He made some phone calls and found out where she was. When he discovered where she was working, his bad mood deepened even further. He really shouldn’t give a damn where she worked, or what she did. She shouldn’t matter to him in the least but when he thought about her working overnight at the dive of a truck stop, his stomach clenched. He knew the kind of people who habituated a place like that in the wee hours of the morning and it was certainly no place for a woman.
He gathered up his things and called his driver. It looked like he was dining out that night. He smiled to himself, when he pictured her reaction to him entering the joint. Hell, when his car pulled up, he was sure there would be a bit of a stir. People like him simply didn’t go to places like that. At least people like him nowadays. He would’ve been happy to go anywhere when he was a kid. That would’ve been a real treat.
It took the driver about forty minutes to navigate traffic and pull up in front of the diner. It was fairly busy and he looked through the windows, spotting her almost immediately. She’d changed in the years since he’d seen her last but not much.
Her young, sleek body had matured and now she had curves, though he couldn’t see them well beneath the loose clothing and apron she was wearing. Her hair was still dark and hung low on her back in an unflattering braid, which looked like she had made up in minutes.
As he stepped through the diner doors and quickly browsed before she noticed him, he could see the weariness in the set of her shoulders. When she finally turned to see who’d walked in and caused a silence to fall over her customers, he felt a kick in his gut by the sheer exhaustion of her expression.
She’d always been so full of life and now she looked drained, as if she bore the weight of the world on her shoulders. She approached him slowly, as if he was a dangerous animal ready to strike any moment. His lips turned up in a sardonic smile because he was a dangerous animal, far more deadly than any four legged creature she may encounter.
“Do you want a table?” she asked him suspiciously. She knew he normally wouldn’t be caught dead in a truck stop restaurant.
“That would be great,” he responded overconfidently. Her manager was watching the pair of them and she couldn’t afford to get fired so she gritted her teeth and showed Ryan to the table. She didn’t get why he’d come to her place of work but she couldn’t make a scene and as humiliating as it was she was going to be forced to serve him.
“What would you like to drink?” she asked through clinched teeth.
“I’ll take a coffee,” he replied. He’d determined within minutes of walking in, she’d be leaving with him. He knew exactly what he wanted in payment for helping her sister and he would get it. He would enjoy a little bit of cat and mouse in the meantime. He knew he would win, so he could be indulgent for a while.
“Here’s the menu. I’ll be right back with your coffee,” she said and walked off. He enjoyed the sway of her hips, which were slightly thicker than when they were teenagers. She’d definitely turned into a woman and he couldn’t wait to explore the new her. She was still stunning, even with the stress and exhaustion etched into her features.
She returned with the coffee and he noticed the mirth in her eyes, as he took his first sip and a grimace passed over his features. It was horrible tasting and he had the feeling she was enjoying his suffering. He controlled his face and took another long sip, just so he could wipe that smug look off her face. She controlled her own expression but couldn’t hide the twinkle in her gorgeous brown eyes.
“Are you ready to place your order?” she asked him.
“What are your specials?” he asked in a serious tone. She thought two could play at him being just an ordinary customer.
“We have the chef’s meatloaf special and we serve breakfast all day,” she said sweetly. He perused the menu, like he really cared what he ordered. Her foot started taping impatiently, as she continued to wait for him.
“Ms. Lander, can you please come over here?” her boss asked and she couldn’t keep the twinge from showing in her expression. She walked over to her obnoxious boss with what she hoped was an obedient expression pasted on her face.
“Yes, Mr. Archer,” she said.
“Could you please try and act more professional. That man showed up in a jaguar and you’re taping your toe in impatience. Do you want to keep your job?” he threatened her.
“Of course, sir. I’m sorry about that,” she said, hopefully humbly enough. He dismissed her and she walked back over to Ryan, even more furious with the man. She saw the look of steel in his eyes and she was scared he was going to cause a scene.
“I’m sorry about making you wait, have you decided yet?” she asked him.
“I’ll take a turkey sandwich and the soup of the day,” he responded. Ryan didn’t like the way her boss had spoken to her and it only solidified his decision she’d be leaving with him. She jotted down his order and quickly disappeared.
Nicole served him his food quickly and he forced himself to choke some of it down, while he continued to watch her. She never stopped running, as she refilled coffee and took down orders. She kept his glass topped off, along with the other twenty or so customers. He almost came out of his seat when he saw some trucker get a little bit too friendly. He had to admit he was impressed how she handled the man, letting him know she was unavailable, while still being polite.
