Page 25 of Crushing Clover

“You two missed lunch,” Rush commented. “You’ve got your phone?”

“Shit.” Lucky bolted back up the stairs, leaving me looking at Rush. He was dressed in a black kitchen uniform which looked weirdly amazing on him. Maybe I was simply excited to be around men who had jobs.

“It’s so weird having you in the house. It’s like seeing a ghost.”

Wow. These guys were really fucked up about their ex.

“No. It would be like seeing a ghost if the bitch was dead,” Saint John growled, stalking into the room, “which, unfortunately, she isn’t.” The man was a storm cloud. Dressed in the black uniform, he looked lethal. He didn’t even glance my way.

“Stop being so fucking grumpy,” Rush growled back.

“Who’s going to stop me? You?”

“I’m not fighting with you about this right now. We’re going to be late.”

Lucky barreled down the stairs, phone in hand.

“Come on, girly. Let the big bad men fuck each other up in peace.” He grabbed a wallet and keys from the bowl at the door, and I followed him out.

“Aren’t they going to the same place?”

“We take separate vehicles a lot. None of us like the way the others drive. Besides, being a passenger sucks.”

“I’d rather be a passenger than take the bus.”

“You don’t like driving?”

“I have no idea.” I laughed. “I don’t know how to drive.”

Lucky ushered me into the passenger seat of his black sportscar.

“You like?” he asked.

“I don’t know shit about cars, but it looks cool.”

He shook his head. “What do you do for fun if you don’t even like cars? Do you surf?” he asked hopefully.

“Surf? I’m from Ohio.”

“Ohio isn’t that far from the ocean.”

“It is if you can’t drive.”

Chapter 7

I hadn’t had any preconceived notions of what their restaurant would look like, but pulling up to a red-brick, gothic church was a complete surprise. It was old, but in good repair, and there was plenty of parking.

The sign out front read, Cygnet.

“Your restaurant is in a church?” I asked.

“The church is our restaurant,” Lucky said proudly. “Cool, huh?”

Part of me was hoping to see the restaurant, even though I shouldn’t have cared, but he brought me through the back entrance to an office that was away from the action.

The space was utilitarian, but big enough for a desk with two visitor chairs, and a couch along one wall that had seen better days. Everything was scrupulously tidy. Stacks of paper held together with binder clips were stacked at intervals on the desk but left plenty of room to work. The filing cabinet didn’t even have anything stacked on top of it.

“Do you think she’ll be safe in here?” Lucky asked when the other guys showed up moments later. “I can come check on her once in a while. The two of you will be too busy to do it.”

---