Page 28 of Mayhem and Minnie

“Oh,” she gasps, covering her mouth with her hand. “Is it bad?”

I lift a brow at her.

Her eyes widen.

“I-I’ll be right back,” she says as she all but jumps out of her seat and rushes toward the bathroom.

I release a sigh as I find myself alone for a moment—a well-deserved break after dealing with the little heathen. But even that’s short-lived as my eyes take in the mess she left behind.

Crumbs of food litter the table, together with smeared sauce and powdered sugar everywhere—including on her seat.

She hasn’t eaten in days. I suppose I could forgive her, but that doesn’t mean I find her uncouth manner any less disgusting.

Shaking my head, I call the waitress over and ask her to clean the table and pack the rest of the food. She once more glares at me but does as told.

Just as my scowl becomes evident, it softens as my thoughts return to my new little project.

My thoughts once more become wrapped in her and how her demise might look like.

For the first time in my life, I’m about to break the most important self-imposed rule I’ve ever had. And while I’d normally feel anxious about straying from my very well-thought-out path, the usual critters making noise in my brain are quiet for once.

There’s no anxiety.

Just anticipation.

Poor little thing. She escaped a wolf and she ran right into the lion’s den.

The minutes go by, and as I look at my watch, I realize she’s taking far too long in the bathroom. How hard could it be to remove some food bits from her teeth?

My eyes narrow.

She wouldn’t think to escape, would she?

Could she perhaps have realized my intentions? No, impossible. For one, I have a pretty damn good poker face. And I’ve been nothing but kind to her.

I stand up abruptly and head straight for the bathroom. As I reach the women’s restroom, however, the same annoying waitress from before catches up to me.

“You can’t go in there, sir. It’s the women’s bathroom!” she calls out, placing herself in front of me.

“Move,” I tell her in a low voice.

She blinks, and for a moment, fear enters her gaze. But she stands her ground, squaring her shoulders and staring me right in the eye.

Releasing a sigh, I grab her by the shoulders and deposit her a few feet over.

She regards me with a shocked expression as I lift her up in the air with the barest of effort, and I take advantage of that moment of inattention to barge inside the facilities.

“Minnie?” I call out.

The sink area is empty, but there are three stalls on the right.

All the doors are shut.

I tilt my head to the side and listen for noises.

“Minnie, where are you?” I ask again.

There it is. A small sound. I cannot make out what it is, but that confirms there’s someone inside.

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