Volumes of the Vemreaux Complete Collection: A Dystopian Adventure Trilogy, page 26
Many times Baird’s eyes coasted over to the booth, and without fail there was a different cluster of Femreaux clamoring for attention from the rich and powerful Vemreaux. Brody’s nose was beginning to return back to a less conspicuous puffy shape. Baird was glad to see that his sister probably had not broken it. Perhaps there was hope that they could deny her true identity after all, though he doubted it. He watched as Brody left the booth a few times to dance or make out with a Femreaux he’d just met.
Alec did not leave his seat, but did welcome women into the booth to keep him company. They entertained with their roving hands and overdone laughter. Baird could not imagine the serious and deadly Vemreaux cracking a joke, but the Fems ate whatever he was saying right up, not caring that they were the ninth or twentieth woman to hang on him that night. Sam and Alec sat on either side of the prince, serving as barriers to keep the women from touching Liam without a thorough check for any danger.
Every time Baird caught Sam’s eye, he glared. Just as Liam had pick of the litter, Sam was even more handsome and attracted the drunken women in droves. Fem after Fem whispered in his uninterested ear, touched his arm and scooted so close that Baird did not have to guess at what the women wanted from him. Sam kept glancing covertly in Blue’s direction, waving off the Fems almost as quick as they came over to him.
Though his attention to Blue did not seem perverted, it also was not as coldly medical or observational as Alec’s was. Every time Sam stared at his sister with a curious or forlorn gaze, Baird wanted to punch him, just once, good and hard. Well, maybe twice.
Elle trotted over to the bar to collect more shots several times during the remainder of the night, but Baird hardly noticed her flirting. When he finally turned his attention to her, he noticed bags under her eyes. Her movements were slower and contained more deliberate thought behind them. He turned toward her, resting the bottles down on the shelf below the bar so that he had both hands free and less to keep him from focusing on her.
“It’s almost one,” she commented. He could not tell if she sounded hopeful or dismal about the time. “I’ll help tear down and come say goodbye before I go.”
Nodding, Baird loaded the rest of the shots atop her tray. Before she picked it up, he caught her hand and held onto it for a few fleeting seconds. “Be careful tonight. Just fall asleep fast and I’ll come get you.”
“Really? In the car?” she asked tiredly. “May not be much of an act. I might fall asleep on the way to the testing.”
“Find someone with a phone and call me.” Baird’s fingers clutched hers to remind himself of where he was and that nothing terrible had actually happened yet. “You don’t have to tear down. We can do that. Just come see me before you go.” He squeezed her hand to savor the contact, hoping it would bring back some sense to the night.
Elle smiled, getting a little life back in her face as she lifted the tray and finished waiting on the last of her tables. Baird made another dozen shots and set them behind him for the stragglers who couldn’t seem to get it into their heads that they did not live at the bar.
The Vemreaux paid their tabs down, slowly filtering out in groups or in couples. At last, the only table in the place that still contained people was the booth that would soon demand his attention.
Not wanting to make their night any better, he took his time scrubbing down the bar while the minutes ticked by. Usually he’d kick out anyone sitting on the wooden stools after one in the morning, but he permitted one of his usual customers to indulge in his last drink as long as he pleased. Martin could be trusted to consume alcohol as long as he was still upright, which, judging by his exaggerated sway to the last song still blaring on the jukebox, would not be much longer.
Steve’s last table exited, but instead of helping tear down, the lazy Vemreaux sat down in a chair in the middle of the diner and began counting his tips. Blue diligently bussed the rest of her tables and then moved on to his.
The stress of the day needed an outlet, and Baird was grateful for the target that the slovenly waiter presented. He cracked open the kitchen door and did his best to appear friendly. “Stephanie, thanks for all your hard work. You can go on home. The kitchen looks great.” It was true. With the two women to clean it, they were nearly finished.
“Alright, Baird. And you, you little elf, I’ll dig up the picture of that house in Asia I was telling you about. Wish Elle good luck for me.”
