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He turns and walks off down the street without looking back, while I stand in the driveway with tears in my eyes. My pulse roars in my ears until I can no longer see him.
Finally, I go inside and get ready for work because what other choice do I have? And when I get there, George sneers at me in disgust but doesn’t say anything. I do my job as the day drags on. When I’m restocking the pastry cabinet, the bell over the door rings, and I look up to find Cipher walking in. He looks around and the few customers stare at him; it makes me want to yell, to ask them what the fuck they are looking at, but when he smiles at me, everything else fades away.
His jacket jingles as he walks toward the counter. “Hey,” I say, surprised, wiping my hands on my apron. “What are you doing here?”
“I have information about Steedy and your brother.” He steps closer to the counter, and his eyes move over my face. “Who touched you?”
“It’s fine,” I reply, glancing down. “Rowan and I got into a fight. It’s nothing.”
He looks at my split lip and his jaw tenses. “It’s not okay.”
“It doesn’t matter right now. What did you find out?”
He lets it go, but I can tell he doesn’t want to. “Steedy is into something bigger than just your brother owing him money.”
“Did you have someone look into them?”
Cipher shakes his head. “The PI sniffing around is connected to a federal case that has nothing to do with Rowan. Steedy doesn’t seem to know that yet.”
“So I’m a sitting duck?” I close my eyes. Shit, could this get any worse?
“I’m working on it with the help of Clay and Ares.”
I want to ask how exactly he plans on fixing it.
“Valli!” George bellows, and I sigh. “I don’t pay you to stand around and talk all day.”
“I’m working and talking. It’s been two minutes.”
George scoffs. “Two minutes that I’m paying you for.” His eyes flick to Cipher’s jacket and the trinkets. “It’s bad enough you come in here looking like trash without you bringing your weirdo friends in here to scare off paying customers.”
Heat climbs up my neck. “There are no customers left.”
“Watch how you speak to me,” George snaps.
I open my mouth to say something that I will probably regret when Cipher moves. His fist connects with George’s mouth, and my boss stumbles backward into the pastry shelf, knocking muffins onto the floor.
“Don’t you dare speak to her like that,” Cipher seethes, his tone causing the hair on my arms to rise.
George straightens, blood coating his lips, and he stares at Cipher before his eyes cut to me. “You’re fired,” he says, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Get out, both of you.”
“George, please.”
“I said get out, or I’m calling the police.”
I don’t argue. I simply untie my apron and drop it onto the counter, then walk over to the mug cabinet and take out the one he uses for special customers and throw it at the wall. With that small sense of accomplishment for something I have wanted to do for so long, I walk outside with Cipher behind me.
“Valli.” He catches up, falling into step with me. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have lost my cool.”
“I needed that job, Cipher.” My voice cracks when I say his name, and I hate how fast my tears fall. “I don’t have anyone who looks out for me. I have to make sure Leni has everything she needs, and it’s a lot. Her dorm fee and textbooks, all the things Mom and Dad would have covered if they were still alive. And now I don’t have a paycheck because you punched my boss in the face.”
I keep walking for a while before I notice he isn’t beside me anymore, and when I turn, I see he has stopped from the realization of what he’s done.
“I didn’t think about your job, only about the way he spoke to you,” Cipher explains. “I’m sorry, I’ll fix it.”
“You can’t just fix this. Some things don’t come apart and go back together the way you want them to.”
He flinches, and I feel terrible. None of this mess is really his fault; it’s Rowan’s, and George’s.
