What I felt for my little bird was no crush, though, far from it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
WREN
Isqueeze Sly’s hand tightly as he leads us into the diner. My eyes dart everywhere. Even if Max and Troy have been dealt with, it doesn’t mean Robert will stop looking for me. He found me once; I’m sure he can do it again.
It’s not until we’re finally settled into a big curved booth, with me in the center between Sly and Jagger, that I finally ask, “How did they find me?”
All eyes move to me as I grip the menu tightly, trying to get a hold of my worry.
“We’re not sure,” Sly says, looking upset at the idea of not knowing.
Jagger raises his hands and signs,“The car.”
Sly nods, “Perhaps.”
“Or the phone,”he signs again.
“We should ditch both,” Dex says, then shrugs when everyone looks at him. “Why not? Then we know they won’t find us.”
“If this town has a shopping centre, let’s get phones forall of us so we can track one another and stay in contact,” Sly says, turning his attention to the menu, which is a white piece of paper that seems to double as our place mat.
“And you guys need new clothes, right?” I ask, wondering how they managed to kill those guys without getting any blood on them.
Practice.
“Let’s grab everything we need, so we don’t have to spend multiple nights in the same place again.”
“Then what? We just keep running? Forever?” I ask, hating the idea of them being in danger because of me.
“Not forever, just until we can catch our bearings and make a plan,” Sly tells me, placing his hand on my thigh and giving it a reassuring squeeze.
“Good morning, welcome to The Flashback Diner. Can I get y’all something to drink to get started?” The bubbly waitress, who looks to be in her mid-fifties, asks as she steps up to our table, pen and pad at the ready.
Sly looks at me in question, and I shrug in response. I still haven’t figured out what I prefer to drink yet.
Turning to the waitress, he orders, “Four coffees, a chocolate milk, an orange juice, and a cup of tea.”
“Coming right up!” She bustles off, and I turn my attention to the menu. The choices are practically endless, but what catches my attention is the entire section filled with different types of eggs Benedict. I’ve always wanted to try it.
“Jagger?” I whisper as I lean toward him. He lowers his head in question. “I can really order anything on here?” I gesture to the menu, and he frowns at me.
He drops his menu and pulls out the phone to type his response this time. I read it silently as he places his arm around my shoulders and pulls me into his side.
Little flame, you can always eat, order, or buy whatever you want. Not only is it YOUR body, but we’re using your money to pay for it. Get the entire menu if you wish.
I give him a strained smile as I look back at the menu. It’s hard not to feel stupid, not knowing I was allowed to order anything. It’s becoming so obvious how much Robert had trained me to believe his lies.
When the waitress comes back with our drinks, I order a classic Eggs Benedict, and the guys order a pile of food. I imagine since they're so big, they need a lot of food to fuel those big muscles.
When she leaves, I reach for a crayon. I spot it in a cup in the center of the table and flip my menu over to the blank side.
“What are you drawing?” Dex asks, leaning forward as he holds his coffee cup in his giant hands.
“I‘m not drawing,” I say, taking a sip of what Sly called chocolate milk. “I’m?—”
I freeze, my wide eyes turning back to the cup I’m still holding. “Dios mio! What is this? I mean, I know what it is, but…” I stop talking so I can take another sip, and quickly down half the glass. It’s creamy and sweet, and the most perfect thing I’ve ever drank in my life. “This is amazing! Why aren’t you guys drinking this all the time?”
