He puffed his cigar. “You didn’t say ‘please.’”
“Don’t be crass.” She narrowed her eyes. “I never beg when I make demands. You’re intruding on our conversation withoutinvitation, without common decency, and soliciting for what I can only presume are nefarious acts.” When she raised her hand to flag the waiter, he gripped her wrist.
“Look here, you little cunt, you better get off that high horse of yours and show a little respect. Nobody talks to me like that. Certainly not a dime-store knockoff, has-been starlet who thinks she’s got a bigger dick to swing than me.”
She reeled back, but he didn’t loosen his grip. Without so much as flinching, Joy slapped him, her eyes wild with panic. “Get your hands off me! Don’t you touch me!”
When he jerked her forward, the table bumped and knocked a glass over. Two waiters appeared from out of nowhere.
“Not in here, you don’t,” one strapping waiter boomed as he severed the man’s grip. When the waiter held his arm, the man jolted as if electrocuted.
The cigar fell to the floor, and a waitress swooped in to pick it up. “I’m so sorry about that.” She took out her phone and made a call.
As I replayed those last few seconds in my head, I kept wondering why I’d just sat there in stunned silence. Why hadn’t I smashed a plate over his head or done something?
Deep down, a voice quietly answered,Because you don’t knowhowto fight back.
Joy scooted out of her seat and rubbed the mark on her arm. “We’d just like the bill.”
“Hold on a moment, please.” The woman smiled at us before speaking quietly into her phone.
“Are you okay?” I asked Joy.
Rubbing her arm, she blew out a breath. “I’m just rattled is all. The entitlement some people have is disgraceful. He could have really hurt me.”
After another minute, the petite brunette slid the phone in her pocket and faced us. “Your meal is complimentary. Pleaseaccept our deepest apologies for that incident. The owner has a zero-tolerance policy for violence against women in his establishment. Can I offer you anything to go? Coffee? More fruit?”
I shook my head at Joy.
After a deep breath, she replied, “You’re a darling for offering. Everything was delicious. And thank your friends for stepping in and doing something.”
The woman gave a curt nod as we crossed the room toward the staircase. Joy and I made it upstairs as fast as we could. When we entered the kitchen area and crossed to the front, several of the waitstaff opened the door and then escorted us to our vehicle. They even guarded our doors when we got into the green sedan, which worried me that the man might be lurking nearby.
She reached over and patted my hand. “I’m okay. I want you to promise me you’ll always be careful around men like that—ones who promise you money and success. Theyalwayswant something in return, and you never see what’s coming.”
My heart slowed to a steady beat. “I’m nervous about running the store. What if I have to deal with customers like him? I haven’t spent much time around other Breeds, and some of them are aggressive.”
“Some of them are old farts,” she said while pulling out of the parking lot. “I haven’t met a Mage or a Vampire yet whom I liked. Anyone who chooses immortality doesn’t do it for nobility. They want power. Centuries ago, they built armies and tried to erect kingdoms. Now they’re scavengers. They weren’t born into it like we were, and since they can’t have families, there’s nothing to ground them.”
This didn’t sound like the Joy I’d spent the past hour talking to—the one who had a maternal aura and was bubbly and kind. I realized there was more to this lady than met the eye.
“I don’t mean to scare you.” She glanced at the feathers swinging from the rearview mirror. “You just need to stand up foryourself, that’s all. Don’t let people push you around. It’s your store, and that means you make the rules. Look at me, all wound up over a silly man. Well, he’s not going to spoil your special day.”
After a brief drive up the road, we turned left into a parking lot. I blinked a few times, uncertain if she’d made a wrong turn.
“Who are all those people?” I counted eight cars in the parking lot.
Robyn and Mercy were standing with their backs to the building and waved when we pulled in.
I got out, recognizing a few faces from their pack. But then I noticed someone I hadn’t seen in a while. “Milly?”
The short old Relic walked over, her bobbed hair barely moving. “If I knew what was good for me, I wouldn’t wake up this early on a hot day. But here I am.” She gave me a tight smile. “Where are all these books I keep hearing about? I wanted to stop by before the vultures picked over everything. These people wouldn’t know valuable knowledge if it hit them over the head.”
I unlocked the door and opened it for her. “You go in first. It’s the least I can do.”
She gave my arm a squeeze before heading in.
Milly had done a lot to help me, and I owed her a debt of gratitude.
