Their presence commanded attention so effortlessly, and I couldn’t help but wonder why. But what was more disturbing was the fear etched in people’s gazes—staff and patrons alike.
They scanned the luxurious interior for a while before the manager approached them. Evenheseemed concerned—afraid—but he forced himself to stay composed. He welcomed them and led them to our finest table.
Whoever these men were, they must be important.
I didn’t take a good look at them, but one thing was for sure: They exuded quiet luxury, influence, power, and control. Crazy how everyone else in the restaurant knew who these men were except me.
“Hey, Audrey,” I called her softly, looking back in her direction. “Who are these people?”
She leaned in and whispered, “You don’t know?”
Girl, if I did, I wouldn’t be asking you,I thought, then replied, “No, I don’t.”
“Trouble,” she answered. “That’s what they are. You might wanna avoid their table, trust me.”
While we were still speaking, Derek, the manager, approached us at a hurried pace.
“Audrey!” he called her quietly.
“Yeah, I’m not doing that,” she murmured under her breath, then dematerialized without a trace.
Confused, I stood there, wondering what the hell was going on.
“Scarlett, where’s Audrey?” Ethan asked, halting before me.
“She…left…” I stuttered, unsure of what to say.
“No worries, you got this,” he said, glancing around.
“Got what?” I asked him.
He directed my attention toward where the men were sitting. “See that table over there? That’s yours tonight.”
My eyes flicked toward Damon and James at a distance, and they both shook their heads at the same time.
No,they mouthed, gesturing with their hands.
When Ethan turned toward them, they stopped, each pretending to be busy with something.
“Serve our guests with your usual grace,” he said to me, his voice low and almost suspicious.
In fact, everything and everyone around me was now suspicious.
He tapped my shoulder. “Play nice, and you just might earn the biggest tip of your life. Now, go.” He inched me forward.
I sensed the negative energy emanating from these newcomers as I drew closer to their table. I glanced back at Ethan, and he gave me two thumbs up with a weird grin on his lips.
I felt like the sacrificial lamb being given up to be devoured by a pride of lions.
The men were talking among themselves when I arrived at their table, notepad in hand and a courteous smile on my face.
“Hi, welcome to Josie’s,” I greeted them, my voice soft and polite. “What would you like to order?”
For a moment, silence fell at the table, and all eyes turned to me. Their gazes were intimidating, and I could feel fear slowly rising from my feet.
This was my job, and I was good at it—that said, I wasn’t going to let them intimidate me. They might be trouble or maybe even monsters, but here, they were nothing more than customers.
“What do you have?” one of them asked, his husky voice drawing my attention.
