The Runaway (Barrett Boys Book 1) by Jordan Ford

Author:Jordan Ford [Ford, Jordan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jordan Ford Books
Published: 2020-11-19T16:00:00+00:00

25

Table Eleven

I flip the burger patties, humming under my breath as I double-check the order to make sure I’m getting it right.

It’s been a busy shift, but things are starting to slow down a little.

I check the clock on the wall. The diner closes at three, which means I’ve only got forty-five minutes of cooking left before I’ll start cleaning up the kitchen for Danny’s shift tonight.

“Okay, we’ve got a problem.”

I whip around at the sound of Annie’s voice.

She looks fired up and scared at the same time.

I go on instant alert.

Is Dean hassling her about something?

If he is, what am I gonna do about it?

I tossed and turned a lot last night, trying to answer that question.

Do I really have it in me to smack the guy down if he touches Annie?

Can I risk some kind of fight and alert the authorities to my presence here?

That could be the worst idea, but—

“Hank Keyes wants to meet you.” She points over her shoulder. “He’s out in the diner waitin’ right now.”

“Who?”

She tuts and plays with her ponytail, looking everywhere but at me.

“Annie. Who is Hank Keyes?”

With a sharp huff, she crosses her arms and mumbles, “He’s the police chief.”

“The… police.” My eyebrows rise.

“Look, I’m sorry. He’s a nosy busybody, and he thinks it’s his job to know every frickin’ thing that goes on in this town. You’re workin’ here, so he wants to… check you out. I’m sorry. I tried to get you out of it, but he’s a stubborn ass! If I didn’t agree, he’d probably march on in here and surprise the heck out of you. I just… I don’t know how to protect you from this!”

Her slender hands fly up, then crash back down, slapping the tops of her legs while her forehead wrinkles up in a desperate frown.

I gaze at her for a moment, my heart twisting out of shape.

She wants to protect me.

It’s kind of the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard a girl say before.

“I’ll be out in just a minute.” I turn back to the grill, give the onions a little jiggle, and then place the patties onto the buns.

“Are you sure about that?” Annie dances on her tiptoes beside me.

I nod. “May as well get it over with, right?”

Once the burgers are loaded up with all the goodies and the plates are looking nice, I hand them to Annie and wash my hands.

She stops halfway out of the kitchen and turns back to face me.

“You shouldn’t have to do this.” Her blue eyes are so apologetic.

I shake my head, forcing a smile. “It’s okay.”

It’s not okay.

I’m about to meet a cop, and that is seriously not okay.

I still have no idea how far Marlo’s gone to track me down. For all I know, my picture could be pinned to the wall of every station within three states of Texas.

But not going out there and acting like something is wrong will only look suspicious.

I have to play this cool.

I can do that. How many times in my life have I had to put on a mask in order to get what I need? This is no different.

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