I walk out, no way am I degrading myself for my shifts. I need the job, but I will manage without it. I have some savings to last a week or two till I find another job if need be. Slamming the door, I walk back out to Lisa.
“What does he want?” she asks, staring at me worriedly.
“He is cutting my shifts because I wouldn’t blow him,” I whisper, and she frowns.
She knows what he is like, but mostly, he leaves us alone. He used to be only touchy-feely, but he has taken it to an entirely new level of disgustingness since his wife passed.
“So quiet this morning,” Lisa says, looking out the front windows.
I turn to look out and notice Orion glaring at the office door. His anger confuses me, as he shoots daggers at the door.
“Probably because they spotted the dark ones,” I tell her, taking my eyes off him and turning to Lisa.
She nods. “Yeah, I heard they destroyed the north side of the city. They need to just fuck off. This world is hard enough to live in without them killing everyone and destroying everything. I heard a hundred people died when the bank collapsed because of that psycho,” she whispers.
Suddenly, the office door opens, making us look toward the kitchen. Vick strolls out, a cruel smile on his face. He walks over to the register and retrieves the tip jar before walking out.
“Vick, that’s bullshit!” Lisa calls out to him, but he ignores her and keeps walking out. We both huff.
“Not like much was in it. I haven’t seen one customer besides him,” I say, looking in the direction of the man named Orion. Only, he is gone. I look around, but he isn’t anywhere. “Where did he go?”
Lisa looks up, noticing him gone too. She walks over to the table he was at before coming back.
“I have no idea where he went, but he left a $500 tip!” she says, waving the cash in front of my face.
I chuckle as I walk to his table to clean it.
Once he left, after an hour or two I notice the place was filling up with customers again. We’re run off our feet for most of the day. Lisa and I take turns cooking and serving, because the place has no cook after Miranda left. She was sick of Vick’s constant harassment.
By closing time, we both notice Vick never came back, which is odd, considering he always stops by before the dinner rush. When closing time comes, Lisa empties the new tip jar and gives me half of it. I place the cash in my wallet, toss it in my bag and help Lisa lock up the place.
Lisa catches a bus to and from work, which pulls up out the front as we walk out the door. “Shit!” she hisses.
“I will lock up,” I tell her.
She tosses me the keys and quickly races over, just before the doors shut. I pull all the shutters down and quickly place the padlocks on before locking the screen door. Once I am done, I turn around. It is dark now, seeing that it is nearly nine o’clock. Wrapping my arms around myself, I start walking. I have this strange feeling I am being watched, which makes me pick up my pace. I keep looking over my shoulder every few minutes, convinced someone is following me. When I come to the alley, I freeze, and look down at it. I look further down the street, deciding whether to take the shortcut or the long route, which will add twenty minutes. I opt for the streetlights, taking the long route. When my trailer comes into view, I start jogging, wanting to get inside to safety. Closing the door, I quickly lock it. The first thing I do is check the taps.
I do a little victory dance when I see the pipes are no longer frozen. Tossing my bag on my bed, I walk into the bathroom and turn the lights on.
My phone buzzes just as I am about to enter the shower. After letting the water heat up, I walk over to where I left my phone and pick it up. Vick has sent a text.
Going on vacation, you and Lisa will take over the cafe until I return.
Wow. To be honest, I am a little taken aback after the day’s events, and this message just adds to it. Yet, I am glad I won’t have to see him for a while. Lisa and I are more than capable of running the cafe. At least for now, we won’t have to put up with his sexual advances.
Sure, Vick, have a pleasant vacation. I reply, before dropping my phone on the bed and walking to the bathroom so I can have a shower.
Thaddeus
A week goes by. I sent Orion to watch over her, to find out more about her, yet each day, he comes back with the same answer – nothing.
He even tried to compel the girl, Lisa, I think he said her name is. Not even Lisa knows much about her, despite the fact that they have been working together for almost two years now.
All Lisa could tell him is that Evelyn lives in the trailer park a couple of blocks away from the cafe. Orion claims he pressed for more information, but all he got about her background, from Lisa, is that our mate just showed up in that cafe, looking for a job.
Her answers, and the reluctance, makes me wonder what Evelyn is hiding. And if there is anything Lisa is helping her to hide.
Orion managed to steal her keys while she wasn’t looking and already made a copy of them. So today, while Evelyn is at work, Ryland and I are planning to see what we can find out about her.
Watching Orion leave and waiting for his call to tell us she has arrived at work feels like the hardest part of this morning. But now that it’s out of our way, I grab my keys and walk to our apartment door. Ryland is straight behind me, following on my heels. Both Ryland and Orion are just as curious about who our little mate is, as I am. We all are eager to find out more about her.
Thankfully, it doesn’t take us long to drive to the trailer park. It looks abandoned. There’s nothing besides the few trailers that remain, and the front office. The entire place comprises of around twenty trailers, so finding hers is a piece of cake. I pull up and notice an old woman sitting out the front. I am sure she lives next door. That much is clear by how her eyes follow us as we walk up the stairs.