Chapter 3

Isat with a hand on my belly, satisfied and full from an actual meal for the first time in a long while. Elijah sat next to me with a crooked grin on his face as he had another beer with Mr. Mike.

They were talking about sports or something—nothing I knew I’d have an interest in—but that was usually part of Elijah’s ploy. Befriend the person he’s going to rob; it was the only way he’d make them feel comfortable enough to stay near enough to us so he could act on it.

Using the tabletop, I sat up and attempted to excuse myself, but Elijah grabbed me by the wrist and raised an eyebrow.

“Where are you going, Mais?” he asked. The tone of his voice was confident, but his eyes burned with concern. He always had a fear that I would leave him somewhere, but now that I had him again, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to bear such a thing.

“To the restroom,” I told him with a slight smile. The answer was enough to relax his grip on my wrist. When he finally let go after a few more precious seconds of staring into my eyes, I bent down and gently kissed the tip of his nose.

“Don’t be gone long,” he called after me when I turned to walk away. I nodded without a backward glance. I knew that he would need this time to ensnare Mike, and I honestly did have to use the restroom.

It was the proverbial two birds with one stone, and Elijah was now David attempting to slay his latest Goliath.

I stared at my reflection while wondering how I let things get this far. I could have recounted my steps, retraced all of the things that went wrong, and they all led back to my love for Elijah.

But I knew what we had was pure, and we didn’t care what anyone else thought—we were careful and kept our secret safe.

Buried deep in our souls where it belonged.

Our love was cruel and evil.

It was something no one would understand, but we didn’t care because it was ours.

With a sigh, I turned the knobs on the faucet and splashed some lukewarm water onto my face. Since I didn’t know how much of a mess Elijah was planning to make, I needed to make sure I had my wits about me.

I ran my damp hands back through my hair before I walked over to the paper towel dispenser and activated the motion sensor.

I ripped a piece off and glanced in the mirror again as I began to dry my hands.

I never could figure out what Elijah saw in me, but I assumed that it had to be something.

Maybe it was an invisible bond.

Maybe he felt sorry for the way that I had been treated for loving him so deeply.

Either way, Elijah Young deserved better than me. I wished every morning that, it would be the day he finally found it.

Then, I’d get my hug and finally be able to go into a deep sleep.

With a sigh, I tossed the crumpled up paper into the trash receptacle before I walked out of the restroom.

My companion was already thirsty for Mr. Mike’s blood, and he was going to indulge.

With or without me.

I forced a smile onto my face as I walked down the aisle and around a waitress. She returned the kindness with her eyes and a quick nod, but it wasn’t her that I had been smiling for.

It was him.

“Mike said we can get dessert if you want, Mais,” Elijah informed me as I sat back down next to him.

I looked up at Mr. Mike curiously.

How much money did he have on him that he was willing to spare no expense for two strangers who he assumed were no danger to him at all?

Maybe Elijah pegged this one right.

Perhaps Mr. Mike would be the last one and then we’d be able to live quietly for a while in one of those cabins he told me about.

While I was still a little hungry, I wasn’t sure it would be the best idea to stay in a place where so many people had already seen our faces.

We would easily be identified as the last people seen with Mr. Mike, and that would bring us more trouble than a slice of cake would have been worth.

“I think we should get going,” I finally said in a quiet tone.