Page 15 of Shadow

“There’s that smile on your face again,” Betty, another waitress her age, remarked. “Your boyfriend did something to make you happy?”

“Well, we’re going out on another date tonight,” she said. Nothing could top their first date, but a girl could hope, right?

Camilla arranged the condiments on the tables, Betty raised an eyebrow.

“Another date in the same week? You two are practically attached at the hip lately,” Betty remarked.

Camilla chuckled, feeling a warm flush creeping up her cheeks. “Something like that,” she admitted, unable to hide the excitement in her voice.

Betty leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “So spill the details. Where’s he taking you this time?”

Camilla paused, a playful glint in her eyes. “I don’t know yet,” she admitted.

Betty looked clearly intrigued. “Well, whatever it is, I’m sure it’ll be amazing. You two seem perfect for each other.”

“Enough chitchat, ladies. We’re about to open,” Ted reminded them.

The morning crowd spilled in and Camilla got to work. Around 11:00 AM, the crowd died down, save for a lone customer that entered the diner.

“Camilla, I know that’s my area, but could you take that guy’s orders? I’m going on my cigarette break,” Betty called out.

“Sure thing,” Camilla said.

Camilla’s heart raced as she balanced the coffeepot in one hand and a menu in the other, weaving through the empty tables toward the customer. Camilla couldn’t wait to go on her lunch break, so she could text Shadow.

As she approached the customer, a sense of unease settled over her, although she couldn’t explain why. Camilla smiled politely as she reached his table, setting down the coffeepot and menu before him.

Before she could even utter a greeting, he grabbed her arm with a force that made her instinctively recoil. Her eyes widened in shock as she looked at the man, her breath catching in her throat.

Recognition hit her like a ton of bricks as she met his dark, hawk-like gaze. Jake Collins, Fernando’s right-hand man. That scar on his jaw was unmistakable. For a moment, Camilla felt as though the air had been sucked out of the room.

Her mind raced as she struggled to find her voice, panic coursing through her veins like wildfire. She knew she needed to stay calm, to handle the situation carefully.

However, the sight of Jake sitting before her sent a chill down her spine, and she couldn’t shake the feeling of dread that settled in the pit of her stomach.

All good things had to come to end, a dark voice inside her head whispered.

“All this time, we searched for you, thinking you’re dead and you’re here, playing waitress? Do you have any idea how worried Fernando was when you disappeared?” Jake demanded.

Camilla swallowed hard, feeling a surge of guilt and anxiety wash over her.

“We’ll talk, but not here,” she said quickly, casting a furtive glance around the diner. The last thing she needed was for their conversation to be overheard by prying ears. “And I didn’t just leave on my own, I was taken.”

Jake’s expression softened slightly at her words, but the skepticism still lingered in his eyes. After a moment of consideration, he nodded in reluctant agreement.

“My lunch break’s at 12:30,” Camilla continued, her voice steady despite the turmoil raging inside her. “I’ll meet you at the town park. All right?”

Jake hesitated, clearly torn between suspicion and curiosity. Eventually, he relented with a terse nod. He finished his coffee in silence, before rising from his seat and making his way to the cashier to settle the bill.

Camilla watched him go.

“Camilla, are you okay? Who was that man?” Betty asked, concerned, but Camilla could tell she was curious too.

She had never shared her past with anyone, and hoped things would stay the same.

“I’m fine,” she said, her voice a little shaky.

Camilla managed to make it to her lunch break without falling apart. She left the diner and felt her phone vibrate. Looking at the screen, she saw it was Shadow, asking her how her day was going.

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