Page 5 of Silver Sinner

They eat here three times a week, always in the same booth and usually the same order.

The first time he ate here, I was sure he was lost because the cut of his three-piece suit and smoothness of his style clashed with the homey, rundown nature of this diner.

He looks like he's stepped right out of a wealth catalog, and he tips like it, too.

Always big tips. Always pleasant. And very handsome for an older man.

"How much?" Pierce asks in a soft, low voice.

It takes me a long second to realize he's talking to Adam. Several other patrons have abandoned their meals to watch the show and out of the corner of my eye, I glimpse Tanya near the door with her coat clutched around her shoulders.

"How much?" Pierce repeats in that same voice. "How much did you little rats bet on her? How much did you decide that a decent, hardworking woman was worth for your sick little entertainment? Come on, you were so eager to talk earlier. Tell me. How much?"

Adam's two friends surge up from the booth to help him, but Moses quickly steps forward and dwarfs them both with his height.

God, I'm going to be sick.

My insides churn together into a hot mess, and I abandon the jug on the counter before it has a chance to slip from my hands. I can't bear this. I need to get away.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Adam rages. "That cunt fucking poured shit all over me. Do you have any idea how fucking expensive these jeans were?"

Pierce takes one calm step forward. "How. Much."

Wait… what is Pierce actually talking about?

"Fifty bucks," Adam mumbles.

"Fifty." Disgust taints Pierce's calm voice. "You decided berating and humiliating a woman for your disgusting game was only worth fifty bucks? Moses…" Pierce tilts his head. "You're a betting man."

"Aye," Moses grunts.

"How many punches do you think it would take before this little cunt shits himself in his new jeans? I'm thinking… three."

"Three?" Moses sucks on his teeth. "Alright. Fifty bucks, right?"

"Fifty bucks," Pierce replies. "I'll even throw in a slice of pie."

"Fuck that," barks one of Adam's friends suddenly and he lunges over the table to grab his friend's arm. "C'mon man, it ain't worth it!"

Adam sneers as he looks Pierce up and down. "Yeah. Ain't fucking worth it. I ain't beating up an old man." Despite the smarmy sharpness in his eyes, he still flinches when Moses steps forward.

All three of them scramble over themselves in their haste to escape the diner.

They rush past Tanya and slam the door behind them, disappearing into the night.

A bet.

That was all… for a bet?

Humiliation burns like an inferno in my chest and it rages hotter when Pierce finally turns around to face me.

"I'm so sorry about that, Layla," Pierce says.

"It's fine!" I squeak out, unable to look him in the eye. "It's fine. Don't worry about it. Sorry about that. Sorry, sorry!" All eyes are on me, from Pierce to the other patrons, and the heat clogging the air around me makes it impossible for me to breathe.

Ducking away from Pierce, I snatch up the jug and race away from the scene now that my legs are working, and I don't stop until I make it all the way back to the kitchens.

As soon as the doors swing closed, the tears come thick and fast. I can barely control my breathing, never mind will them to stop. I've faced down a lot of assholes in my time, but that was the most humiliating thing I've ever experienced in my life.