Daughter of Both

Chapter 2

I open my eyes to see my ceiling fan spinning above me. I stretch my limbs, man what an intense dream. I roll over to check the time on my phone and it's not even nine. I roll back over and cuddle into my pillow, I don't have to be at work till noon. I must fall back to sleep because I wake back up to my alarm going off, meaning it's just past ten. I slowly start to drag myself out of my bed, forcing myself to start getting ready for work. After my morning shower I get dressed, grab my phone and my bag and head out the front door. Half a mile's walk later and I'm walking through the front doors of Devils Hangout. The best hole in the wall bar in the state. "Hey Scar! Good to see you, we really missed you on your days off." Jack hollers from behind the bar. Smiling at me like he always does. "Good to see you too, Jack. Who do we have tonight? I'm sure it's going to be busy with the live band that's playing." I walk back and put my stuff in their normal place in the back office. "Ah, well. It'll be you, Margo and Steph." I shake my head and take a deep breath "Oh, goody. Tonight will be fun for sure." I tell him, laughing sarcastically. Jack laughs nervously before heading to his office and shutting the door. Of course, he's never done well with confrontation, in any way.I start cleaning and prepping the bar for a busy night. Margo and Steph walk in ten minutes before we're supposed to open. "Scar! So glad you're back!" Margo squeals. "Yeah, thanks" I say while giving the bar one last wipe down. All Margo ever does is waste time flirting with customers and Steph has been here over a month and still manages to break something every night she works."Tonights gonna be so fun!" Steph hoots, clapping her hands together. If fun means me picking up both of their slack, then she's not wrong. I love this place, but I really wish Jack would get me some real help for busy nights. I'm sure it'll be fine like it always is, just gotta try to stay positive.

A few hours pass and I can barely hear myself think between the growing crowd and the live band playing. I turn to take a young girls order, four shots of vodka. I reach for the vodka bottle and find that it's empty, to my surprise it's the last one. "Margo! I've gotta go grab some more vodka from the back. Steph, you've gotta pick up the pace a bit sweetheart!" I yell over my shoulder as I start making my way to the back storage room. I close the door behind me and rest my head back against it, closing my eyes and taking a few deep breaths before grabbing a box of vodka to open. With three bottles in my arms I open the door and start heading back to the bar. Jack stops me in the hall next to his office "Hey Scar, need some help?" He smiles down at me and steps closer. For some reason it makes me uncomfortable, which is strange because Jack has never been creepy towards me. "Uh, I think I've got it, Tha..." the word dies in my throat as one of his hands shoots out to squeeze my hip. Shock and panic race through me. What the hell is he doing? With these bottles in my arms I can't even push him away, so I try to step back. He steps with me before his other hand grabs my other hip and he turns me so I'm against the wall. "Jake what the actual fuck do you think you're doing?" My voice comes out weaker than I'd hoped and his smile turns malicious. Oh shit. Cold fear chitters down my spine. He leans down so his mouth is against my ear and whispers "Don't worry Scar, I won't hurt you. You know there's a reason you're my favorite right?" I bit my lip. Why is he acting this way? He's never done anything even close to this. "Take you're fucking hands off me or you're going to regret it Jack. I don't know what's going on with you, but this is not you." I try to shift away from him and this time he lets me, he even takes a big step back and shakes his head. "Fuck, I'm sorry Scarlet, I don't know what the hell just came over me." I stare at him, eyes wide "Maybe you should go nap it off in your office Jack. We can cover everything out here." He nods "I really am sorry." He says before stepping back into his office and shutting the door. I take some calming breaths, he must be on something. I start towards the bar, rounding the corner I find Margo and Steph both drooling over the man standing with his back to me, making drinks behind my bar. "Margo, Steph! What in the hell are you doing? I was gone for five minutes and you allowed a customer behind the bar, making drinks?" Steph looks down in shame but Margo just shrugs and smirks at me. I roll my eyes at her "Sir, I'm sorry but you're not supposed to be back here. It could get the bar in trouble, or worse." I try sounding sweet, but firm. He turns towards me so I can see his face and glass shatters as the bottles I was holding hit the floor around my feet. I barely notice as my entire world comes to a stop, I think I hear Steph say something about a broom before scurrying off. I start to feel light headed before I realize I haven't taken a breath since my eyes met his shimmering steel ones. The moment the tips of his mouth turn up, I know it's him and he knows me. "Are you alright Scar, oh my gosh. I don't think I've ever seen you break something." Margo says. I nod my head at her "Fine, I'm fine." My throat feels like sandpaper as the words leave my mouth. What am I supposed to say to the man who's been in my dreams for months now? He smiles down at me, stealing the breath from my lungs for a second time within a matter of seconds. "Hello, my Rose." He says it just loud enough for me to hear and I swear my heart stops. Holy shit, it's him. Why is he here, how is he here? "Follow me, now." I don't wait for a response as I turn and make my way back to the storage room. He follows and closes the door behind him. I whirl on him "What the hell is going on? You said I'd never see you again, that it was dangerous. Only here you are, in the flesh this time. I must be going insane, I hit my head and I'm in a coma or something." Maybe I'm having a mental breakdown, that sounds possible. He steps towards me and reaches out to rub his hands up and down my arms, just like he's done in so many of my dreams. His hands feel electrified as they touch me, causing goosebumps to rise across my skin. "I know you're confused and I'm sure you have plenty of questions, which I promise to answer after we get out of here. They'll be here any minute and we need to be long gone before that." I can tell he's trying to be calm, or at least look calm for my sake. "So, you're really here? You're real?" I whisper, raising a hand to lay against his cheek. "Yes, I'm real and I'm here for you. I'm not exactly sure why they're after you, but I'm here to help you." I lift my other hand to rest against his chest, surprised that he feels so warm, but I don't feel a heartbeat. Strange. He lets out a heavy breath and I can feel the energy around us change. My backs against the wall and his body is pinned against mine. I barely have the time to yelp in surprise before his mouth covers mine. I lean into him as sparks ignite deep in my belly. The world melts away and I think about staying just like this, forever. At some point he must regain some type of control because he breaks his mouth from mine, but doesn't step back. He rested his forehead against mine. "I meant it when I said we need to leave, it's not safe for you here." He states, as firmly as he can after a make out session. I nod. Normally I would never leave with a guy I just met, but this isn't really the first time we've met. I've known him for months and I remember most of it. "Okay, but you have to promise to tell me everything as soon as we get somewhere safe."