Page 63 of Blood and Bonbons

I went to wipe down my tables. When my back was turned, the rat snuck away to the bathroom. I looked up in time to see Anchor’s gaze trail after her.

As soon as the bathroom door closed, he glanced at me.

“Since you’re almost done, I’ll get Shepard to walk you out,” he said.

He took the stairs two at a time.

Vena’s uh-oh face when she reemerged and saw Anchor missing and Shepard coming down the stairs nearly made up for the trouble she was trying to cause. She did an about-face and marched right back into the bathroom. I laughed my way to the time clock.

“How did she do?” Shepard asked when he caught up with me.

“Good. She was bored by the end of the night. Five tables was too easy for her.”

He nodded. “I thought the same thing.”

Vena joined us after clocking out and grabbing her things.

“What kind of schedule are you looking for, Vena?” Shepard asked as he walked us out. “Same hours as Everly?”

“If they’re available. I’ll be back at university full time in the fall, same as Everly, though.”

“Not a problem. We’ll be able to accommodate that.”

“Great. Thanks for giving me a chance,” she said.

A slight grin tugged at his lips. “You have Everly to thank. I’ll see you both for tomorrow night’s shift. Be early.”

He opened my car door after I unlocked it and closed it for me after I was in.

“Call me when you’re home safe,” he said, looking at me through the window.

I waved in acknowledgment and pulled out of the parking lot.

“Call me?” Vena said with a smirk. “Not text me. But ‘call me’ from the boss?”

“Cut it out. He’s understandably worried. People are dying. Did you hear anything back from our mystery texter?”

She hurried to dig out her phone.

“I stopped checking an hour ago because Anchor did that ‘I’m watching you’ thing.” She scanned her phone. “There’s a message.”

“What does it say?”

“They have proof the information is about Miles and want to meet at our place.”

“Hell no,” I said.

“My thoughts exactly. But if they know my phone number, and they mentioned meeting at our place, do they already know our address? They could be there waiting for us.”

“Should we go to your parents’ house to be on the safe side?”

She groaned. “Like that was any safer. Besides, I worked a long shift and want my own bed. Just drive past and see if there are any lurkers.”

Since I was also tired and didn’t want to drive an hour to her parents’ place, we swung by the house. The lights were off. No cars were parked nearby. No bushes rustled from hiding lurkers.

Vena cursed.

“What?” I asked, scanning for an intruder.

---