Siren Awakened - C.R. Jane Page 0,65

marched out the front gates of the White House by a group of their armed guards, the President and his wife with just one bag in each of their hands, it was clear to see that life as we knew it would never be the same again.

Years later, I would think back on that moment and wonder if that was the first time I had seen them. If they somehow sensed even then that I was out there and that I was something that they would want...something they would obsess over. I wondered if there was anything I could have done, any way that I could have run to ensure a different outcome.

It didn’t do any good for me to think about what-ifs. The simple fact of the matter was that I was never given a choice. I belonged to them. I always would.

Chapter 1

Liar!

“I didn’t steal the money,” I whispered to Greg to avoid the customers in the diner from hearing our conversation. Biting back the fury that danced through me, I curled my hands and stuffed them into the pockets of my skirt, concealing them. How dare he accuse me of theft after I’d worked here for the past year and covered every necessary shift, stayed until midnight to close up most nights, and even cooked the damn food when we were short on staff. I stared at my boss in disbelief. He may only be five foot three and sporting a shaved haircut to cover his receding hairline, but he reminded me of a bulldog with his squished nose, chubby cheeks, and downturned mouth. His brown eyes squinted in an accusatory manner.

“You were responsible for the register,” he barked, not caring that he was raising his voice.

My cheeks burned, and I opened my mouth to respond, but no words formed. I was the only waitress on hand today because Sandy called in sick, again, and was most likely having a full day of orgasms with her new boyfriend. Lucky her. The cooks couldn’t have touched the cash since they never came up front. So that left me...

I exhaled loudly. “I know it looks that way, but it wasn’t me. You know me, Greg. You know I wouldn’t do that to you.” I wished he’d installed cameras as I suggested months ago. Then we wouldn’t be having this problem.

Greg huffed, his shoulders rising and falling. “The lost money will come out of your next check.”

“No!” I reached out for him, but he batted me away, scrunching his nose as if I were no better than a fly.

“That’s a douche move, man,” Cherry’s voice came behind me, my best friend who often came here for lunch and to bug me. She meant well, but this would only get worse if she tried to interfere.

I turned towards her and shook my head, mouthing the word, don’t.

She ignored me and climbed out of the nearby booth located right behind the register and strolled toward us in her stilettos. “She’s innocent until proven guilty. So, you can’t dock Ella’s pay without evidence.”

Greg stood as tall as he was able, his hands gripping his wide hips, his name badge sitting at an angle across his heart. The corners of his lips twitched in distaste as he looked at my best friend. “My diner. My rules. You don’t like it, both of you can leave.” His voice rose and I realized that the rest of the diner had fallen silent, listening to our argument.

“Well,” Cherry began, but I stepped in front of her.

“It’s fine.” My heart raced at the thought of losing my job when I was already living paycheck to paycheck. “I’ll cover the missing money.”

Cherry exhaled loudly behind me, while Greg just grinned.

“That was never a question,” he replied snottily before he turned and marched into the back office.

“Fucking ass,” Cherry murmured as she snatched my elbow to drag me to sit in the cushioned booth with her. “He can kiss my ass, that dick is lucky to have you working for him.” She pushed over her half-eaten vegetable fries and I helped myself, deciding I might as well drown my sorrows in food. But the food didn’t sit well in my stomach with all the worry that was churning through me. It also didn’t help that I still remembered how real French fries tasted, and this “healthier” version couldn’t compare.

I tucked the loose strands of hair behind my ear, but it was a losing battle as it fell right back into