He gave up on eating the terrible food and sat back, drinking the muddy tasting coffee. He’d been there for a couple of hours and several of the customers cleared out and yet she was still running around. Her boss snapped orders at her left and right and she still managed to keep a positive attitude. She had to be dead on her feet. He wasn’t going to take much more.
“We need to talk,” he told her, when she came to top off his mug again.
“I can’t talk right now, I’m working,” she told him, somewhat exasperated.
“Have you had a break yet tonight?” he asked her. She looked at him as if he were insane. She was lucky to get to run to the bathroom on any given night.
“I’m the only waitress here, I don’t have time to take a break,” she finally said and turned to walk away. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the booth, next to him and she gasped in outrage at his high-handedness.
“Ms. Lander, you have customers waiting on you,” her boss said, thinking she was slacking on the job. She looked at Ryan in a panic. If he was trying to get her fired, he was doing an excellent job.
“I’m sorry sir, I tripped,” she said, as she struggled to get back up.
“Ms. Lander hasn’t had a break the entire time I’ve been here and I’d like to speak to her for a few minutes,” Ryan said to the man, while glaring over at him.
“I don’t appreciate you telling me how to treat my employee’s, as it’s none of your business,” her boss puffed up in anger at Ryan for having the audacity to call him on anything. “Get back to work, Ms. Lander,” he snapped.
She once again struggled to get up and Ryan still refused to let her go. She couldn’t make a big scene in front of her boss but he was giving her no choice.
“You’re going to get me fired,” she said through gritted teeth. She was starting to get scared and he could see the vulnerability in her eyes. He was done with the place and she was leaving with him, even if he had to throw her over his shoulder.
“We’re leaving now,” he said, as he released her and stood up. He threw some bills on the table and grabbed his jacket. Nicole quickly fled from him, then went around the tables and refilled her customers’ glasses. He stood by the counter and waited until she was done.
“I need to use the restroom. I’ll be right back,” Nicole told her boss and quickly disappeared. Ryan’s rage increased when the man nodded tightly. He couldn’t believe she needed to get permission to use the bathroom. It was ridiculous. He spotted the cook, who looked like an understanding man. He pulled a couple hundreds from his pocket and approached the guy.
“Can you please grab Nicole’s things for me? She’s leaving with me now, whether she wants to or not and I think she would rather have her possessions,” Ryan said to the guy, who sized him up. “I in no way want to harm her. Our families are friends and she’ll no longer need this job,” he assured the cook.
“She should’ve left here long ago. The boss treats her like crap,” the cook said. He grabbed her belongings and set them on the counter, then stood waiting for Nicole to come out. She appeared quickly, since it seemed she wasn’t allowed more than a couple of minutes, even to use the restroom.
“Nicole, do you know this guy?” the cook asked her. Her shoulders seemed to sag a bit as she tried to figure out how to answer that question.
“We grew up together. Don’t worry, Bubba, he’s not trying to hurt me,” she assured the cook. She had no clue she’d just given the cook permission to let Ryan cart her out of the restaurant, or she would’ve never said that. Bubba smiled at Ryan and gave him the thumbs up.
“Right then, let’s go,” he told Nicole once again.
“Ryan, I already told you I’m not going anywhere with you. I don’t get off until eight in the morning,” she almost yelled at him. She then looked over at her boss, who was glaring at her. She had to get him out of the restaurant. “If you really want to talk to me, I’ll come to your offices in the morning,” she finished and smiled at him, in what she hoped was a reassuring smile.
Ryan didn’t feel the need to talk anymore. He grabbed her things up, then grabbed her around the waist and tossed her over his shoulder and started walking toward the front door. Nicole was in so much shock from his caveman display she said nothing until they were almost to the door.
“Ryan, I demand you put me down right this instant,” she finally found her voice.
“Nicole, if you walk out that door now, you can kiss your job goodbye,” her boss said to her. She looked at him from her upside down position with incredulity. She wasn’t walking anywhere. Was no one going to stop this man from openly kidnapping her?
The few customers in the restaurant heard Ryan talking with Bubba so no one was stepping up to stop him. Nicole shuddered in disbelief as he carried her out the door and approached his car. The last thing she heard before the door of the restaurant closed was her boss yelling at her she was fired.
She started pounding on Ryan’s back in anger as they stepped up to his car. His driver opened the backdoor like there was nothing wrong with him carrying a girl over his shoulder. Hell, for all she knew, he did it on a regular basis. He tossed her down on the back seat and quickly climbed in beside her, before she had the chance to get her breath back again.
Chapter Two
Ryan said something to the driver and the car started to move through the nearly deserted streets. Nicole was in shock from his behavior. She couldn’t believe she’d been openly kidnapped in the middle of a diner and no one had done a thing to stop it.