Chapter 3 - Dinner Before War
The men outside did not force their way in.
That worried Damian more than if they had.
“They’re waiting,” Vincent said.
“For what?”
“Something.”
Evelyn checked the clock.
Nearly midnight.
She looked at the eighteen men.
“Everybody sit.”
Vincent stared.
“What?”
“The stew is ready.”
“Nobody is eating.”
“Then I cooked enough beef for a small army for nothing.”
“Evelyn—”
Damian interrupted.
“We eat.”
Vincent blinked.
“Now?”
“Now.”
Within minutes, armed men who had been preparing for an attack were seated in booths with bowls of beef stew, mashed potatoes, and hot biscuits.
Evelyn carried plates between them.
Cole, the man who had suggested surrendering Damian, looked at his food suspiciously.
“This is insane.”
Evelyn put another biscuit on his plate.
“Eat.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“You look hungry.”
“I said—”
“Robert used to argue with me about dinner too.”
“Who’s Robert?”
“My husband.”
Cole looked toward Damian.
“Was?”
“Died four years ago.”
Cole lowered his eyes.
“Oh.”
Evelyn moved on.
Damian sat alone at the counter.
She placed a bowl in front of him.
“I didn’t order.”
“You also didn’t eat.”
“I’m fine.”
“You look terrible.”
Vincent nearly choked on his coffee.
Damian looked at her.
“Do people often speak to you this way?”
“They do if they want seconds.”
He picked up the spoon.
For several minutes, neither spoke.
Then Damian said, “Your husband built this place?”
“His parents did. Robert and I took it over.”
“Children?”
“No.”
“I’m sorry.”
Evelyn’s expression cooled.
“Don’t be.”
Damian looked at her.
“I wanted them once. Life went another direction.”
“That still sounds lonely.”
“Sometimes.”
He nodded.
“I understand lonely.”
She glanced around at his eighteen men.
“You travel with an unusual amount of company for a lonely person.”
“They’re employees.”
“Not friends?”
Damian looked toward Noah.
“A few.”
“And Vincent?”
A pause.
“Vincent has been with me twenty-one years.”
Vincent heard this from across the room.
“Twenty-three.”
Damian looked over.
“Twenty-one.”
“Boston.”
“That doesn’t count.”
“I was shot.”
“You complained for six months.”
Evelyn smiled.
Vincent caught himself smiling too.
Then the lights flickered.
Everyone froze.
Damian looked toward the windows.
Nothing.
Evelyn put her hand on the counter.
“You know what your problem is?”
Vincent muttered, “This should be good.”
Damian ignored him.
“What?”
“You expect danger every second.”
“In my life, that’s sensible.”
“Maybe.”
She poured coffee.
“But if you spend every peaceful minute waiting for the next bad one, the bad ones win twice.”
Damian became very still.
That one reached somewhere deeper.
He looked at the bowl.
“My wife used to say something similar.”
Evelyn stopped.
“Used to?”
“She died.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Ten years ago.”
They shared a silence neither tried to fill.
Then Noah called weakly from the kitchen.
“Mr. Cross?”
Damian immediately stood.
Evelyn followed.
Noah was awake.
“Sir… I remembered something.”
“What?”
“The checkpoint.”
Damian leaned closer.
“What about it?”
“The first group knew we were coming before Marcus made the call.”
Damian frowned.
Marcus was the traitor they had caught.
“You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
“That means Marcus wasn’t the only leak,” Vincent said from the doorway.
Silence.
Damian looked toward the dining room.
Seventeen men.
At least one more traitor.
Evelyn whispered, “Wonderful.”
Then the diner telephone rang.
Everyone stared at it.
The landline should have been dead.
It rang again.
Damian walked toward it.
Evelyn stopped him.
“My diner.”
She picked up.
“Carter’s Crossing.”
A man’s voice answered.
“Put Damian on.”
“He’s eating.”
Silence.
Then:
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
Several men stared at her.
The caller laughed.
“Mrs. Carter, do you know what kind of man you’re protecting?”
Evelyn looked at Damian.
“No.”
“Ask him how many people are afraid of his name.”
Evelyn waited.
“Finished?”
The caller stopped laughing.
“We’re coming inside in ten minutes.”
“Then wipe your feet.”
She hung up.
Vincent stared at her.
“You might be the craziest person I’ve ever met.”
“No. I just hate rude customers.”
Damian’s expression was different.
He walked closer.
“You’re not protecting me.”
Evelyn frowned.
“I’m protecting my diner.”
“Good.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want you making decisions based on me.”
She studied him.
“Little late for that.”
Outside, headlights came back on.
One after another.
Damian turned toward his men.
“Listen carefully. Evelyn Carter is not involved in our business. She gave us shelter. She fed us. She kept Noah alive.”
Nobody moved.
His voice became colder.
“If anyone inside this diner puts her in danger to save himself, that person answers to me.”
Evelyn stared at him.
Vincent understood before she did.
Damian Cross had just placed a civilian woman above eighteen men sworn to him.
May you like
And every one of them knew exactly what that meant.
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