It All Started With The Kidnapping

Chapter 18- The Night's Unseen Gaze

Luna's POV

When I stepped into the club, it felt like no time had passed at all. I gave a quick wave to the DJ who was setting up for the night and made my way up the stairs to the bar. As I reached the top, I paused, taking in the sight of the guy behind the counter. Damn, I missed him. I called out, "Nice haircut, babe!"

He froze for a moment before turning around, his face lighting up with the biggest, brightest smile. "Luna, is that really you?"

I smiled, spreading my arms wide and said, "Damn right it is." Without hesitation, he leaped over the counter and ran straight to me. He picked me up, spinning me around as I laughed. When he finally put me down, we both grinned from ear to ear. To an outsider, it might look like we were dating or had feelings for each other, but that wasn't the case at all. He's like a brother to me, and I'm like a sister to him—we just like to joke around. Once we got all the talking and hugs out of the way...

We prepped for the night, and I filled him in on everything that had happened since I left. He cracked jokes the whole time, and I realized I hadn't laughed that hard in ages. After a while, I got up to head to the back and change for the night. As I looked in the mirror, I decided it was time to stop hiding. I took out my contact lenses and tossed them in the garbage, my true purple eyes staring back at me. I'm not afraid to show who I really am anymore.

I put my hair up in a messy yet cute bun and stepped out, ready for the night. By the time I was fully prepared, the first customers had started to trickle in. A few hours later, Theo walked up the stairs and took a seat at the end of the bar. I strolled over to him with a smile and said, "Hey there, handsome. What can I get for you?" I added a playful wink.

Theo smirked back and replied, "I'll take a whiskey on the rocks, sweetheart," throwing in a wink of his own. I smiled, grabbed a glass, and poured the whiskey, handing it to him. He returned the smile, but I could see something was weighing on his mind

Elijah walked in with an older man following close behind. They both headed straight for Theo and took seats next to him. "Sorry I'm late," Elijah said with a smile directed at me.

"It's okay," Theo replied. "I was just ordering drinks. What do you guys want?"

Elijah glanced at the drink menu and said, "I'll just have a beer."

The older man chuckled and added, "I'll go for a whiskey. Unlike my son here, I'm not afraid to drink in front of his old man."

I laughed and replied, "Coming right up, sir." As I walked away, I could still hear their conversation. Elijah's voice followed me, "I can outdrink you, Dad, but I'm just not in the mood tonight."

I prepared their drinks and brought them back, setting them down in front of them before heading off to tend to my other customers.

When things slowed down, Zack and I started joking around, but our fun was interrupted by a drunk guy shouting, "Hey, hotstuff, why don't you bring that pretty ass over here!" I couldn't help but laugh—ah, the good old times of being hit on by tipsy old men.

"Sorry, but if you want a piece of this, you'll have to beat me in a game of darts," I joked. The guy, wobbling a bit, stood up and made his way over to the dartboard. I was only kidding, but why not? I smiled and followed him over. Theo and Elijah turned their attention to watch the game unfold.

"You can go first," I offered, but the guy shook his head, trying to point at me, though he could barely see straight. I shrugged and threw my first dart, hitting the twenty. He attempted to throw his, but it completely missed the board. I took my next turn and nailed the bullseye. His next throw managed to hit the board but still missed the target.

It went on like that for the next two rounds—I hit the bullseye each time, while he struggled just to hit the board.

I looked at the guy and said, "Guess that target's not on me anymore," which made everyone burst out laughing as I headed back to work.

As I walked over to Theo and Elijah, I overheard Theo asking, "So, how have you been, Leo?"

The man, who I assumed was Leo, replied, "I've been good, just busy trying to keep your father out of trouble. He's got a short temper, and the smaller gangs love messing with his shipments and causing other issues."

Huh, that must be Elijah's dad—they definitely have a resemblance.

Theo glanced down at his drink and said, "Yeah, that's my dad for you," before finishing it in one gulp. I noticed his empty glass, so I went over to refill their drinks.

As I returned with the fresh drinks, Elijah said, "Thanks, Luna. You're the best. I want you to meet someone when you're not too busy." I smiled and told them to give me a second, then walked off to handle a few things.

After I served a group of perverted jerks their drinks, I made my way back to Theo and Elijah. "Sorry about that, had to take care of something. What's up?" I asked.

Elijah looked at me and said, "I want you to meet my dad, Leo Petrova."

I turned my attention to the older man sitting next to Elijah and smiled. "Oh, nice to meet you, Mr. Petrova."

He returned my smile warmly and said, "You can call me Leo. I'm not that old."

I chuckled and replied, "Well, nice to meet you, Leo."

He laughed lightly and said, "Nice to meet you too, dear."

Elijah glanced at his father and said, "This is the girl Theo helped two years ago—the night he got shot." I shook my head and looked down, the guilt from that night still weighing heavily on me.

Elijah's dad smiled even brighter and said, "You must be very special because Theo wouldn't do something like that for just anyone."

Um, okay. I was caught off guard and didn't know how to respond, so I mumbled, "Oh, um, I have to get back to work. I'll catch up with you guys later."

I quickly returned to my tasks, but ever since that conversation with Elijah's father, I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching me. I tried to brush it off and focus on work.