CHAPTER35
I try to call Kyle,but he doesn’t answer, and I grab my hair and pace a bit and then spy Allie inside at a booth. Shit. I can’t keep her hanging, but I also need to nip this in the bud.
I text Kyle, sending,CALL ME ASAP!!!
Then, I head on inside. Allie and I have a pleasant enough meal, although I can’t deny that I’m distracted as fuck.
After she pays, Allie stands. “Hey, is everything all right? Did the guys say something that upset you? Because I can help to straighten them out if necessary.”
I smile weakly. “Thanks for the backup, but they’re fine. Better than fine, actually. It’s something else. Stuff with my mom.”
“Oh, geez. I’m sorry. You gotta love moms, but sometimes, you just want to strangle them, right? It’s like the older they get, the more they forget what it’s like to be amazing and cool like us young chicks.”
I laugh. “Exactly.”
“If you need a lift tonight once you’re done with your shift, just text me. See ya!”
I glance at the time on my phone. There’s enough time for me to try to get ahold of Kyle.
I call him twice more, but he doesn’t answer. Seriously. If I’m blowing up your phone, it’s a reason, and if you have a phone, it does have the functionality for calls because sometimes, you just need to talk on them!
So I end up sending him huge walls of text.
Gah, this is insane. All of it. How is this my life? I can't believe Mom had to go and muck everything up. I don't have time to call the agency Declan works for. It probably isn't even open for calls right now anyhow, but I'll be calling in the morning as soon as I can.
How can she profess to love Declan when she’s still clearly fucked up yet over my father? He really did corrupt her.
Corruption. Ace and I have talked about corrupting each other, and it’s the truth. We have.
Just like anything and everything, corruption doesn’t have to be a terrible thing.
Maybe to try to focus on something else, on something else, to help center me, I send Ace a text.
Maybe I’ll be up for some corruption tonight. What do you say?
For a few minutes, I wait, hoping Ace will text back, but eventually, I can't wait any longer. I hurry out of the booth and change into my uniform in the back. Cherise suggested I do that so I can leave in street clothes. Thank God I listened, or else I would have been screwed.
After washing my hands in the bathroom, I head out front and get to work. Everything goes smoothly enough, I guess, although I working more on autopilot than anything because my mind is racing.
If she contacts my father…
If he really is at war…
Should I just help him with whatever he originally wanted my mom for? Why is he hanging around so much if he is at war?
See what I mean? Totally distracted.
I walk over to a table in the back corner where a man sits alone. “Hi, I’m Katie. I’ll be your waitress. Are you waiting for someone?”
“I was.”
“I can get you a drink in the meantime while you wait for the others in your party to arrive.”
He shakes his head. “No. I was waiting for you, Katie Quake.”
My eyes widen, and I link a few times, zeroing in on his features. A sloped nose. Weak jawline. A crooked front tooth. Light brown hair with a slightly receding hairline. Dark under circles beneath dark eyes.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know who you are,” I say, glad my voice is steady and doesn’t show how fucking unnerved I am.