leaned against the refrigerator. “He’s gotten to you.”
“That man’s too much into games,” Amber said.
“Ha! Says the one who started it all!”
Amber grabbed chunks of hamburger meat from a container and started kneading it fiercely. Lily was right, of course. She started all this. She felt like growling. Ona came over, steadying the piece of order paper to read what she had written before heading off to the pantry.
“So what are you making him? Such a big man…hmmm…must have a voracious appetite. From what I overheard, he seems to trust your skills.”
When Amber said nothing, Lily came closer. She bit her lip. Her friend wasn’t stupid; she lived on the edge most of the time and could pick up signals most people didn’t. She knew it would be just a matter of time before Lily found out the source of her irritation. She did, because she heard the familiar chuckle just behind her.
“Oh my God.” Llallana was trying not to laugh too loudly. “Oh, he’s too much.”
“Shut up!” Amber made a face, shaping the meat into a thick hamburger. She didn’t stop Lily from snatching the order off the clip above her. “I don’t want to hear about it.”
“5MW/MTL/PF/18/69…that’s what he wrote!” Llallana leaned weakly against the side counter. “He…ordered…from the menu!” She broke up laughing again. “Oh, I love him. He ordered his next meal. That was the secret code?”
Amber released a frustrated growl. Last night, Hawk McMillan had somehow gotten to look at the order pad and saw the way her girls wrote down orders from customers. He also seemed to have taken the time to check out her menu, because he was very specific with his instructions. Number 5 from the menu was the house steakburger, with a special sauce. A Number 5 Medium Well/Mayo Tomato Lettuce/Pomme Frittes/Number 18 was Coca-Cola. Of course she had understood the code—she saw variations of the same thing every day for the past four years. She knew what it was the moment she saw what he had written on her thigh. As for the other number…
“It isn’t that funny,” she muttered, turning on the fryer.
“I think he’s cool as hell. It’s a great way to get revenge for what you did.” Llallana shook her head. “I think you’ve met your match, sweetie.”
“You’re supposed to be on my side,” Amber complained. “Just because he’s cute…”
“Hey, I’m not that shallow. Really, I’m offended.” Llallana handed her a plate. “Here, let me help prepare a meal for Hot Stuff. You have to stop growling like that, Amber, or you’re going to frighten Dilaver away.”
Amber turned the heat on high. She lowered her voice. “I wonder what he wants today. He didn’t just show up to get a meal for his American friend.”
“Didn’t he say he wanted some information? I’ll bet you a double steakburger that it has to do with missing trailers of women.”
Amber nodded. “Well, we already knew he would come to me sooner or later.”
Llallana watched Amber for a few minutes, moving out of Ona’s way when the latter passed by with the meatloaf. Unless it was very busy, she seldom helped out in the kitchen when she was in town, preferring to stay upstairs in the apartment, enjoying her time alone. Amber didn’t mind. It was her downtime away from all the really dirty work in their venture—moving the girls from town to town, and making sure they were safe. She had gone along with her friend a few times and knew what a toll that was on the spirit.
“Why did you cook him what he wanted, anyway?” Llallana asked. “You didn’t have to. Could have just given him good old meatloaf.”
Amber glanced up briefly from preparing the dressing. “Because he said he had a bet riding on it that I’d get his order right.”
“I heard that, but what does that mean?”
Amber smiled wryly. She had to give it to the man; he had her cornered. “If I didn’t decode his message, it meant he won the challenge. If I
“That man’s too much into games,” Amber said.
“Ha! Says the one who started it all!”
Amber grabbed chunks of hamburger meat from a container and started kneading it fiercely. Lily was right, of course. She started all this. She felt like growling. Ona came over, steadying the piece of order paper to read what she had written before heading off to the pantry.
“So what are you making him? Such a big man…hmmm…must have a voracious appetite. From what I overheard, he seems to trust your skills.”
When Amber said nothing, Lily came closer. She bit her lip. Her friend wasn’t stupid; she lived on the edge most of the time and could pick up signals most people didn’t. She knew it would be just a matter of time before Lily found out the source of her irritation. She did, because she heard the familiar chuckle just behind her.
“Oh my God.” Llallana was trying not to laugh too loudly. “Oh, he’s too much.”
“Shut up!” Amber made a face, shaping the meat into a thick hamburger. She didn’t stop Lily from snatching the order off the clip above her. “I don’t want to hear about it.”
“5MW/MTL/PF/18/69…that’s what he wrote!” Llallana leaned weakly against the side counter. “He…ordered…from the menu!” She broke up laughing again. “Oh, I love him. He ordered his next meal. That was the secret code?”
Amber released a frustrated growl. Last night, Hawk McMillan had somehow gotten to look at the order pad and saw the way her girls wrote down orders from customers. He also seemed to have taken the time to check out her menu, because he was very specific with his instructions. Number 5 from the menu was the house steakburger, with a special sauce. A Number 5 Medium Well/Mayo Tomato Lettuce/Pomme Frittes/Number 18 was Coca-Cola. Of course she had understood the code—she saw variations of the same thing every day for the past four years. She knew what it was the moment she saw what he had written on her thigh. As for the other number…
“It isn’t that funny,” she muttered, turning on the fryer.
“I think he’s cool as hell. It’s a great way to get revenge for what you did.” Llallana shook her head. “I think you’ve met your match, sweetie.”
“You’re supposed to be on my side,” Amber complained. “Just because he’s cute…”
“Hey, I’m not that shallow. Really, I’m offended.” Llallana handed her a plate. “Here, let me help prepare a meal for Hot Stuff. You have to stop growling like that, Amber, or you’re going to frighten Dilaver away.”
Amber turned the heat on high. She lowered her voice. “I wonder what he wants today. He didn’t just show up to get a meal for his American friend.”
“Didn’t he say he wanted some information? I’ll bet you a double steakburger that it has to do with missing trailers of women.”
Amber nodded. “Well, we already knew he would come to me sooner or later.”
Llallana watched Amber for a few minutes, moving out of Ona’s way when the latter passed by with the meatloaf. Unless it was very busy, she seldom helped out in the kitchen when she was in town, preferring to stay upstairs in the apartment, enjoying her time alone. Amber didn’t mind. It was her downtime away from all the really dirty work in their venture—moving the girls from town to town, and making sure they were safe. She had gone along with her friend a few times and knew what a toll that was on the spirit.
“Why did you cook him what he wanted, anyway?” Llallana asked. “You didn’t have to. Could have just given him good old meatloaf.”
Amber glanced up briefly from preparing the dressing. “Because he said he had a bet riding on it that I’d get his order right.”
“I heard that, but what does that mean?”
Amber smiled wryly. She had to give it to the man; he had her cornered. “If I didn’t decode his message, it meant he won the challenge. If I
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