Page 39 of Belonging to Them
To him, every new hand is a chance to dig himself out of the hole he’s dug.
I hurry past the place with Natasha’s arm linked in mine, eager to get away.Not a block from Lo-Cal’s, we pass the all-night diner where Joel and I argued that one time.I glance inside, wondering whether the Ella of back then would’ve had any clue of what would come from that failed relationship.Could the past version of me have even contemplated that Joel would turn into a violent kidnapper?
I shake my head.Nope.It wouldn’t have even entered my brain, and if it had, I wouldn’t have believed it possible.
“You all right?”Natasha asks.
“Yeah.Just some nasty old feelings about the place.”
Through the large windows along the outside of the diner, I see a woman with vibrant, curly red hair walking between the tables, balancing a tray of drinks.Her stomach protrudes outward—she’s pregnant.
“Wait a second,” I say.“I’ve seen her before.”
Natasha looks into the window.“Who is she?”
“I can’t remember—wait.I saw her at Tommy’s apartment complex.”She’d been walking past when I was going up to see Tommy.
“Small world,” Natasha says.
I don’t believe in small worlds or coincidences anymore.Less than a block away, we passed Tommy’s gambling club, and now here’s a woman I’ve seen at his same apartment building, which is halfway across San Esteban in the Old Thirty-Three district.San Esteban is not a small enough city for that to make sense, is it?Although strange coincidences do happen.This is bizarre, though.
“Natasha, do you mind if we have a drink here instead of at Bartleby’s?”
“You mean our petty revenge on Nicholas-don’t-call-me-Nick will have to wait?”she asks with a grin.
“If you can handle the delay,” I say.
“Does this have to do with your mystery mama in there?”
“Yep.”
Shrugging, she says, “Well, I do love a mystery.”
We go in and grab a booth.The red-haired woman seems to be the only server on the floor tonight, other than a man standing behind the long counter.As Squid and Roman get seats at the counter, the redhead approaches our table with a friendly, professional smile.Her name tag readsGianna.
She asks, “Can I get some drinks started for you two?”
“Decaf coffee for me,” Natasha says.
“I’ll have some tea,” I say.I want to ask her if she knows Tommy, but what if I’m wrong?How weird would that be?Is she going to think I’m some kind of stalker?So instead of asking what I really want to know, I add, “Herbal tea, if you have it.”
“Sure thing,” Gianna says.
She walks away, and Natasha points at me.“Okay, spill.What is up?”
“Just a weird-ass hunch,” I say.“And I need to work up the nerve to ask her about it.”
“Think of how sad I’ll be if I put off my petty revenge only for you to lose your nerve over this,” Natasha says, winking.
“I’d feel terribly guilty,” I agree.
“Okay, well, here she comes, so work up whatever nerve you need.Don’t disappoint your bestie, Ella.”
Bestie.I grin back at Natasha.The Ella of the past never thought she would have a bestie.The Ella of the past was alone, allowing her brother to walk all over her, ruled by bills she could never pay, and slowly watching her musical dreams die.Then everything changed—and befriending Natasha was a part of it.
Meeting Kingston and Sebastian is the best thing that ever happened to me, but it’s good to know I was already on the upswing with people like Natasha and Mrs.Dali coming into my orbit.
Gianna comes back to our table.Her greenish-blue eyes look tired, but she smiles at us anyway as she sets down our drinks.“What else can I get you two?”
