Page 22 of Dangerous Games

“Have—”

“Cold brew with a splash of almond milk and a turkey bacon breakfast sandwich?” the girl cuts me off as she asks for confirmation before she sets it down at my table.

“Yes, thank you.” I force a smile to hide the discomfort I’m feeling as she sets it down in front of me.

“Anything else I can grab for you?” The worker looks between us.

I shake my head. Her eyes linger on the man across from me as she retreats.

“You were saying?” the man across from me presses as soon as she is out of earshot.

I put the straw in my mouth and take a large sip of my coffee as I study him. Nope, I’ve definitely never seen this man before. “I was asking if I’ve met you before,” I finally say.

“I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure, but I’m here now, so it must be what fate wants.” His smirk doesn’t move.

I’m unable to contain the snort. What a load of bullshit. “Or I was here minding my own business, and you decided to interrupt it.”

“Sassy,” he draws out. “I love it. As far as minding my own business goes, I would if your boyfriend were here to look after you. But he’s not, so I decided to fill the seat.”

“Fill the seat as my boyfriend?” I ask completely dumbfounded. He’s making my skin crawl by talking in circles and not answering my question. Red flags are pinging all over my brain.

“If the shoe fits.” He shrugs.

The shoe doesn’t fucking fit.

“Are you waiting for a drink?” I ask, trying to change the subject as I plan how to ditch this guy and get the fuck out of here.

“No.”

Okay… “Then what are you doing here?”

“I was walking by and saw you in the window. From the look on your face, I knew I had to stop in and check on you.”

The tiny hairs on the back of my neck stand up as I try to scarf down my sandwich as fast as I can without it looking suspicious. I need to get the fuck out of here.

“Well, this has been nice, but I need to get to work,” I say through a mouth full of food as I’m swallowing my last bite while I abruptly stand up and grab my coffee.

“Until next time, Bronwyn.” The man smiles as he inclines his head toward me.

I rush out of there as fast as my legs will take me without breaking into a run. I can feel his eyes on me until the door shuts behind me.

He was lying through his teeth because I would have seen him walk by the window, and I never did.

How did a man who I’ve never met before know my name?

By the time I make it to the store to open, I’m a wreck.

Normally, I would love being by myself as I open everything up. I’m free to play whatever music I want and can just vibe out. But after what just happened at The Drip? I’m one more thing away from a full-blown crash out.

I was on edge the entire walk here, thinking I was being followed without even knowing it. What other explanation is there for that happening? I’ve seen enough true-crime documentaries. I know how this ends. I feel like a fucking idiot for being a victim of it now. This should be my Super Bowl.

What did I do to deserve this? All I’ve done is stick my head down, mind my business, and try to make a better life for myself. It’s been hard and challenging. There’s been more times than I would like to admit that I’ve wanted to throw in the towel, but I’m still standing. And I think it’s worth mentioning that I’ve done all of this legally.

And look where that’s got me?

I’m late on rent because of my shitty dad. I walked in on someone, who I’m pretty sure is connected to the mafia, holding a cut-off hand in the restaurant below me. Said mafia man keeps showing up in my life when I would like him to just go away. And to put the cherry on top, I now have a mystery man who knows my name popping up in a place I didn’t know I was being followed to. Can my life get any crazier?

“You want me to get started on stocking these?” Nate asks from behind me, making me jump as I let out a scream.