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The crowd tonight is crazy. True to her word, Sharon left, leaving me as the only server. The night isn't even half over yet, and I feel like I'm going to lose my mind. "Table ten. Add two more blue arrows and a bottle of Heineken to the order." Someone yells from the crowd, and Esme gives me a thumbs-up, walking around the bar like she hasn't aged a day. Perks of being a warrior, I guess. Esme told me she was a warrior; she didn't say why she stopped, but I wonder if that's why she's working here now. She's had her fair share of war and now wants peace, not that there's much of it around Hollow Den. "When are we getting a replacement for Sharon?" I ask. She shoots me a look and then shrugs, which in Esme's book simply means she hasn't gotten around to it yet. I groan. "Esme, come on, I need help. I barely survived last night, and I'm not so sure how I'll pull through tonight, but I do know that I can't work the floor alone tomorrow. Please," I whine, not fully collecting the order she's passing me so I can give her my full attention. She rolls her eyes. "You're a wolf, surely you've seen more hard work than this?" She tries to joke, but I don't back down. "Fine, I'll tell the boss." As soon as a table opens, it gets taken, and I'm not surprised when, as I'm barely done cleaning, a new guy settles at table four. I'm walking toward the guy when I see another man walk in. Kade. Shit. I turn around before he can see me. I've never seen him here before. He looks like a man too expensive for this neighborhood. What is he doing here? His entire demeanor exudes effortless sophistication and confidence. It makes me want to drag him into a room with me, lock us in, and throw away the key forever. It doesn't help that I've been thinking about him excessively. He didn't like the way I spoke to him that morning; that much was clear. He didn't hide his anger well, and I expected him to come bang on my door a few minutes later, demanding a retraction. Maybe I would have liked that because it would mean that we could have s*x again. But I know it can't happen again; I can't let it. He's a wolf, and that means talking to him alone is dangerous. He could find out I'm not registered. Or worse, get interested in me, find out about my blo*dline, and decide to use me as a tool to gain more strength. It's happened before. I let my guard down and believed a man could like me for me. I was wrong. He was a spy for another pack, and I was a silly teenager. He kidnapped me and probably would have kept me hidden in his cabin forever if my father hadn't found me in time. My father was always my rock, and now he's gone. I feel it the moment he sees me. He starts to walk toward me. My whole body tenses up, waiting for the confrontation. But then he just walks past, not even acknowledging me. What the hell? I stare after him for a full minute before I finally pick my jaw up off the floor. Maybe he didn't see me, I try to console myself, but it's hard to move past it. The new guy at table four waves at me, and I finally go to him. He's dressed professionally in black pants and a white shirt; he's sporting a clean cut and an innocent face. His baby-blue eyes are shining even in the dim light of the bar. Despite his smart dressing, he looks like the kind of man that can easily charm a woman without saying much. He's handsome and he knows it. "Evening," he greets. From his scent, I can tell he's human, and that makes me pause. Humans don't come here often. "Hi, what can I get you?" I respond, quickly swiping his table clean and tucking the rag back into my apron before bringing out a notepad. "I'll have a whiskey sour, but with Maker's Mark and a splash of honey syrup instead of simple syrup," he says. I nod, writing it down before walking away. I give Esme the order distractedly as I look around the room but can't see Kade anywhere. Where is he? Soon Esme finishes the order, but she pauses a bit and stares at the guy's table briefly before releasing the drink. "There you go," I say as I place the guy's drink down. I look around again, but I cannot see Kade anywhere. I turn to my customer again and catch him quickly scratch his jaw and force a smile. "What's wrong?" "Um, I said honey syrup." Crap, I didn't specify to Esme. I was distracted. "Sorry, I'll get you another." I try to take the drink, worried he'll create a scene, but he doesn't let me. "It's fine. Mistakes happen. Just bring me the next one in ten minutes." "Sure, sorry once again," I murmur and walk away. He's the first guy whose order I've made a mistake with that didn't make a fuss about it. That impresses me. Wanting to make up for the mistake, I watch Esme as she makes his second order and ensure it's exactly as he requested. I notice he's no longer alone as I near him, though. "There, whiskey sour with Maker's Mark and a splash of honey syrup," I announce as I drop his order and wait for him to taste it, trying not to look at the scantily clad girl beside him. It's Ashley, one of the call girls that works for the bar. "It's perfect," he beams after a taste, and I smile. I glance from him to the lady, wondering whether to take her order. "I'll take a bottle of your most expensive wine." He leans back, putting as much distance as the seat allows, his eyes darting around the room—anywhere but at her. "Sir? "I, uh, um, I think I want to be alone." He stumbles over his words, blushing profusely as Ashley tries to press into him again, and he leans away, almost falling from his seat. Okay... "Um, Ashley? Would you mind..." But she does not let me finish: "Stay out of this, girl. You're new here. Go get what I asked for before you get in trouble for speaking rudely to a customer." Customer? "The only customer I see here is Mr.