Page 7 of Protecting Charity

Me: She hasn’t been found yet.

Me: FBI is here.

A large Hispanic man plopped into the bench attached to my table, interrupting my game of making burgers and fries. His skin held distinct cartel-related tattoos and one of the virgin Mary. From what I could see, most of his skin was tattooed with these religious symbols, including one on his face.

I slunk back into my seat and hunched down. This was how an innocent girl would react to a menacing man randomly taking a seat at her table.

“C-can I help you?” I said, deliberately making my voice shake with nervousness.

If he thought he was scaring me, he’d be sorely mistaken the moment he made a move on me. I already had my knife drawn and was just waiting for him to strike first.

He grinned as if I was his entertainment and stuck his elbows on the table while folding his fingers together in front of his face as if in prayer. Something he’d be doing a lot of once I sliced and diced his arteries to his spine.

I scanned around looking for anyone else he was with and noticed another tall Hispanic man with jet-black hair and a two-day beard striding this way. His suit fit snug like the hulk mid-change, giving off the appearance of some serious muscle beneath it all. I’m tempted to ask him to flex and watch his suit tear down his massive body.

Mystery man packed in beside Giganto, and he placed his hands on the table in a non-threatening manner.

“Um… hi?” I said.

This didn’t feel like a conversation I wanted to have in the middle of a packed diner full of innocent people.

I rose from my seat.

“Sit down,” Mystery Man said firmly.

I took a cautious seat on the edge of the booth, ready to act at a moment’s notice. “I don’t want any trouble, boys.”

“But I think you do.”

“You know nothing of what I want. Right now, I’m more interested in eating my sandwich… alone.” I stood again, ready to forfeit the sandwich and find a new joint.

“Sit down. I won’t be nice next time.” He had a slight Spanish accent that I’m sure sent all the women buckling at the knees. The large man sitting next to him had an amused sneer on his face—one I wanted to wipe off painfully.

The diner bustled about as if no one noticed the two large Hispanic men that walked in that didn’t appear to belong. Although nothing had occurred just yet, I knew it would if he didn’t get what he wanted. He didn’t seem to be a man that played around and wasted his time. The server stepped up to the table with my sandwich and put it down.

“Can I get you, gentlemen, anything?”

Before they could answer, I said, “Do you mind putting this in a to-go box? I won’t be staying.”

She tipped her head with confusion but took my plate away to box it up without any more questions. I wasn’t sure where I would put it on my bike, but be damned if I was going to leave a double-bacon BLT untouched.

I wrapped my jacket over my arm to hide the knife in my hand and took a sip of my water with the other.

“You can put the knife away, Charity.”

I chilled from the utterance of my name. “Okay, so you know me, but I don’t know you. So how about you introduce yourself?”

“I’m Elias Hernandez.” He stared at me as if I was supposed to recognize that name.

“Cool. Is that name supposed to mean something around here?”

The big man next to him growled like a dog, baring his teeth as he spoke. “Have some respect, little girl.”

I cocked my head and smirked. “Respect is earned, not demanded. You don’t deserve my respect for interrupting my meal without invitation.”

The hefty man lurched at me, intending to make me flinch, causing my water to splash over the rim. Elias raised his two fingers, telling him silently to chill the fuck out.

I grinned from ear to ear, delighted with myself for not moving a muscle. I swung my glare to Elias. “Your boy here is rabid.”

---