Page 9 of Marcus: Sins of the Father

I toss him the keys, and he catches them in the air. He opens the passenger door for me, and I climb inside, liking his manners.

Marcus walks around the truck to the driver’s side. He shrugs out of his cut and lays it on the bench seat between us. The pickup shifts with his weight as he slides behind the wheel. “Where are we going?”

I point to the west. “That way.”

Marcus pulls onto the highway. His eyes light up as he gives my baby some gas. “She’s got power. I do love a V8 engine.” He shifts through the gears, and his eyes roam over the dash, then flick to me. There’s that killer smile again, and my heart melts a little more. “You name her?”

I bite my lip and look down at me lap, because, yes, I did. “Roxanne.”

He chuckles. “I like it. When did you get her?”

“It was a gift.”

His smile immediately fades. “Oh?”

I know what he’s thinking—there’s a man somewhere. “It’s not like that. My father gave it to me as a Christmas present when I turned eighteen.”

“Wow. Nice gift.”

I stare out the window and change the subject. The last thing I want to do is talk about my family. “So, you don’t mind leaving your bike?”

“If someone is stupid enough to steal it, I’ve got a tracker. I’ll find it and beat the shit out of whoever took it.” He glances over at me, like he’s trying to judge my reaction to his words.

I hold his gaze. “I bet you would.”

“Would I be wrong?”

“Nope. You wouldn’t.” I look at the road and point. “Turn here.” He does and we drive another mile before I motion to a place on the right near the interstate. It’s a 24-hour diner with a big gravel lot that caters to the interstate truckers.

Marcus pulls in, parking near the entrance. He peers through the windshield. “You come here often?”

“I’ve been here a time or two with Josh and Katie—our other bartender—after closing down the bar.”

“When you said greasy burger, you weren’t kidding, huh?”

I roll my eyes and unbuckle my seatbelt. “Come on. I guarantee you won’t complain.”

We climb out, and he reaches for my hand, then holds the door for me.

There’s a sign that tells us to seat ourselves, and I’m already tugging Marcus toward a booth along the windows. I slide across the green vinyl and grab two laminated menus, passing one to Marcus.

He flips it over. “What’s good?”

A middle-aged waitress approaches with a pot of coffee. Marcus leans back to give her access to the cups already on the table. She flips over the one in the saucer in front of him and fills it.

“Welcome. I’m Sonya. What can I get you, darlin’?”

I answer for him, taking the menu from his hands. “We’ll both have the BBQ burger with fries.”

He lifts an eyebrow but doesn’t contradict me.

The waitress fills my cup. “And would you both like something besides coffee to go with it?”

“I’ll have a cola.”

“And for your companion?”

“Same,” Marcus pipes in.

---