Chapter One

"Jesus, man, could you have picked a better place to eat?" Caden asked. He looked around the room. The walls were a dingy tan, and he didn't know if that was the color or if they hadn't been washed in a decade.

Macy laughed. "Yeah. Probably. But I like the atmosphere."

Caden rolled his eyes, picked up a menu, and tried not to cringe at something sticky on the plastic. He reminded himself he'd eaten slop, MREs (Meal Ready to Eat when he was in the military), and even bugs when he'd been desperate.

"What can I get you today?"

Caden looked up at the waitress. He immediately suspected something was off. She was attractive, but he just knew she could be beautiful. She wore makeup caked on, and he wondered if she was trying to hide something or just didn't know how to put it on. He had no idea how long her hair was because she'd tied it into a tight bun. The color was dark and red, and he was curious to see if it was dyed and what it would look like down.

She wore a waitress uniform, but it was at least two sizes too big for her small frame.

His curiosity started to grow. He hadn't realized he'd been staring until he heard a snort from Macy.

He caught the discomfort in the woman's eyes that she tried to hide.

"I'm sorry, Miss," he said. "What do you recommend?"

She looked surprised. "The BLT sandwich is good for lunch. If you want dinner, I'd recommend the meatloaf."

"Good. Thank you. I'll take the meatloaf."

She nodded and wrote it down before she turned to Macy and took his order. They both asked for coffee before she scurried off.

"What do you make of that?" Caden asked.

"What? The fact that she's making herself look drab? It's interesting. She didn't like your attention but tried to hide it. I think we pick up on the little things like body language because we're Dom's."

Caden nodded. "You're right about that."

"What are you going to do?" Macy asked.

"What do you mean?"

Macy snorted. "Are you going to find out what's going on with her?"

"Not right now. We just opened the club, and we're so busy."

"I'm in the same boat as you, man, and I have Cat. It works. You just figure out what works for you, and it's not like you're running the club by yourself."

Caden grinned. "That's true. Having four guys own the place keeps us from having to spend all our time there."

"Here's your coffee. I'll bring out your food in a bit."

"Thank you." He stared at her as she walked off to take care of another table. She seemed to be a nice person, but she never smiled, and she looked pale and very tired.

"I'd like to know her story," Macy said.

Caden nodded. He was getting to the point that he'd need to know, or it would drive him crazy. They finished their meals and stood to pay the bill. He looked around for their waitress but couldn't find her.

He stopped another waitress and looked at her name tag. "Connie, do you know where our waitress went?" He was frustrated because his waitress hadn't been wearing a name tag, so he had no idea what her name was.

The woman sighed. "Probably one of her other jobs."

"She has more than one?"

"Yes. Because she has to take care of herself and her brother."

He detected the anger in her tone. "You don't like him?"

"No. He's a lazy, abusive bastard."

"They live together?" Caden asked.

"Yes. He won't let her move out because she takes care of everything. To my knowledge, the man hasn't had a job besides selling pot in his life."

"Why is she putting up with it?" Macy asked. "Is the brother a minor?"

Connie snorted. "No, he turned nineteen not long ago. Their mother died over four years ago, and since Bella was eighteen, she was able to take in her brother so he didn't have to go into foster care. He was fifteen at the time. She's been working several jobs to support them."

Bella. That was her name. It suited her. "That would make her about twenty-one?" Caden asked.

"She just turned twenty-two a week ago," Connie said. "That girl will die from exhaustion if she doesn't get rid of her brother."

Caden hated the thought of never knowing Bella.

"Your check is at the cash register. I'll help you."

"Thank you." Caden and Macy followed the woman, paid, and found themselves out on the sidewalk in front of the diner.

"What do you want to do?" Macy asked.

"Find out more about her."

"How are you going to find out anything? The waitress shut up when you asked her about the other places Bella worked and lived. They won't tell you anything. I doubt she'll open up to you if you see her again."

Caden nodded. She was definitely closed off. "I'll think of something."

Macy nodded and walked toward his truck.

Caden would find her. His curiosity was beyond reason, and he knew he'd just obsess about it until he had all his questions answered.