As soon as the door closed behind him, Baird disregarded the four Vemreaux he’d eventually have to acknowledge and walked over to the chair where Steve sat. Very quietly, he bent down and breathed over Steve’s shoulder. “You.”
Steve sat erect for the first time in Baird’s memory. He tried to turn to look at Baird, but the Wayward moved his face so close to the back of Steve’s head that he could not turn fast enough to see him. “What do you want, Baird?” he asked irritably.
Baird spoke into the back of the Vemreaux’s head, breathing heavily to make him squirm. “Have you seen how small my sister is?”
“So?” Steve rubbed the hot breath off the back of his neck, but Baird was not deterred.
“Do you know how many of your tables she’s had to take?”
“Yeah, so?”
Baird paused, knowing the Vemreaux at the booth could probably hear him. “Do you know that I know where you live?”
Steve stopped breathing, fear lighting his nerves. “I was just going to help her clear off the rest of the tables.”
“Those are your tables, useless. She’s bussing your tables.” Baird breathed one last time on the waiter, catching Alec’s amusement out of the corner of his eye. “Do you know how it feels to watch your family be taken advantage of? It makes me…less than happy. Do you know what I do when I’m less than happy?” Now he was just taunting the Vemreaux. It felt good to have some small amount of control still. “Do you know how many Waywards die every year because they fall into the scratch pit and get buried alive in it? How many bodies do you think I’ve seen disappear?” Then, just to toy with him, Baird lowered his voice. “How many do you think I’ve made disappear?”
Steve shot up from his chair like he had been shocked. Without looking behind him, he immediately began cleaning off the rest of the tables in the dining area. Baird saw Blue’s raised eyebrow at his actions. He responded by shrugging innocently, catching a muffled laugh from Alec.
The tables were to be left out to weather the elements, but Joe wanted the chairs inside after closing. Elle was moving slowly as she wiped down the last of her tables under the dark sky. The brilliant smile that pulled in so many tips was faltering as her thoughts gave way to whatever was in store for her that night at the testing.
When Baird could take it no longer, he pulled out a chair and motioned for her to sit in it and rest her tired feet. “When’s the tester coming to pick you up?” he asked quietly.
“I told him one-thirty, so any minute, really.” She leaned her head on her hand and allowed her eyes to drift shut for the moment. “What’s going on with you and Blue? I’ve never seen her so distracted. And you’re so mad. Why? What’d I miss?”
Baird considered informing her, but thought better of it. “I’ll tell you tomorrow when you’re awake.” He watched her yawn without covering her mouth, her chin tilting up to enjoy the full body of it. Baird smiled at her cuteness. “You ready for tonight?”
She shrugged, her lips puckered from exhaustion. “Bring it,” she joked, her head still on her hand.
Baird began to pull the chairs out from the tables and move them to the entrance. It would have been more effective to bring them all the way in, but he wanted to prolong his time outside with Elle.
“Don’t kill yourself trying tonight. Just get in and get out. For what it’s worth, I’m impressed you made it this far.” Even though he saw Elle nod, he couldn’t tell if he was really getting through to her. “She’d never have been able to stay hidden this long without you.”
“That’s because I’m amazing.”
“Did my distraction help you last night? Give you something to keep you awake thinking about?” he teased her.
Elle’s lips pulled up into a dreamy smile as her head bobbed slowly. Baird ignored the rest of the chairs to stand in front of her and lean over for another kiss. Her eyes were closed, so she wasn’t expecting it, and gasped when his lips moved on hers. Her hands flew to his face and his wrapped under her arms, pulling her up to standing. The warmth was comforting as she pressed into him, exploiting every curve to his notice. He clutched onto the fabric of her shirt that was dampened from clinging to her back with sweat. She hummed under her breath a little purr of enjoyment, giving new life to his passion.
