Chapter 7
Jessie noticed me as soon as I walked in. She opened her mouth with a questioning look. I shook my head, mouthinglater, pointing out Misty, the waitress who had a major crush on Kill, as she swapped out her stuff in her locker.
Jessie acknowledged me with a nod and kept her mouth shut. Denise came in next, heading straight toward her locker. We made our way to the bar, and I avoided Jessie’s concerned look by making small talk with Denise.
Ryan was already mixing drinks for two businessmen as they shamelessly flirted with her. They were gazing at her like she was the greatest thing ever, and with those enamored faces I assumed a hefty tip was in her future.
“Hey, sexy girls,” Ryan said when she spotted us. She winked at the businessmen when she set their drinks in front of them before walking over to us.
“Hey, woman, you need to be careful. You have those two dazzled,” I said indicating the two still staring at her.
She turned, and they tried unsuccessfully to pretend they weren’t just watching her adoringly while her back was turned.
“What can I say? Momma needs a new pair of shoes,” she replied, walking back to the kitchen window to pick up an order Dax had just called out.
She set the food on a tray, and I snagged it, thankful for the distraction. Ryan directed me to the food’s destined table, and I scurried off, hoping to avoid Jessie for the rest of the night.
The bar was busy enough that I was able to brush Jessie off for most of my shift. I felt pathetic, because every time the door to the bar opened, I glanced up hoping to see Kill, as if he would magically come to his senses and strut in.
When the boys did arrive, my romantic notions were smashed into millions of pieces. Jet walked in without his usual fanfare. Everyone looked at him, anticipating his opening line, but the bell remained motionless.
Amy, who stood next to him, nudged him to get his attention. He tried to smile at his waiting fans, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He rang the bell half-heartedly and muttered, “We have arrived. You’re welcome,” before heading to the table.
The customers stared at him, wide eyed. Jet's ringing the bell and making some ridiculous remark when he arrived was one of the highlights of the night. His lack of enthusiasm seemed to catch everyone off guard. The customers glanced around, catching the confusion on everyone's face. Nobody seemed to know what to do.
Van and D came next with a very inebriated Kill between the two of them. Van stared down at Kill with a worried expression—D just looked angry.
Jessie ran over to Van, as he leaned over to speak to her, he never strayed from Kill’s side. I was fairly certain he was the only thing keeping Kill on his feet. Jessie shot Kill a disapproving look before turning her head. When she made eye contact with me, she gave me the same harsh look she’d given Kill.
I turned around quickly, trying to escape her judgmental stare. My sharp turn caused me to run right into the table behind me. It jabbed into my stomach, knocking the breath out of me. My eyes filled with tears, and I had to breathe through my mouth to keep myself from falling apart.
“Are you alright?” A guy sitting at the next table asked.
“Yeah, just clumsy I guess,” I said, practically sprinting to the bar while wishing the night would hurry up and die.
The boys got Kill to the table. Our eyes connected, his blurred with alcohol and mine burning with pain. He turned his head and smiled at one of the bar skanks at the table nearby. She took his lead and sauntered over to him. Her short black skirt was doing an awful job of covering her. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her on his lap and making her giggle annoyingly while her skirt rode up higher, revealing her lace panties.
As I stalked toward their table, I had to forcibly unclench my fists.
Jessie intercepted me before I reached them. “I can get their orders.” The table was now infested with bar skanks.
“No, I’ve got it,” I said, walking around her and making my way toward the table.
“What can I get you guys?” I asked, sugary sweetness dripping from every syllable.
I did my best to ignore Kill and his entourage. Van looked up at me with wide eyes, and I adopted my best fake smile, still not looking over at Kill’s side of the table.
“I’ll just have the usual,” Van answered, also ignoring him.
“Me too,” Jet replied. He kept stealing glances at Kill, his eyes taking on a look of bewilderment. Amy was sitting on Jet's lap. She reached up and soothed the crinkles from his forehead successfully detaching his eyes from Kill.
Amy seemed uncomfortable with Kill's behavior. Her eyes darted everywhere but where Kill sat. She ordered a soda since she was the official DD, snagging a bag of M&M's from her purse. Squaring my shoulders, I turned toward Kill. He now had two girls sitting on his lap, both of them whispering in his ear. His eyes were glazed over by what I assumed to be a copious amount of alcohol.
“I'll walk over with you,” D said sharply, getting up before I could refuse his offer.
“Wait, Faith. What about me?” Kill asked, his words slightly slurred, but I could hear the poison behind them.
With my smile still intact, I made a point of looking at him, ignoring each of his skanks while I resisted the urge to rip them away from him and slap some sense into him. It was comforting he wasn't kissing or touching them inappropriately. But he allowed them on his lap, and that alone had my blood boiling.