Page 8 of Claymore
“Thank you.”
I started walking out of there and by the time I made it to my car, I noticed he was following me. I drove out of there as fast as I could, taking a few wrong turns, circling around just to make sure I got to work without him tailing me. I knew it wouldn’t do much use because the Kings knew where I worked, they knew where I lived. I felt like they were really starting to close in on me now.
I carried the box of fresh buns into the back entrance, and Louise was waiting there for me with a smile on her face. I couldn’t even smile back. I was so upset, so scared for my life, but I tried to keep it together.
“Ella?”
“Another long night, I guess. I’m sorry, Louise. I know I’m late, I know I haven’t been doing that great lately.”
“Ella, maybe you should take some time off. I know I’m just a waitress and I in no way can give you that, but it seems like you need it.”
“You have Derek wrapped around your little finger. He adores you. You guys have been dating for three years now,” I teased.
“Yeah, you’re right. I can definitely give you some time off.”
“I can’t, Louise. I need the money. I’m the only person I have taking care of myself,” I told her.
“I know. We can figure this out, but there’s something definitely wrong. You may not be able to tell me right now, but I’m here for you. Whatever you need.”
I smiled warmly at her, getting ready for my shift.
***
I was there until closing that night, well after one o’clock in the morning when I heard someone talking to Derek out front. I inched closer to theEmployee’s Onlydoor so I could hear a bit better.
“Hey, I’m a friend of Ella’s. She told me to meet her when she was getting off, but she didn’t tell me when exactly that was,” I heard him say.
I peeled out the door to see a stranger standing there, but when I looked closely, I realized it was the biker from the grocery store. I pulled Louise aside when she came in with a tray of dirty dishes, and I pointed to him.
“That man said we’re friends and that he was waiting for me to get off. I don’t know him. Please, tell Derek I don’t know him,” I begged.
She nodded, making her way out to take care of it for me. Derek made it clear that he didn’t want him around the diner anymore, and the man scoffed, taking off.
Derek and Louise confronted me now, both with their hands crossed over their chests, waiting for an explanation.
“Okay, okay. There have been a few guys that have been harassing me lately. They know I work here. I’ve stood my ground with them before, but now they’re showing up where I work. It’s just too much.”
“I’m gonna call the cops,” said Derek.
I didn’t argue with him, even though I knew there was nothing the cops or anyone would be able to do about this. I watched Derek call them, tapping his foot on the linoleum floors while he explained the situation. Louise sat with me, trying to get me to relax, but it wasn’t going to do any good. This was much deeper, much scarier than any of them would ever understand. There was only one person that would, and I just wished he were here right now. I didn’t want to call him. I didn’t want to admit that I needed help.
“They’re on their way, Ella. You sit tight. Everything’s gonna be okay.”
“Thanks, Derek.”
I waited patiently for the cops to arrive, slipping into a booth with one of them, and I told them what I knew. I kept the details to a minimum, pretended like I didn’t know exactly what was going on, because I knew how bad it could get if I riled up the Freeway Kings. I couldn’t taunt them with help from the police because they were so good at evading them. I was sure they probably had some dirty cops on speed dial.What the hell am I going to do now?
Chapter Three
Claymore
The engine whirred as I sped down the Mascid streets, carrying a wad of cash in my jacket pocket. The run went smoothly for once, and I was on my way back to the clubhouse by ten o’clock. The evening breeze lulled me the entire ride back. When I finally pulled into the front yard, my bike started kicking up sand. I furrowed my brow, staring up at the front door to see it was cracked open and the porch lights were on. Muffled voices were trickling out, and I rushed inside to see what was going on.
Wrench sat on the kitchen island at the far end of the house, and I could see the doc there patching him up. Archer walked out with a bunch of medical supplies in his hand—gauze, rubbing alcohol, and some metal tools.
“What the fuck happened?”
“You missed the show. We barely got Wrench back here in one piece. Those Freeway Fucks are getting wild. They tried taking him out.”