Deeper he drove the kiss until they were both out of breath and had to pull away. Her eyes were definitely open when she touched her cheeks to calm herself. “You’re supposed to distract me, not give me a heart attack.” She watched him crack a smile before he pressed his lips to hers gently once more. “Baird,” she murmured as her mouth began to move with his once again.
“I love that you say my name when I kiss you,” he admitted, lightly nipping at her lower lip.
“Baird,” she inhaled languorously, “the tester.”
“That’s not exactly the sexy talk I was hoping for,” he murmured. It took a full two seconds before he understood that the tester was now there to collect her. He drew out the process of pulling away, so as not to end the closeness too abruptly.
Elle looked around Baird’s tall shoulder and waved to acknowledge the tester. “Do you want me to stay and finish up?” she asked, still coming out of the bliss.
“Nah, you go on ahead. Maybe Steve’ll actually do some work tonight. Say goodnight to the girls first, though. I’m sure Grettel’s had quite the day worrying about you. She doesn’t like sleeping alone, either. Little thing tossed all night.”
He lifted the chair Elle had been sitting on and carried it over to the others near where the tester stood. “Evening, sir,” he greeted the man respectfully.
The Vemreaux official nodded, but kept his attention on Elle as she walked toward him.
“I just have to say goodnight to the others. I’ll be ready in a minute.” She floated past him before he could remind her of the time.
Elle grabbed two chairs and dragged them inside behind her, stacking them up to the right of the entrance so they’d be easy to get to the next day. Her eyes flew to the only booth still containing diners, surprised at the company. Baird never allowed people to stay this late. She thought of going over and finding out what they were still doing there, but decided she’d better make use of the time and say her goodbyes to the girls.
Elle drew her hand into her apron to remove the thick wad of tips and handed the money to Blue. “Give this to Baird, will you?”
“No problem. You taking off?”
“Yes, and I deserve a decent hug. It’s my last night pretending to be you,” she whispered, “so make it a good one.” She extended her arms with a grin that the finish line was at last in sight.
“Hey, don’t overdo it tonight. Baird’ll come get you as soon as they kick you out. It’ll all be over soon.”
“You sound like your brother.” Elle squeezed the girl tight. “I’ll be back in a little bit, and you’ll all wonder how I got to be so awesome.” Blue pulled away and smiled, but Elle noticed the force with which the corners of her lips twisted up just enough to pass as believable. “What’s wrong?” she asked, though she knew the response that would come.
“Nothing, Elle. Everything’s fine. You concentrate on you tonight.” Blue searched her brain for a distraction. “I can’t believe all it took was this whole testing ordeal for my brother to finally make his move.”
“I know, right? Had I known it would be that easy…” Elle blew her a farewell kiss and sauntered off.
Blue shoved Elle’s wad of tips into her apron and went back into the dining area to help her brother tear down the rest of the tables and chairs. She grabbed a table and hefted it onto one shoulder, using the lip under the edge for leverage. She strolled out of the hallway onto the deserted dancing area that she’d already swept up.
As soon as her brother saw her, he abandoned his chairs and trotted over to help her.
“I got it,” she assured him. He’d never offered her assistance before.
“Could you at least pretend to struggle a little? We’re not alone here.” His voice was quiet as he took the table from her and helped her set it back up.
“Okay.” She didn’t see much of a point. The Vemreaux at the booth already knew she had more strength than the average girl…or body builder. Baird went straight for the kitchen while Blue finished the exaggerated labor of dragging the chairs inside.
Alec spoke up from his seat. “You don’t have to put on a show for us. We know you can lift chairs without making that face.”
“Okay,” she offered, though she changed nothing for the Vemreaux, sticking to her brother’s instruction. She felt Sam’s penetrating eyes on her, but she did not look in the direction of the booth. So adamant was her need to keep away from the magnet that unthinkingly drew her in, that she treated their whole section of the restaurant as if it were the sun – too overwhelming to look at.
Baird finally emerged with the two girls. Grettel was hesitant, but stuck next to Elle and behind Baird to shield herself from view. She shot a quick look of panic at Blue, who did her best to smile comfortingly.
