Page 32 of Zeke

“And my… sorry?” he asks, almost choking on the words. I see the panic in his eyes as he thinks I’ve made my choice. I’m closer than he probably realized when he walked in, but I’m not there yet.

“Your brother. I plan to say the same to him. I may be the ringmaster of your little flirt circus, but I won’t have one or both of you hurt because the other was being vindictive.”

He shakes his head. “I’d never do that.”

“Good,” I chirp, my cheerful smile returning, but inside, I’m troubled. “Well, enjoy your lunch, boys. I have to return to the kitchen.”

I disappear into the back and lean against the wall, breathing heavily. A few minutes later, Julia comes in.

“You okay?” she asks.

“Yeah,” I say, smoothing back my ponytail. “Just… I can tell that you and the rest of the Kings are really worried about something, but no one can or will tell me what so I can be on the lookout and help.”

“I think you need to catch a breather,” she says, rubbing my upper arms in a friendly show of support. “I know you usually send me to the bank around this time, but I’ve been here for two weeks, and I think I’ve got the hang of things. It might do you some good to get some fresh air.”

“That’s a great idea,” I say, leaning forward to give her a hug, which she tentatively returns, as if she doesn’t quite know how to accept such a gesture. Maybe she doesn’t.

“Get on out of here, then.” She points to the door as we break apart.

I pull off my apron and toss it to her with a smile, then grab the bag full of money to be deposited.

It’s a five-minute walk there and another five back, which it turns out is enough time to both get my head on straightandto find trouble.

I’m nearly back to the bakery when I get approached by a tall guy with greasy, shoulder-length hair and at least one gold tooth. He has a big tattoo of an eagle on his neck, and he grins at me.

“You’re the girl from the bakery, ain’t ya?”

I freeze, unsure of how to answer. I don’t recognize anything about this man. I don’t have the money on me, and I can’t think about what else he might want. I wonder if I can run for it, but he’s between me and the bakery, which means I wouldn’t be able to get somewhere safe. So I try to think my way out.

“Uh, yeah,” I say, taking a step to the side to try to get around him. He doesn’t step with me, but he adjusts his weight so he can follow me if he wants to. My heart pounds as I ask, “Why do you ask?”

“No reason,” he says, but the slow smile creeping across his face suggests he has a reason he doesn’t want to share. “I’m new to town. Just passing through, but I heard about the bakery.”

Something about his story doesn’t sit right with me. Julia will know what to do, and, if I’m lucky, some of the Ruthless Kings will stop in for a snack. They will know who this guy is and what he really wants.

“Well,” I say, trying to buy more time to think, “the bakery’s over there. I can show you.”

“Perfect.” He grins in a way that makes his gold tooth look like a fang of some kind, and it sends shivers down my spine.

Of course, that’s nothing compared to the chill I feel when we walk into the bakery together. Julia looks up at us and her face goes bright red and angry.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

An older couple who is having coffee in the corner looks up at the use of language, and I’m sure they’ll say something to Dad about it. That’s the least of my worries right now. Right now, I step away from the man and duck behind the counter, behind Julia, who’s my height but way more in shape.

I glance down and see Julia pull her phone out of her pocket to press a few buttons without even looking at it. Good. She’s getting us some backup. I hope that’s what she’s doing.

“Easy, sweetheart,” the man says to Julia. “I’m not here for you. I’m here for your brother. I knew you’d get ahold of him, so when I found out you were working at this cute little place, I figured I’d pay a visit.” He looks around, appraising the bakery, then looks back at Julia with a sarcastic smile. “It suits you.”

“Fuck off,” she says quieter this time, but the older couple watches the interaction like hawks.

I hear a man’s voice coming through the earpiece on Julia’s phone, which is down at her side. The man looks at her, then at the phone.

“I see you’ve forgotten your manners since you’ve been around here,” he says in a slithering tone, like something slimy moving through mud. He nods down at her hand, where the voice repeats her name. “Might wanna get that. And, uh… tell Savage I said ‘hi.’”

“Oh, I will,” Julia says through gritted teeth.

My heart hammers against my ribs even harder than before as he laughs again.

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