"Good." He squeezed her fingers briefly, then released them. "We'll talk then."
She nodded. "I should get back to work."
Reluctantly, Mattie rose to her feet and lifted her tray.
The rest of her shift dragged. Every minute felt like an hour as she moved between tables, taking orders, delivering drinks, and smiling at immortals, who regarded her with varying levels of interest. Some looked through her like she was furniture, others with barely concealed lust.
She needed a shower. A long, hot shower to wash away every hand that had touched her, every leer that had crawled across her skin. And then she needed Dimitri. His hands. His eyes. The touch that made her feel like a person, a human being, and not a piece of meat.
A little after eleven, Anil waved her over.
"You can go," he said. "There are only a few left. I can handle the rest."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure. You've had a long day, and so have I." His dark eyes held understanding that went beyond the words. "I'd rather your day ended now."
He was afraid of more trouble, which was understandable given the two fiascos. In fact, he probably thought she was more trouble than she was worth.
She wouldn't be surprised if he asked the head of housekeeping to assign her back to maid duty, which would be great.
"Thank you." She filled up another glass for Dimitri and slipped out from behind the bar.
"That's the last one for tonight." She put the glass in front of him. "I'm leaving early. Wait for me at the staff entrance? I don't want to walk to the lab alone."
He nodded.
She hoped that whoever had heard her would believe the pretense that Dimitri was just escorting her to the lab to meet his boss. Some would, but Tarik and his gang wouldn't. Attacking an immortal with a syringe to protect what belonged to another man was not very believable.
Mattie's room was dark when she entered, her three roommates already asleep, their soft breathing filling the small space.
Quietly, she pulled a fresh uniform from her shelf in the closet and clean underwear from her drawer. She was almost to the door when one of the beds creaked.
"Mattie?" A sleepy voice. "Where have you been?" Alina asked. "You didn't come back last night or the night before."
"I'm staying with the scientist," Mattie whispered. "Lord Navuh gave me to him."
"Oh." Alina yawned, apparently satisfied with the explanation. "Good luck."
"Thank you."
"Have fun." Alina rolled over, and within seconds her breathing had deepened back into sleep.
That had gone much easier than she'd expected. Her roommate hadn't questioned any part of her story.
Mattie slipped out the door and made her way to the staff entrance.
Dimitri was waiting for her in the shadows just outside, his tall form barely visible in the darkness. "Everything okay?"
"Yes." She lifted on her toes and kissed his cheek. "My roommate woke up and asked where I've been for the past two nights, so I told her that Lord Navuh gave me to the scientist." She smiled. "I didn't specify which one."
"Smart." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders but then dropped it and put his hands in his pockets. "I'm supposed to be just the escort."
"I know. It's not a long walk to the lab." She smiled, imagining what she would do once the lab door closed behind them.
She had some nervous energy to unpack, and Dimitri looked like he could use some unpacking himself.
The night air was warm and humid as they walked through the compound, carrying scents of tropical flowers and seawater, and the distant sound of waves breaking against the shore. It could have been peaceful, even romantic, if not for everything else that this island represented and whatever had put that troubled expression on Dimitri's face.
