Page 79 of Another Girl Lost

“How does it feel to be in uncharted waters?”

Unwieldy and choppy as the waves in my print. “I can’t promise how fast I can move. I have zero experience in this world.”

“You seem to be doing okay,” he said.

“That’s not what I mean.”

“I know what you mean. One step at a time.”

I didn’t want to panic when he touched me in the bedroom or when I woke up screaming from a nightmare while he slept beside me. For him, I wanted to be a little normal.

“I asked for curly fries!” the drunk shouted to Charlie.

“And I told you I don’t have any,” Charlie said.

Luke tossed his crumpled napkin beside his almost-eaten burger.

My nerves tightened and inwardly I winced, preparing for the violence that always came with resistance.

Luke rose slowly. “Pal, hit the road.”

The man looked toward him. “Who the fuck are you?”

Luke’s mild expression melted instantly. “I’m the guy that’s going to crush you.”

The man sneered, but the quiet intensity in Luke’s tone caused him to pause for a moment. “Try.”

Luke moved forward a step. “Are you sure? A man can’t hold down a job if he has two broken kneecaps and a crushed eye socket.”

“How you going to do that?” the man growled.

Luke’s gaze didn’t flicker or waver. “I can show you.”

Charlie chuckled. “This is going to be good.”

The drunk glanced at Charlie. “I want curly fries.”

“Leave,” Luke said. “Counting to five.”

The man swayed, his eyes narrowing. He was intoxicated enough to strip away what few safeguards he had in place but not so lost that he couldn’t imagine what broken knees and eye sockets would mean.

He flipped his plate on the floor and stalked out of the restaurant.

Charlie knelt and cleaned up the mess. “Thanks, Luke. That’ll be the last time I serve him.”

“Good plan.”

“Dinner is on the house,” Charlie said.

“Thanks.” Luke sat back down across from me and fished three twenties from his pocket. He carefully stacked the neat bills and set the saltshaker on them as his gaze rose to meet mine. “You look pale.”

I drew in a breath. “What can I say? It was a little jarring.”

“He was all bluster.”

“How do you know that?” How did anyone know what another person was capable of? How did I really know what Luke wanted?

“I make my living reading people.”

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