“Yes, born and raised.”
“Do you live alone?” His follow-up question has my stomach churning. What an odd thing to say.
“Um, yeah… but like in an apartment. We have great security,” I add like the idiot I am.
Archer must find my answer amusing based on the grin tugging at his lips. Madison giggles beside him.
“Stop grilling her.” Madison digs her elbow into Archer’s side. “She is just a friend from ballet class, I promise.”
Archer assesses me for another moment, surveying me with his gaze, almost as if I am the one who is a threat to him. I nearly laugh at the thought. The possibility that little ol’ me could pose any kind of threat to a guy like him is absurd.
“So, Payton,” Cash pulls my attention back to him. “Do you like your job?”
“I love my job. Working with kids was my dream.” It’s only half a lie. I did always want to work with children, but my real hope was to become an actual elementary school teacher. I wanted to go to college and study early childhood education but thanks to my mom, none of that ever happened.
Luckily, you don’t need a degree to work at the preschool. My babysitting experience was enough to get me hired, and they trained me to do the rest. I don’t get paid much less than a kindergarten teacher starting out. The difference is that I don’t get any benefit, and my career can never go any further than where I am right now.
“What else do you do for fun besides being a ballerina?” Kane turns his body toward me a little more. I’m extremely aware of how close he is now. All his attention is on me, which only intimidates me more.
I would scoot away, but there is nowhere else to go besides his brother’s lap. So I simply squeeze my shoulder together in an effort to make myself as small as I can.
“Um, fun? Dancing is pretty much it. I work during the week and sometimes babysit on the weekends.” My rambling is cut short by two waiters bringing out steaming plates of food.
A large piece of lasagna is placed in front of me, and the savory smells of tomatoes and spices make my mouth water in appreciation.
Without paying my surroundings much attention, I pick up my fork and dig in. God, Cash was right, this is the best lasagna ever. Or maybe it’s because I haven’t eaten all day. Either way, this is freaking delicious.
“Do you want some more?” Kane chuckles next to me. Only then do I realize I wolfed down every last bit of my food before anyone else at the table.
“Oh, no. Thank you. I’m done,” I say around the last bite in my mouth.
“Just dessert then.” Cash smiles.
I’m about to decline that as well, but he is already waving the waiter over to order some tiramisu.
Shortly after, my empty plate is replaced with a new one. I force myself to eat the dessert slower, so I don’t look like a total pig.
Not long after I finish the most delicious tiramisu I’ve ever eaten, Cash rubs my back again, making me sit up straighter. “Come on, let’s get you home.”
“I can just get an Uber.”
“But you won’t because we’re taking you home,” Kane tells me like I don’t have a choice in the matter. I gulp and glance over at Madison, who nods and smiles, almost as if she is happy that they are taking me home. What is wrong with her?
We say our awkward goodbyes to Madison and Archer before I’m ushered out of the restaurant rather quickly.
The hostess, who greeted us on the way in, runs to the door to hold it open for us. “Have a great day, Mr. Hale,” she tells Cash, who tightens his grip on my arm.
It’s not until I am sitting in the back of the car that the name has sunk into my brain. Hale. I’ve heard about the Hale Family. Oh god.
I suck in a shuddering breath as Cash slides into the seat beside me.
I’ve read stories about the Hale family in the papers, and none of them were good. The puzzle pieces slowly come together as I review dinner. The way they looked, acted, and how afraid people were of them. It’s because these guys are part of the mob. No, not part of it; they are the mob.
“Where do you live?” Kane asks from the front seat.
I blink slowly. I can’t tell them where I live.
I’m so lost in thought that I don’t even fight back when Cash snatches my bag from my lap and digs through it.