Page 20 of Samson

“Because I am useless to a God who is perfect. Maybe when I was born He had some grand scheme for my life, but not anymore. I messed that up a long time ago. You might have some convoluted idea that I matter to Him, but I have too much blood on my hands now. So just drop it.”

When he finished speaking, he turned away to hide his emotions. He hadn’t meant to let that out, but he was tired of listening to the same arguments over and over again. His dad expected something from him he couldn’t give.

“All have sinned and fall?—”

“Don’t.” Samson’s anger had cooled to ice. “Just go.”

A chair scraped on the floor as he stared at the broken pieces of the mug until he heard the door shut. Then his shoulders sagged, and he buried his face in his hands.

He had let everyone down who mattered to him. His family and his God.

Never in his life had he ever doubted God’s existence. But the only way he could save himself from utter despair was to stop caring about anything. Including himself.

Chapter 6

Delilah itchedher forehead with the back of her hand before picking up the tray of drinks from the bar.

It had been easy the first week to keep her thoughts from her troubles. Her entire body had ached in rebellion to being run off her feet. The best part was, each night, she fell into an exhausted, dreamless sleep and woke early enough to get in a run through the city. It was different from what she was used to, and she made the most of the change, unwilling to sulk.

But now that she was settled into the role, and waitressing had become the norm for her, her mind wandered to how things could have been. How things should have been if she hadn’t been betrayed. She’d loved life on the West Coast. Her home, her car, her friends, and a job she’d always dreamed of.

She set the glasses in front of the couple she was serving. “Is that everything for now?”

“Yes, thank you,” the woman said.

Returning to the bar, she left the tray before collecting several plates from the kitchen.

Her feet didn’t ache much as she walked the now-familiar path between tables. The specials rolled off her tongue withouteffort, but she was sure the smile on her face didn’t reach her eyes.

“Excuse me, waitress?” A man in his thirties snapped his fingers in her direction.

She bit down on her lip to keep from responding how she wanted, and she walked to the table. “Yes?”

It looked like a business meeting, judging by the other suits at the table. When they’d ordered, the same man had made a crude comment. She’d ignored it at the time. Maybe he didn’t like her indifference.

“I asked for medium rare.” He pointed at his steak. She didn’t know a lot about cooking steak, but it looked right to her.

“You’re not happy with your meal?”

“Maybe you’re standing too far away. Why don’t you come in a little closer.”

She obliged, plastering a tight smile on her face.

“Does this look medium rare to you?”

Her confidence was already shot. And listening to this man demean her—when a few months ago she had probably been in a more powerful position than him—was hard to swallow.

“I have no idea. I’m just a waitress.”

“At a restaurant like this, I’d expect every part of the staff to know what a properly cooked steak looks like. At the very least. Maybe I should have a chat with your boss.” His eyes lifted over her shoulder, and his face contorted from scorn to surprise. She straightened when a hand rested on her back. She thought it was Luca until she heard the rich timber of his voice.

“How is everyone this evening?”

She turned around and for a moment understood why everyone was so taken with Samson. It would be easy to be taken in by the magnitude of his gaze. She would too if she didn’t know better.

“I hope my favorite waitress is being treated well,” he said. “She’s the best in the city.”

Samson had tried and failed to charm her several times, and now it seemed she’d become a mission to him. Every time he came in, he singled her out and made a point of talking to her. He was always polite, but every word held the hint that he wanted something from her. She refused to give it.

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