“You look good,” Madison said, her eyes raking over his face.
“Likewise. How’s the family?” He was hoping to keep the conversation casual.
Her head tilted, her eyes softening, almost as though she was disappointed that he hadn’t laid on the charm. “As good as can be expected, I figure. It’s been a rough couple of years.”
The waitress appeared to take his drink order.
“Bud Light. Thanks.” Reese turned his attention back to Madison. “What’s been rough about it?”
“Restructuring.”
While Madison would share a tidbit about her family every now and then, she was always hesitant to talk about her family’s “business.” Being that they were a known criminal organization, not all their activities were aboveboard, and to protect them, she rarely spoke about it. Although he understood her desire to protect her family, Reese had never understood why she felt she had to keep it from him.
“So no turf wars?” he asked, hoping to lighten the mood and redirect the conversation.
Clearly that wasn’t the right question to ask, because Madison’s gaze hardened before she forced a smile. “How’re you doin’? Still working at the demolition company?”
The waitress returned with his beer, set the bottle on a paper coaster before inquiring about their order. Reese wasn’t hungry, but he didn’t want to make things awkward, so he ordered a chef salad and skipped the dressing.
“Still on your health kick, huh?” Madison teased.
He recalled how she’d always given him crap about his healthy eating habits. He’d never thought anything of it because she tended to eat the same things he did. Not like Brantley, who, if presented with the choice between a salad and a double bacon cheeseburger, would choose the burger ten times out of ten. And Brantley made no apologies for it either.
“All right.” Madison leaned forward. “What’s wrong? I thought you wanted to have dinner with me?”
Reese considered his response carefully. It hadn’t been that he’d necessarily wanted to, but he didn’t think that was the appropriate way to kick this off.
“I’ll take your silence as a negative,” she finally said, looking incredibly uncomfortable.
Exhaling, Reese propped his forearms on the table. “I’m gonna be honest. I don’t know why I came.”
Surprise and what might’ve been hurt glittered in her dark brown eyes. “No?”
He shook his head, held her gaze. “It was a spur-of-the-moment decision.”
Madison stared at him momentarily, seeming to study his face as though the answers would be there. “So you’re not interested in rekindling anything here?”
Reese didn’t even hesitate when he said, “No. That’s not my intention.”
Madison canted her head to the side, her expression shifting to curious. “Are you saying there is another woman in your life?” She laughed softly, her gaze dropping to the table. “I should’ve known. I mean, you’re a real catch, Reese. And it’s been so long. What we had was—”
“What we had was temporary,” he interrupted, not wanting her to make it into something that it wasn’t. He knew how easy it was to rewrite history, especially when it came to past relationships. Hell, he’d caught himself doing as much in recent months. Always when his anxiety levels were high, and he was trying to figure out why he felt unsettled.
Madison’s gaze bounced up to his face. “Temporary?” She nodded, skeptical. “I guess you don’t recall the proposal the way I do.”
Reese stared at her. “Maybe not, but I remember your rejection pretty clearly.”
Madison’s gaze dropped to the table once again. “About that…”
“No,” he said quickly. “That’s not why I came, Madison.”
Well, maybe it was, but now that they were discussing it, Reese realized he didn’t want to hash it out. It was the past, and it needed to remain there as far as he was concerned.
They were both silent for a moment, gazing around the space at the other diners. The restaurant was slow tonight. Only a couple of tables were occupied, mostly by couples with small children. Since it wasn’t exactly a date-night place, Reese figured it would remain that way.
“So who is she? The woman who’s made you forget all about me?”
Reese’s gut churned, and his mouth went dry. He knew the respectable answer was to say he wasn’t in a relationship with a woman but rather a man. It wasn’t a secret anymore. But it didn’t come easily for him, and that was what bothered him the most. He still didn’t understand how it had happened, much less how to explain it.
“I’m not—” Reese’s response was cut off by the crash of dishes.
He looked up to see their waitress had dropped a tray of food—likely theirs—and was staring wide-eyed at the door.
Reese followed her gaze, looked over to see two men brandishing weapons. Acting on instinct, he reached for his sidearm only to realize he didn’t have it on him.
Shit.
Keeping his cool, Reese sat up straight, continued to watch. He expected them to head to the register, which was a small booth near the exit where customers paid their bill before leaving. While he waited for them to demand money, Reese attempted to devise a plan.
The couple closest to the door moved, the woman grabbing the little girl, the man ushering the little boy behind him. The cacophony of silverware on dishes had disappeared, replaced by a few squeals and some panicked murmurs.
Reese kept his focus on the two men. Neither of them moved toward the register or even the kitchen. The two meatheads looked around the room, their weapons following their eyes, as though searching for someone. When their gazes stopped on Madison, one guy elbowed the other, pointing in their direction.
Son of a bitch.
“You expectin’ company?” he asked, keeping his attention on the big assholes now heading their way.
“What?” Madison glanced toward the door.
“Do you know them?” he asked quickly.
“Never seen them before.”
That didn’t mean a damn thing. More than likely these guys knew Madison Adorite. Or, at the very least, they knew her brother.
“There’s a back exit,” he told Madison. “As soon as I get up, that’s where you’re headed.”
“I’m not—”
“Shut up, Madison,” Reese snapped, glaring over at her. “You see all these people in here? They’re in danger because these assholes want you. That means we’ve got to keep this simple. I get up. You head for the door.”
Madison’s mouth opened as though she wanted to argue, but Reese cut her off again.
“No questions, dammit. Go outside. Find a place to hide. I’ll find you in a few.”
He could see the questions in her eyes, but thankfully, she didn’t voice any.
As the meatheads approached their table, Reese slowly got to his feet, stepping around so that he was between Madison and the two assholes.
It took a little finesse, but he managed to move, keeping her behind him as he positioned so she had a direct route to the exit door.
“Can I help you boys?” he prompted, his gaze shifting to the gun now aimed squarely at his head.