Page 11 of Moments of Malevolence

Shit.

Is that my Zuko?

And then I rememberthat voice.

And it all makes sense.

Heishim.

And he doesn’t realize it’s me.

And all I can think is thank fuck for that.

FIVE

Zuko

“What is wrong with you?Why the fuck would you get involved in that shit?” Kyson asks, shaking his head, as I watch her walk to the bar. “Fuck, just go down there and tell her you want to fuck her already.”

“Shut the fuck up.”

She comes back to our table, holding a new bottle in her hand. Her eyes check everywhere but me as she serves. When she’s done filling the glasses of the other guys, she leaves without even offering me anything.

I watch as she disappears before her friend, the other waitress, comes over.

“Oh, you’ve pissed her off,” Louise says as she steps up and as she goes to pour my drink her face flushes red as she looks down not making eye contact. I stop her by placing my hand over the glass.

“Where is she?”

“Drink?” she asks as she glances around.

“Where is she, and why are you serving me?” I urge her.

“She needs tips, and you guys aren’t tipping,” she answers truthfully.

“Well, shit,” Grayson mutters.

“Send her over.” I sit back, holding my glass. “Now.”

She scurries off, and not even ten minutes later, Alaska arrives. Her lilac hair hangs down her back, and her eyes, which almost match the color of her hair, stop on me.

“You requested me?” she asks, hand on hip.

“Yes.” I pull out my credit card and show it to her. She looks at it, confused, before meeting my eyes again.

“You want another drink?” She takes the card from me.

“No, I don’t drink,” I reply. She squints suspiciously at the empty glass in my hand.

Kyson drank it. I just took it back so she would serve me again.

“Okay then…” She holds up the card. “What am I meant to do with the card?”

“It’s your tip,” I tell her.

At first, she says nothing, looking at the card and then back to me.

“It’s a black card. Unlimited,” she states. “You don’t tip with cards.”

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