—" I pause for him to give me his name. "Craig," he says quickly. "Right, Mr. Craig, and you're disturbing him. Now, as the only server tonight, I have my work cut out for me already; I don't need you adding to it. Leave so I can get back to other customers. And this is the only time I'm asking nicely." If fury could have a face, I'm sure it would be hers. "If only you knew what you just did," she sneers and walks away. I shake my head, irritated that I even have to deal with her at all. You won't hear me telling a woman what she can or can't do with her body. However, where I draw the line is when someone tries to make my job more difficult than it already is. Plus, this guy is a potential heavy tipper. The way he's looking at me with gratitude right now? He's so going to tip highly. Ashley was trying to ruin that for me, so she had to go. "I don't even know how to thank you," he says with a relieved smile, and it's hard not to notice how the smiley, baby-blue eyes elevate his appeal. "It's fine. Please let me know if she disturbs you again." "I will. Thanks." As the night progresses, Craig keeps asking me to bring him more drinks, but I notice he isn't drinking, so I point that out. He then switches to apple cider, and I quickly realize he might be interested in me. He makes that clear when he starts to ask me questions and engage me in small talk with every order. By the time my shift ends, I know more about Craig than I do about Kade, but I still can't find it in me to develop any interest in him. I should, though. He's human. Safe. Sometime around midnight, the bar starts to clear out, but Craig doesn't leave. He stays back until he's the only customer. "We're about to close," I say as I bring him his bill. He nods and smiles. "Yeah, sure." He doesn't check the bill but passes me two $100 notes. I gape at him. This is three times his bill. "It's not enough? Okay, um, have two more." He fumbles with his wallet as he pulls out two more notes and hands them to me. I shake my head. "No, it's too much. This is too much. You're giving me triple what you took all night," I explain. "Okay, keep the rest then." He shrugs and tucks the extra two bills in my apron. "Craig, I..." I start to say, but he cuts me off. "I insist. See it as a reward for helping me out with, uh, you know..." He trails off and blushes. I manage to hide my smile at his innocence. The man is probably well in his early thirties and he's shy to talk about a woman. It's adorable. "Alright," I say and start to clear his table. "If you don't mind, I'd like to have dinner with you tomorrow before your work, that's if you don't mind." He says quickly, and I pause to assess him. He's harmless, a human, and he likes me. Maybe that's a good thing. At least with him, I won't have to worry about mating or exploitation. My mind briefly drifts to Kade, but I shut it down just as quickly. Craig is a better option. "Sure," I say with a big smile and watch him walk out. *** Esme and I are cleaning up the table when we hear the sharp scratching sound of a van pulling up in front of the gate. It's 2 a.m., a weird time for a delivery, and I see Esme immediately tense up. She glances at me worriedly before walking toward the three men stepping out of the small bus. "Evening, boys. The bar is closed for the night. You'll have to come back," Esme says sweetly. I stare at her in surprise; she's not a sweet talker, more of a sharp-sho*ter. "We're not here for a drink," one of the men, the driver, says as he tries to walk past Esme, but she blocks him. She blocks all of their paths, actually, like she's trying to keep them away from me. What's going on? "Okay then, what can I help you men with?" "Out of the way, warrior. You know why we're here." The one beside the driver snaps at Esme. The third guy physically pulls her out of the way while the other two men walk toward me. I start to back into the gate when it becomes clear that I'm the one they are after. Who are they? They catch the gate before I can slam it shut. "You can make this easy or hard. Your choice," one of them says calmly, and then the driver starts to pull me. "What? Let me go!" I scream, trying to get free, but my strength fails me once again. "Esme? What is going on?" I yell as they drag me past the elderly woman, who now looks resigned. "Don't fight them, Lia. Just go. I'll get him to come for you." Them? Him? Come for me? What is she talking about? She's not making any sense. I don't have enough time to question her, though. They drag me into the van and tie my hands. I'm still struggling with that when they throw something over my face, turning my world dark. I freeze. No! They can do anything to me, anything but this. "Take the hood off. Take it off now!" I yell in panic, sweat already building on my forehead. I hate darkness. "Stay calm. We'll be there soon enough," one of the men says. I follow the direction of his voice and kick him hard. He pushes me away. "You can take me anywhere you want, but you have to remove the hood. You have to let me see, dam* it!" I yell, but I get no response. It doesn't make me stop, though. I keep yelling, focusing more on shouting at them instead of my fear of the dark. But it only works for a while. I puke, and the hood comes off. Everywhere stinks. My eyes are watery as I try to adjust to the light and wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. They wipe my face with the hood, but some of the vomit is on my blouse. They drag me out of the van before I can catch my breath. We walk into what looks like a company. A sign on the building we're approaching says 'Enforcers'. I stop de*d in my tracks as what's happening finally dawns on me. It's over. I'm caught. "Walk," one of the guys snaps and begins to drag me into the very house of judgment. There's no way I'm coming out of here without a punishment. I'm an outlaw, a rogue, and I've been caught.