Cambion Lord (Dark Warrior Alliance #23) - Brenda Trim Page 0,66

to Fairfax and the North building. His chances would be better there of finding someone to talk to. Punching the voice commands on his phone, he sent a text to Evzen asking how the transfer of the sorcerer went.

Sterling was a wily motherfucker whose luck had better run out soon. It was one more danger the world could do without. He was careful with his minions, never giving them any information that would lead to his whereabouts.

Hayden made a mental note to ask Illianna to have a chat with her brothers about ways they could find out how he was getting angel blood. When he was close to the base, Hayden pulled off the highway and entered town.

There was a café that looked promising from the outside. He hoped they had authentic southern cooking. There was nothing like good fried okra and collard greens. Of course, he preferred spicy Puerto Rican food, especially arroz con grandules, but this was a close second.

Hayden parked and entered the small restaurant, taking in his surroundings. There wasn’t much around. They were in a suburban area, only this part of the country had far more trucks than SUVs or minivans.

The farmhouse décor wasn’t Hayden, but he preferred it to the glass and metal of modern design. Hayden was more of a mix. He preferred leather to fabric on his furniture and wood accents to anything else. His stone fireplace was his favorite aspect of his home. He’d built it himself from rocks he collected from a nearby river.

A woman at the podium gave him a bright smile. “Are you meeting someone? Or dining alone?” Hayden recognized the look she gave him. She hoped he was alone and if she could get away with it would offer to have lunch with him.

Hayden stuffed his hands in his pockets. “The counter is fine. I’m not meeting anyone.” There were several already in that section, as well as a dozen seated at tables.

The hostess bobbed her head and gestured to the bar height stools. “Go ahead and seat yourself then. Marcia will be right with you. And if there’s anything I can do for you just give me a holler.”

“Will do. Thanks.” He was about to sit at the end of the long counter when a scent caught his attention. He followed his nose to a woman that just arrived. She was watching him while she spoke to the hostess.

The scent was hibiscus and intensified as the female passed him. He tilted his head to the side. The two guys in the seats closest to him were watching him as he stood there like an idiot. He couldn’t help it. He was transfixed by the woman as she took a seat halfway down the bar. Shifting gears, he headed for the empty chair next to her.

Taking a seat, he inhaled a lungful of the intoxicating floral scent. He didn’t have time to think about what kind of perfume she was wearing before she turned to face him. She was stunning. Her skin was bronzed, and her black hair was almost to the middle of her back and in loose curls. Her full lips tipped up at the corners and she flashed him straight, white teeth.

“Are you stalking me?” He was mesmerized by the raspy quality of her voice. It was a bit rough and sexy as hell.

Hayden realized he’d been staring silently for too long and forced the corners of his mouth to lift. He hoped it looked more natural than it felt. “Not at all. I’m visiting some friends here while I try to find an officer to collaborate…uh, yeah I am.” He’d never before spewed his life story and it took him several second to realize what he was doing and clamp his mouth shut.

She laughed. It was a husky sound that did things to his body. “Well, welcome to Fairfax. We’re mostly military folk around here on account of the nearby base, but you won’t find many better. And, you picked the right place to have lunch.”

“Millie here is right,” The waitress, Marcia said as she stopped in front of them. “What’ll it be? We have fried green tomatoes today. Those aren’t on the menu. We never know when we will get the right fruit for it.”

“I’ll have my usual Marcia, with a sweet tea.”

Hayden wondered what Millie’s usual was while he looked over the simple menu. “I’ll have some shrimp and grits and a coke, please.” After the waitress walked away, he turned