The three exited the building, and Blue could see through one of the tall windows that Baird was talking with the tester as he took the key to the hut off the ring and handed it to Grettel. It was probably wise to ask the tester to drop Grettel off at home under the guise of Elle desperately needing something from the hut. There was no need for Grettel to stick around in the diner for what would no doubt be a lengthy conversation that would just upset her. Blue wished she could retreat for the shelter, as well.
27
Cards on the Table
Sam was smoking to calm his nerves as the four went to a table in the middle of the floor. He moved to sit next to the chair Blue was headed for, but was intercepted. “No, Blue. Sit here,” Baird instructed, indicating the seat at the end of the table on his right side. Usually the two siblings sat opposite each other so they could keep watch behind the other person’s back, just in case. It was an old habit he’d engrained into her in The Way.
“Okay,” she consented, and obediently sat down next to her brother. She pulled out two separate stacks of bills. “These are Elle’s,” she handed him the thicker one as the Vemreaux settled in around them. “These are mine.”
He nodded and bent the top bill of Elle’s in half before placing Blue’s money over it to combine them into one easily foldable stack that he slid into the pocket of his jeans. Sam’s eyebrows wrinkled in confusion, but he said nothing.
The shots Baird placed in the middle of the table as a peace offering caught Brody’s eye. He reached over and downed the first one.
“You okay, little Wayward?” Sam asked casually.
Blue kept her chin down and nodded submissively. Sam frowned.
Baird made no indication that Sam had spoken, but crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair to make himself more comfortable for the interrogation he was sure was coming.
Liam was never one for awkward situations, so he set to rectifying the tension. “Good to see you again, Baird. And we haven’t met yet.” He extended his hand to Blue, grinning jovially and naturally, as if his face were given to smiling often.
“This is the ever-impressive Liam,” Sam explained. “Just ask him.”
“Sir.” Blue took his hand for one shake, and then dropped it immediately, shrinking yet further back into her chair.
“Show him your eyes, A-word,” Brody ordered as he fiddled with the shot glass.
Sam hissed at the offensive slur and kicked his friend under the table.
Before she consented to revealing the window to her soul, Baird spoke up. “We’re agreed to keep everything private?”
“I’m great with privates,” Liam joked, dismayed when no one laughed with him. “What? No? Well, I thought it was funny.”
“Are we going to go through this all over again?” Alec leaned threateningly toward the girl seated at his left. “We keep our mouths shut, you open yours.” Alec grew impatient and stood to confront Blue.
Alec’s arm rose to force the girl to look at Liam, but Baird held up his palm. “You’ll not put your hands on my owner’s property.”
Liam was uncomfortable as he shifted in his chair. “Seriously, guys. You suck at getting information from people you can’t beat it out of. Why is everyone still so tense?”
Brody guffawed. “Why? Ninja Barbie got the drop on Sam and popped me in the face. That’s why. Smug little brat.”
“She’s like fifteen, Brody,” Liam chided, his disdain plainly communicated. “You can’t talk to kids like that.”
At this, Blue opened her eyes to correct the affront. “I’m nineteen,” she said indignantly.
She had a remark stored up to toss at Brody, but the words failed her. Staring back at her were the eyes she tried for so long to hide. Her mouth fell open as she struggled to make sense of the bluest irises she’d seen apart from hers and her brothers’. “What…who are you?” she stammered, all of a sudden unsure of herself. Still, she could not look away. Something inside of Blue shifted, but she did not know what or why. For whatever reason, Blue’s subconscious latched onto Liam.
It seemed the feeling was mutual. Liam’s response came several beats later as he tried to collect himself. When he spoke again, the jocularity was forced. Liam tried to push away the confusion that seeing her face brought him. He leaned back in his chair. “See, that’s why I love the Americas. No one knows who I am here.” Deciding he could no longer resist the temptation, Liam finished the shot in his hand in one gulp, shivering as it slid through him.
