Page 57 of The Midnight Order
“Yet, still, you took it.”
She shrugs, and her off-the-shoulder sweater slides down, exposing her creamy flesh. “Worth it.”
There’s this element to Silver that I can’t quite put my finger on. There’s this airy demeanor that astounds me.
She’s not like anyone I’ve ever met before.
“I figured while I was your captive, I might as well have a bit of fun,” she adds when I’m too awestruck to say anything back.
“You didn’t hit anything, did you?” I ask her, turning my attention out the window to my car parked diagonally in one of the four spots before the coffee shop.
“Boys and their cars. No, I didn’t hit anything. I can drive.”
Rolling her eyes, she sips her coffee a bit dreamily.
“I’m well over the age to be considered a boy.”
She laughs. “Yeah, I guess you are. Aren’t you?”
“So,” I settle back into the booth, “Public flogging, huh?”
Her smile lights up her face, and a small part of me wants to keep it there for the rest of her days. “I figured something of the sort.”
“Could be arranged.”
Her pallor changes, and a laugh cascades out of me, the likes of which I haven’t heard in years. “I’m kidding. Oh, your face was priceless.”
Our laughter dies down, and the mood between us shifts.
“We should get back,” I tell her.
She looks at her half-drunk latte with eagerness filling her eyes. “Why? You have meetings or someone to torture or something?”
“I run a few businesses. But, no, I have nothing pressing at the moment. The others will wonder where we are, especially when none of the others have ever wandered off the property, nor have we taken them off the property. Not until they’re ruled out, of course.”
“Stay, then. I’m with you. Tell them where I am.”
“Stay,” I repeat absently, digging my phone out of my suit pocket.
“Make a day of it,” she adds. “Karen!”
Karen appears as if she is waiting to be summoned all along.
“We’ll need another latte,” Silver tells her.
“Oh, no,” I wave her off, “I don’t need whatever that is.”
Silver doubles down. “Yes, we do.”
Karen looks between us before grinning and turning away to carry out Silver’s order instead of mine.
“First, you steal my car. Now, you’re forcing me to drink… what even is that?” I lean over and peer over the rim of her oversized mug.
“Pumpkin cheesecake latte. Trust me, you’ll thank me later.”
Karen walks over, placing two fresh mugs down, eyeing Silver. “I figured you’d want a top-up.”
Silver grins, pulling the new latte across the table and shoving the old over for Karen to dispose of. “Thank you.”
