“Yes,” I replied and hurried to grab my purse and my phone. We were meeting Ink at Irene’s diner for lunch.
Ink was already seated at a table when we arrived. As soon as we sat down, he grinned broadly. “It’s about damn time.”
“What?” I asked in confusion.
He gestured between the two of us with a pointed finger. “You two. It took you long enough.”
“That’s because I have manners and some semblance of restraint,” Dice said lightheartedly.
“Hey, guys. What can I get for you?” Evie asked, blessedly interrupting the line of conversation.
After we placed our orders, I braced for more questions about our new relationship, but they started talking about a car someone had brought into the garage.
Evie had just delivered our food when a scraggly-looking man entered the diner. He looked around the room until his eyes landed on Dice. Before I could fully register what was happening, he produced a gun and pointed it straight at Dice as he rapidly approached our table.
“I can’t find Tawny, and she owes me money. I don’t know what you did with her, but I want my fucking money!” he demanded.
Dice gently squeezed my thigh before raising both hands in the air and slowly getting to his feet. “How much does she owe you?” he asked calmly.
I had no idea how he wasn’t freaking out. The guy’s hands were shaking, and his eye seemed to have a twitch. He was clearly high on something.
“Five hundred dollars!” he yelled.
I almost screamed when Ink gently nudged my foot under the table. My eyes shot to his. He subtly looked down at his hands resting on the table, one fist on top of the other. The bottom hand had one finger pointing away from the table. When I looked up to meet his eyes again, he mouthed, “Go. Now.”
I didn’t know if I should get up nonchalantly or jump up and dive for cover, but there was no way I could ask. When I glanced to the side, Evie was standing behind the counter with her eyes fixed on me. She motioned for me to come to her. There was something about the way she gestured to me that made me think I should move slowly and draw as little attention to myself as possible. I hesitated for a brief moment but found the courage to move when the guy started screaming at Dice again.
As soon as I made it behind the counter, several men stood up, each one holding a gun.
“Take a look around, buddy. You’re vastly outnumbered,” Dice said.
The second the guy’s eyes flicked to the side, Dice moved. It happened in the blink of an eye. One second, the guy was holding him at gunpoint. The next second, Dice had the gun, and Ink had the guy pinned to the ground.
“Get off me!” the guy screamed and tried to wiggle out of Ink’s hold.
“Believe me, I want to. You fucking stink, dude,” Ink said and made a disgusted noise. “You better not give me lice or scabies.”
An older gentleman walked over to them. “This will hold him until the cops get here,” he said and held out a roll of duct tape.
“Appreciate it,” Dice said. They secured his hands behind his back but left him on his stomach on the ground.
Dice stayed where he was but turned his head to find me. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” I lied. Physically, I was okay, but emotionally, I was a wreck. I’d never been in a situation like that, with a gun pointed directly at me or my loved one, and it was terrifying.
“Come sit down,” Evie said gently.
I dazedly followed her to an office in the back and sat where she indicated.
Irene burst through the door and nearly knocked Evie off her feet when she engulfed her in a hug. “Oh, thank goodness! You’re okay. You’re okay. You’re okay,” she chanted.
“I’m fine,” Evie said. “But I think Daphne’s pretty shaken up.”
“Daphne?” she asked and whirled around to find me sitting behind her with tears streaming down my face. “Oh, honey,” Irene said and moved to hug me, without letting go of Evie.
Awkwardly, the three of us huddled together while I tried to regain some composure.
“It’s the adrenaline,” Evie said softly. “There’s nothing you can do but let it run its course. It’ll pass soon.”