I pushed my plate to the side and rested my arms on the table. “How do you know?”
He pointed behind Blue. “Because that lady in the red hat staring at us is a ghost.”
We all turned to look at the old woman sitting at an empty table and made no effort to be unobtrusive. Some of us outright stared.
“I’ve made eye contact enough times that if she thought we were alive, she’d be all up in my business, trying to get me to do her favors or contact a living relative.” Wyatt reached in his pocket for another candy. “At least they’re not bugging me. You know, this might not be such a bad deal after all.”
I jerked my chin at the candy. “Why do you keep eating those if you can’t taste them?”
Rolling the gumdrop between two fingers, he gave me an elfin grin. “Because I can.”
Gem’s eyes widened. “That’s not fair!”
“Calm down, glitter girl. I can’t taste my chicken-fried steak or french fries, but for whatever reason, these candies are bursting with flavor. I brought them with me to the party since they always serve those pretentious snacks. I guess whatever we have on us stays with us the way we remember. I keep eating them, and the fates replenish my supply.”
“Gimme!” Gem cupped her hands.
Blue and I also reached out for a piece. The cinnamon made my mouth water, and the orange was pleasantly sweet.
“How is everything here?” Betty gave me a skeptical look after noticing our uneaten dinners.
Still chewing my candy, I looked up at my favorite waitress. “Everything’s incredible, Betty. It really is. We just have a lot to talk about, so I think we’ll need containers to take it all home. Is that all right?”
She put her hands on her plump hips and shook her head. “That’s the first time I haven’t seen your plate licked clean in five minutes.”
Blue chortled.
I made small talk with Betty, asking about all her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. But she seemed distracted.
“Are you having man trouble?” she finally asked. “That must have been some wild party tonight. Shame on him for ignoring you in that dress.”
Wyatt didn’t even try to hide his laughter. In fact, he choked on his candy.
“No man trouble,” I assured her.
She slowly swung her gaze to Christian, all the way up at the front. Then back to me.
“We’re waiting for someone. He’s keeping an eye out.”
She tapped her pen on the table. “Would you also like a box for your bologna? Be right back.”
“I can see why you come here a lot,” Blue said with a snort. “I love her candor. She reminds me a little of your father.”
When Shepherd, Niko, and Claude strolled into sight, Viktor pushed his wooden table next to our booth and made sure we had enough chairs. Christian remained up front, ensuring our privacy.
“Niko!” Gem twisted in her seat and reached for him. “I was so worried something terrible happened to you.”
When he neared the booth, she gripped his arm. They shared a private exchange while Shepherd claimed the chair at Viktor’s table and sat next to Blue. Claude rounded to the other side and sat between Lenore and Wyatt. Before taking a seat at the far end of the table, Viktor used a napkin to wipe the water that had dribbled off his glass.
We were all studying Shepherd’s face for answers. Aside from the chair legs scraping on the floor, the only other sound was a worker singing in the kitchen.
Shepherd lit up a cigarette, took a drag, and stared at the tendril of smoke that rose from the end. “He’s not letting go of my kid. He wants insurance that we won’t blow his ass up, but he messed with the wrong guy.”
“He is a smart boy,” Viktor assured him. “Very smart boy. I am relieved to hear he is okay. Rest assured, Hunter will do what he is told.”
Niko’s hand ran along the back of Shepherd’s chair until he found the empty seat across from Lenore.
“What about Kira?” Blue asked. “Is she still alive?”
