”
“I just wanted to see how you are. My twin sense was tingling.”
I snort, slipping out from behind the counter and ducking into one of the aisles. “Your twin sense is broken then.”
“Or you’re lying.”
“I don’t think that’s it,” I lie, the high pitch of my voice betraying me.
“Start talking, Tate,” he orders and I sigh. I don’t want to tell him about the note because he will just freak out and there’s nothing he can do from all the way in Charleston.
“It just this guy.” It’s not a total lie and honestly, Lincoln has been haunting my dreams these past few days.
“Wait. The guy from Friday night? What the hell did he do to you? Tell me the truth, Tate. I’ll call my chief and get in the damn car right now.”
“Slow your fucking roll, Theodore,” I say as I roll my eyes. God, he’s so overprotective. “Do you honestly think he could do anything to me that I didn’t want him to do?”
“Then why are you upset?”
Sighing, I rub my fingers into my temple. “Because he kissed me.”
“And…you didn’t want him to…?”
“No, I wanted him to but after he kissed me, he just said “fuck” and “you should go” before stomping into his house.”
“I see,” he replies and I can tell he’s trying not to laugh. “And then what happened?”
“Then, I marched up to his door and tased his big, stupid ass before leaving.”
He starts laughing and he’s so damn loud that I have to pull the phone away from my ear.
“Of course you did. You better be careful or someone’s going to call the police one of these days.”
“Why?” I cry. “I don’t run around in the streets laughing and tasing innocent civilians. If I tase someone, there’s a damn good reason and they know they deserve it.”
“I’m just sayin’, sis.”
“Tate!” Reed calls from the office and I shrink down the aisle, covering my mouth and the phone with my hand.
“Hey, I gotta go. My boss just yelled for me.”
“Call me later, okay? I love you.”
I nod. “I love you, too.”
Hanging up, I slip my phone in my pocket and walk to the office, arching a brow as I stand in the doorway.
“Yeah?”
He tosses a notebook at me. “I need you to go in the back and do inventory.”
“On it,” I reply, snagging a pen off his desk. Maybe I should point out that this is his job but I’d prefer to be in the back room today. I haven’t been able to shake the feeling that someone is watching me since I started my shift two hours ago.
Once in the back room, I start going through the shelves and my mind drifts to Lincoln. I hate myself for it but I kind of miss him. Before Friday night, he would send me at least one text a day asking me how I was doing but my phone has been painfully silent since I drove away from his house. I guess I can’t be surprised though. If he wasn’t already thinking about ditching me, tasing him probably sealed the deal.
Whatever.
I don’t need him.
“So, Tate,” Reed says and I gasp, glancing up to find him standing in the door. “I was thinking about what you said to me last week. It was very disrespectful.”
“And?”
He takes a step toward me and I wish I had my trusty Taser in my pocket right now. “And I can’t have my employees speaking to me like that.”
“Maybe you should act like our boss instead of a prick, then.”
Another step closer and he wags his finger at me, chuckling. “See, there’s that mouth again. Why keep flinging barbs at me when I can think of such better uses for it?”
My brow arches and anger surges through my veins. “You mean like filing a police report on you for sexual harassment?”
“Who would believe you? I mean, with your past and all…” He trails off and my mouth pops open. “You see, one of my buddies used your services once and when he came in here to see me, he recognized you. I gotta say, though. You look better than any hooker I’ve ever seen.”
“I’m done,” I snap with a deadly smile on my face as I shove the notepad into his hands. This job is not worth the fucking trouble. I try to slip past him but he reaches out, wrapping his hand around my arm and I react without a thought, clocking him in the side of the head with my free hand. He blinks in shock and stumbles but doesn’t release me so I stomp on his foot with the heel of my boot and he shrieks in pain as my arm falls out of his grasp.
He limps after me as I jog to the counter and grab my bag from under the register. When he comes toward me again, I slip the knife out of my bag and hold it out in front of me. His hands shoot up in surrender and I circle around him until my back is to the door.
“You can’t just walk away from me, bitch,” he snarls and I smile, backing away from him.
“Fucking watch me, pervert.”
When I get to the door, I slip outside and walk to Mia’s car, keeping a firm grip on the knife until I’m safely inside with the doors locked. Sighing, I glance up at the gas station and relief washes over me knowing that I’ll never have to come back here.
* * * *
“Thanks for letting me borrow the car,” I say to Mia, handing her the keys as we walk into the restaurant where we’re meeting Willow and Lexi for lunch.
“No problem. What did you need it for?”
Sighing, I shake my head. “Lincoln invited me to his cabin over the weekend.”
Her eyes light up but she doesn’t get a chance to say anything as the waitress approaches us.
“Hi! Just two?” she asks.
“No, we’ve got two more coming.”
“We’re here,” someone says from behind me and I peek over my shoulder as Willow and Lexi walk up to us. Turning back to the waitress, I nod and she grabs four menus before instructing us to follow her. The girls are all whispering about something and giggling but I can’t be bothered to even pay attention. Not after this past weekend and yesterday when I quit at the gas station.
The waitress leads us to a table and sets a menu down in front of each chair as we all circle it, plopping down in a seat.
“Can I get y’all something to drink?” she asks.
“Coke, please,” Lexi says and the waitress nods before turning to Mia.
“Sweet tea.”
She turns to me. “Just a water, please.”
“And I’ll get a coffee,” Willow chimes in and the waitress flashes us a smile before turning to leave. Once she’s out of ear shot, all three girls smile at me.