I laughed. “No, I wish. I’ve worked in restaurants since I left home, but I never got my GED....” I hesitated, not interested in bringing up bad memories to a stranger, but I also liked to ownwhat I’d achieved, even before Eddie. “I lived on the streets for a while and went into a shelter. Learned some skills and got jobs and a home. I pulled my life together. Now I want to further my education. I’d love to run a restaurant one day.”
“What about a café?” She gave me a gentle smile when I shot her a stare of disbelief. “Not yet, obviously. I’m looking at expanding, creating a chain around the city in the next few years. I have a couple of food trucks right now. I need people who are passionate about coffee and all things sweet. I could get you into this café with a job and pay a percentage of your training with an agreement that you’ll manage one of my shops for a few years.”
“You don’t know me.” I frowned. It wasn’t often a stranger gave you an opportunity out of nowhere. That type of interaction usually came with a catch. I wasn’t interested in falling into anyone else’s trap. I’d learned a lot because of the men on my list.
“No, but what I do know is what it’s like to have nothing and claw your way up. Come back from the dead. It ain’t easy.” She pointed at me. “You’ve also been here studying. You’re on a five-day streak. That tells me you’re committed and a hard worker. I’m good at reading people.” She took a seat next to me, and I watched her with interest as she held out her hand. “I’m Red.”
Hesitating for a moment, I took her hand and shook it. “Tyler.” I pursed my lips. “Not many people enjoy the way I look. They don’t want to be served by me. Most of my bosses put me in the back.”
She crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat. “Then, they’re assholes. You’re a person and you deserve to be treated with respect. Here at Grounds and Gears, we’re all about respect. I take care of the people who work for me. So, what do you say?”
Eddie had told me not to get a random job, to start a career, but this was a pathway toward that. If Red helped pay for mydegree, then it would be even better. Working in Grounds and Gears was an opportunity with experience.
I nodded with a grin. “I’d love to.”
We spent the next few hours talking about recipes and job perks and when I’d start. I showed her the things I had to study for GED classes, and she was impressed. I agreed to come back Saturday to start my training. I’d be working with a lovely person called Emmy. Red said they were the best at what they did, and they could teach me everything they knew.
Once I was done for the day, I closed my laptop and exited the café into the cheerfully lit twilight with a wave to Red. She winked at me, and a pleasant sensation filled my chest. I hadn’t expected the day to go this way, but I certainly wasn’t complaining.
The happiness didn’t last long.
Mario.
Memories invaded my mind.
I groaned. I wanted to forget him, pretend he didn’t exist, but I couldn’t. The longer he stayed out there, the more down on their luck men he’d continue to manipulate. I wouldn’t let that happen.
I didn’t need his address. I remembered how to get there by heart, and it wasn’t far from the café. It wouldn’t take long if I walked.
Yeah, I shouldn’t go anywhere near it.
Half an hour later, I was in front of the mailbox of his second home, the same place he’d invited me into with a warm welcome and kind smile. A man I’d trusted, yet who’d betrayed me. The sight of the clean Craftsman-style house with its peaked roofs and sturdy lines turned my stomach until nausea rose in my throat. The stone walkway that led to two cement steps and a wide wraparound porch was a path I’d traveled a lot over the twoweeks I’d stayed with him, but I wasn’t sure if I could walk it this time. The very thought had me gagging.
I turned, ready to run away, when I caught sight of Eddie’s car out front. I hadn’t noticed it when I’d come walking from the opposite direction because I’d been too fixated on the old nightmare.
I moved without thinking, legs pumping as I rushed over the same pavement I wanted to avoid, my focus on Eddie and why he was at Mario’s. What could he possibly be doing? Mario was more dangerous than all the others, and he delivered pain to make sure secrets were kept. I couldn’t let Eddie get hurt.
Once I reached the plain white wooden door, I opened it quietly and slipped inside. Mario was old school and didn’t keep security, so there was no easy way to gain proof of what he said to the guys he screwed over. He’d prioritized his secrets, which meant I didn’t have to worry about being caught.
Voices met my ears as I crept farther into the house, following the sounds rather than concentrating around me. If I got caught up in this place I once thought was safe, I’d fall down a rabbit hole of memories. Trauma was a dagger I didn’t want to fall on. Not right now. Eddie needed me.
The hallway I walked through was a web of lies and suffering. As flawless as the perfect white walls were, underneath the paint and drywall was the lost innocence of young men, stolen and exploited. Part of mine was there somewhere.
Eddie was my salvation. I didn’t want him to be tainted by Mario’s poisonous manipulation. I wouldn’t let him fall for the venom.
As I approached the kitchen, the voices grew louder.
“So, how do you know Tyler?” Eddie asked.
I held in a snort. How did Mario know me? He’d ruined me. He’d made me feel useless and was the final nail in the coffin ofmy trust in people. Only Eddie brought it back to life. Gave it air to breathe.
I peeked around the corner, relieved to see Eddie’s back. He sat at the table, his shoulders tight, which told me he didn’t trust Mario. Good.
Mario was behind him, messing around on a counter. I couldn’t see what he was doing with my bad eye, and I wasn’t able to get any closer without alerting one or both of them. Instead, I pressed myself near the archway and listened.
“I helped him a few years ago.” Mario laughed, and he sounded so genuine. Sweet. Nothing like Eddie, who was real in everything he did. Mario was the king of deceit. “A smart young man who could’ve gone places. Such a shame.”
“Could’ve?” Eddie’s voice was clipped, but Mario wouldn’t hear the distrust in Eddie’s words. He didn’t know Eddie. “What happened?”
