Switchblade

Chapter 76: Leave

The first dish was an appetizer. A bisque that the chef made to get the dinner started.

Everyone grabbed their spoon to dig in.

Killian tried it and observed the taste.

He noticed something.

Then ate a bit more.

His eyes widened and he looked over at Tati as she lifted the spoon to her mouth.
He smacked it down onto the table and Tati flinched.
Everyone at the table looked at him, wondering if he was crazy.

Killian looked around the restaurant.
He saw a waiter pouring more water for a different table.
"HEY!" he shouted.
The waiter looked. "Yes, sir?"
"What's in this?"
"Oh. That's the lobster bisque so it has-..."
"Pick it up." he demanded.
"I'm sorry?"
"Take it up. Tell them to come get it. I don't want this at the table." Killian professed.
"Uh...Yes, sir."
The waiter walked over to begin picking at least a few of the bowls up.

Killian looked at Tati and held her face in his hand.
"Are you alright? Did you eat any of it?" he asked.
"I'm fine. I hadn't tried it yet." she replied.
He nodded then pulled her face in to kiss the side of it. He looked to see if the waiters were coming out to get the rest of the bowls.

The rest of the men at the table just stared in disarray.

Three more came out and started grabbing everything.

"Tell your chef not to make anything else with seafood in it." Killian commanded.
"Yes, sir." said one of the waiters.
Killian finally relaxed.

~•~

Everyone sat talking and cracking jokes or sipping their alcohol. No one brought up work, they only spoke about each other's funny moments or told stories.

Tati and Killian listened to Kolson as he added on to a part of a story that Silas forgot about.

"But the motherfucker forgot it at his place so I was the one who had to travel around the fuckin' state lookin' for a new one."
"Oh no..." Tati laughed.
"That ain't true. I looked for the new one because you started bitchin' so to get you to shut up, I said I'd just go do it." Silas argued.
Killian chuckled. His eyes looked at Niko who had been awfully quiet. His eyebrows furrowed.
"No, 'cause I told you that you'd just take too fuckin' long so I said I'd do it." Kolson responded.

"Niko." Killian called and interrupted the story. But the two men kept arguing anyway.
Niko brought his eyes up to Killian. A chill ran down his spine when they met glances. "Yea?"
"Have you lost your fucking mind?" Killian asked him.
Niko was confused.
The two men stopped fighting to stare nosily.
"You're gonna show up at my dinner and stare at my girl's chest all night?"
Niko scoffed nervously. His eyes found Tati's cleavage again by mistake but Killian was too quick to reach across the table. He grabbed Niko's shirt and pulled it hard enough that his face slammed against the table. Niko tried his hardest to refrain from cursing through the pain. Killian had his hand on Niko's head, keeping it pressed against the table.
He took the blade out of his pocket, flicked it open, then stabbed it into the table directly in front of Niko's face. It stood straight up.
"Look at her again and I'm gonna take a fuckin' eye." Killian threatened.
"Yes, sir." Niko said through gritted teeth.
Killian let him free but kept the standing blade there as a reminder.

Everyone continued talking.

The entrée started to come out.

"This is sablefish marinated in a red wine sauce and as a small side you have a saffron risotto. Can I refill any glasses?" said the waiter.
Killian looked at Tati. His arm rested behind her head on the back of their seat. "You need anything?"
"Hm..." she thought about it. She looked at the wine menu. "Can I get a glass of your petite sirah?"
"Of course. Would we like the bottle or just a glass?"
Tati looked at Killian. "Would you drink it with me?"
"Bring the bottle." Killian instructed.
"Not a problem. Would the table like anything else?"
"Another glass of whiskey." said Kolson.
"Yes, sir. I'll have that right out for you guys." The waiter walked away.
Everyone went back to having their conversations. Killian and Tati spoke amongst themselves quietly.

"You smell really good." Tati stated.
He turned his head to look at her. "Yea?"
"Yea."
"So do you."
"It's the one you bought me." she stated.
"You gonna leave here with me?" he asked and looked at her lips.
"Why? You miss me already?" she teased.
"You know I do."
"I'll think about it." She crossed her arms.
"You're a pain in my ass."

The men continued their stories.

"Here you go. Chilled glasses along with a cold bottle of petite sirah and a glass of whiskey. Enjoy." said the waiter before walking away.

Everyone began to eat.

~•~

The dinner was over and everyone stood around talking for a while longer.

"Alright, I gotta head out or the woman's gonna poison my food." Kolson stated.
"Is that a joke or..." Tati questioned after hearing stories about Kolson's relationship that night.
"He's serious." Killian answered.
"Kolson..."
"No, I like it. Keeps me on my toes." Kolson stated and headed to the exit.
Tati just stared in disbelief.

"Those two need counseling." she scoffed.
"They're fine. Are you ready to go?"
"Yea."
He took her hand and started leading them outside.
"Wait, we didn't say bye!" Tati stated.
"If they whine to me because I didn't tell them goodbye, they're gonna lose their job."
They made it outside.

The two walked hand in hand towards Killian's car.

"Of course the sky is pretty on the night of your birthday." she said as she stared up at all the stars. "Things just seem to fall in line for you, don't they?"
"Yes, they do." he replied.

Something flashed in his peripheral vision. Killian's head quickly picked up and looked in that direction. Similarly to a deer hearing a snapped twig.

"What is it?" Tati asked as they stood there.

He pulled her into a dark alley quickly.
"What the hell?" Tati exclaimed.
The two stood in the shadows. She was against the wall as he stood in front of her looking out.
"You realize this is creepy as fuck? Why are we in an alley?"
"Hush." he commanded.

He saw someone across the street.

The goon of Segal's saw the shadow of the man he was supposed to gather photos of. He raised his camera to his eye and with the flash on he got ready to click.

Killian grabbed Tati by her jaw and lifted her face to kiss her deeply.

Tati saw a flash of light and her eyes looked in its direction.
"Stay here." he commanded.
"What? Where are you goi-..."
She watched him take a gun out of the back of his pants and cock it.
Her eyes widened.

The goon looked at the photo and saw you could hardly see Killian. Only a bit of his face as he forced his tongue down some woman's throat in a dark alley.
"Shit." he sighed.

The man brought the camera back up and saw through the lense that Killian stood just a few feet in front of him with a gun pointed in his direction.

He didn't have time to be afraid before receiving a bullet in his chest.
He and the camera fell to the ground.
Killian walked closer and saw the camera. He aimed his gun then shot four bullets at the object. He watched it break while pieces flew.
He tucked his gun away and grabbed the remaining chunk of the camera. He threw it into the large dumpster then headed back towards Tati.

He unlocked his car on the way across the street.
"Get in." he commanded.
She left the alley to follow directions.
They both climbed in.

"What the hell was that?" Tati asked.
"We were being watched and the motherfucker took a picture."
"You killed someone over a picture?"
"Yea." He drove off.