Accepting Fate - (Slums to Riches, Book one)

Chapter 9

The metal beam embedded in the wall left a deep grove over the top of the counter. A few inches lower and Thomas would have accomplished his goal.

Angelique ducked under the pole to reach for a large piece of glass. The coarse red and white logo of The Grill, drawn by Michael, grazed her fingers.

"I still have the picture. Antonio and his bears are on their way, so I'll ask him to make a new one," Mrs. Garcia said as she placed her hand on Angelique's shoulder.

"Angie, could we leave now? I think we should go before he comes back," Jamie said in a monotone voice.

She dropped the glass and moved Jamie's hand away from her mouth. She never bit her nails and scolded Angelique for the same thing every chance she got.

"Talk to me. What's wrong?"

Her eyes never strayed from the gaping crater where the door should have been. Part of it stuck out of the window and the rest lay in the middle of the street.

"Nothing. I just really want to get out of here. I take thirty minutes to drive home and if Thomas is walking or running, using the shortcuts passed houses and through backyards, he should be there in fifteen minutes. We should leave before he gets to the Harlows."

Ben frowned as he wrapped his arm around Jamie's back. "We can take my car. I'll send someone to come get yours."

Jamie nodded. "I think that's an excellent idea. You drive faster than me."

Angelique raised her eyebrows at Mrs. Garcia, who looked as perplexed as she felt when Ben led Jamie to the front exit.

"Shock maybe? It's the only reason she would willingly drive faster than the speed limit," Mrs. Garcia said.

"Or fear." Angelique stared after Jamie. Fear definitely motivated Jamie, but not in the sense she tried to make them believe. Jamie did not deal well with change and Ben, Mrs. Garcia, and Thomas just dumped a lot of change into one bucket, then shook it so thoroughly, Jamie's world turned upside down. "Mrs. Garcia, thank—"

"Don't thank me," she said, waving her hand in the air. The woman used her hands a lot, yet they rarely added meaning to her statements. They just fluttered about like lost souls. "My motives are not altogether pure, but some of us promised your mother we would do everything we could to protect and support you."

Angelique gave her a brisk hug, seized their backpacks and jackets, and then crunched over the glass to catch up to Ben and Jamie. Goosebumps rose on her skin as she stepped out of the warm diner.

Other nights, when they left the restaurant after their shift, their regulars waited until Mrs. Garcia locked the doors before clambering into their cars. The surrounding shops closed the same time as the diner, but even the coffee shop's windows were dark.

It appeared as though Thomas's presence scared everyone away.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up when Ben led them to a black SUV behind the soap shop. The lights flashed, and the alarm beeped as Ben retrieved his keys from his pocket.

Angelique scanned the area, and then she stopped with her hand on the door. A gigantic shadow came out from the other side of the coffee shop. Robert stepped into the light with a phone pressed to his ear.

She tilted her head to read his lips. She had plenty of practice over the years, since they had to keep their secrets and plans hidden from the four adults in the house.

"No, there's no sign of them anywhere. Maybe that wolf came to claim his mate. I saw him in town this afternoon."

The fat pig wagged his eyebrows at her and then wiggled his fingers. The next instance, he disappeared. His clothes dropped to the ground and a rat, the size of a year old kitten, crawled out from under the dirty rags. Now she knew where the rat droppings came from.