said next was too horrible to believe it could come from anyone in their right mind. “Please, just…give him…do whatever he wants…I need it.” He watched that small baggie as he spoke, staring at it like it was beautiful, like he wanted it more than he’d ever wanted me. “I have to have it.”
“You okay?” Curtis said, stepping to my side when I jogged toward the breakroom instead of stopping to enter the table’s order into the computer. The man was tall, his young face without a line over his brown skin, but as he watched me, small lines appeared around his mouth and at the corners of his eyes. “You don’t look so good. You feeling sick again?”
“I…no…I’m…” What was I? Upset over some asshole who’d wanted to screw me in exchange for giving my husband some blow in what felt like a different life? The same asshole who had clearly worked his way up the corporate ladder and had his underlings worried about having a few beers at a conference. God, if they only knew…
“Maggie, if you need me to put that order in…”
“I don’t need…” But I couldn’t finish the thought.
From where we stood near the back of the restaurant, I spotted Reynolds coming through the door. He walked inside with his cell at his ear and a stupid smirk on his narrow lips. He was pale with dull brown eyes and muddy dark hair that he wore too much product in, giving it an over-textured, piercing look. He was thinner than he had been the last time I saw him. His face gaunter, but he wore a more expensive suit and a Rolex peaked out from beneath the cuff of his designer sleeve.
“Yeah,” I finally told Curtis, stepping farther into the breakroom and away from the door where he’d stopped me. “I’m still not a hundred percent… Can you put that order in for me? I’ll let Mrs. C. know I need to get home.”
“Yeah, sure. No problem.” Curtis squeezed my shoulder and moved back toward the main dining hall, stepping toward the bank of computers near the front desk to input the orders.
The main dining room was emptying out and I spotted several locals who waved at me as they left. I peered around the door, my attention shifting from the other patrons to the table where Reynolds had sat down.
He seemed to eat up the attention from his co-workers. He paused in the right places when he told a joke, waiting for the perfect moment for full effect to get as many laughs as he could muster, then moved one side of his mouth up in some stupid show of a humble grin as they all relished him with praise.
It turned my stomach to see this man holding center court. He’d been lower than Alejandro. He’d wanted something he couldn’t have and was willing to bet that my husband’s addiction would give him everything.
Head back against the door, I stared up at the ceiling. I counted the knots in the woodgrain of the beams overhead, absently thinking what I should do and how I could make Mrs. C. understand why I needed to leave. I couldn’t lie to her; I’d hurt her feelings enough for one week. I also couldn’t tell her what I feared most—that Reynolds was still in contact with Alejandro and he would tell him where I was.
The woman would tell Smoke.
That would be bad. Very bad.
“Maggie?” I heard my name and jerked my head up as I spun, coming face to face with Antonia. The beautiful woman smiled at me, something she always did no matter her mood.
Next to Vi, she was the closest thing I had to a friend in this tiny town, and even though she lived in the city most of the time and we’d only spent a few special occasions together, I grabbed Antonia, pulling her into the breakroom like she was a lifeline and I was drowning.
“I’m in trouble,” I blurted, not caring what she thought of the admission.
“Okay…” Antonia looked around the room, keeping her voice low, guarded. “My mook brother knock you up?”
“I…we aren’t…I mean…” There was really no point in denying anything, but I couldn’t tell Toni everything about me and Smoke. Things were private. No one really knew the truth.
In fact, Vi was the only person who knew where I went after work sometimes. She and I knew each other’s secrets and we kept them ever since we worked together at