The Rules of Survival (Mercer #1)

RoS Chapter Thirty

AUTHOR'S NOTE:  Hey guys, these next few chapters are completely unedited - as you'll notice by the larger, chunkier paragraphs.  Apologies in advance, but like I've said, this entire manuscript is a very shoddily put together first draft.  Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter Thirty

Upon leaving Samson's house we drove to a small diner with a splotchy yellow paint job and a crimson roof. Sal, Gin, Henry and Alec were already seated inside and waiting for us. The colorful establishment was just starting to quiet down from the lunch rush, but there was still enough hustle and bustle that Justice felt comfortable relaying everything that had happened in the last twenty four hours. He only paused in his retelling when a cheerful waitress in a dark olive green uniform and stained white apron came over to take our orders.

It took Justice fifteen minutes to recap our latest events, and opposite me, Alec wasn't subtle about the glares he threw my way. Obviously he blamed me for Kit showing up and further injuring Justice. Of course, I knew it was my fault, but that didn't stop me from sneering at Alec and giving him the finger.

As expected, this only enraged him and he actually rose to lean over the table at me. Luckily he was among the minority of people that didn't like me, so while Henry did nothing to stop his advance, Sal stood just as quickly and shoved Alec away. He used so much force Alec let out an involuntary 'Oomph!' as he hit the back of the booth and slid down it. His glower shifted from me to stare at Sal accusingly.

"I don't care that you don't like her," Sal barked. "I don't care how much of anything you think is her fault. If you touch her, I will break all of your fingers."

His gaze swiveled over to Henry, whose dislike of me was only slightly less intense than Alec's. Proving he was smart, Henry nodded in understanding. Justice, who'd likewise made it to his feet, was staring at Sal in surprise. Since we'd gathered the attention of a few of the other diners, Justice chose not to comment, instead giving Alec a look that promised they'd be having words later.

When Justice dropped the Ray-was-abducted-by-Callahan bomb, I expected there to be a wild frenzy of people getting up to drive over to Callahan's mini mansion to annihilate the bastard. To my shock, nobody looked like this was news to them. They just hung their heads like their worst fears had been confirmed.

"I thought as much," Gin said with her head in her hands, her short black hair sticking out from between her fingers. "He didn't answer his phone and when I finally called the hospital direct, they said they hadn't seen him in hours. He wouldn't leave his mama alone."

What he didn't tell them was where we'd spent the night or what was on the CD, despite those being the two questions on everybody's minds.

Food arrived soon after and the only thing that got me eating was Justice glancing over at my untouched plate and saying oh, so casually, "If you don't feed yourself, I'm going to come over there and do it for you even if I have to hold you down and shovel it in, spectators be damned."

He would do it too, because he was a man who never went back on his word. It didn't stop me from snapping at him with, "When I say I'm not hungry, it means I'm not hungry."

A bit of a white lie, really. I was so nervous and stressed, and my stomach was in so many knots I had no idea if I was hungry or not.

Eyes one shade lighter than black focused on me, equal parts amused and annoyed. "And when I say you're noticeably losing weight, it means you'll be eating every meal one way or another."

"I don't need a freaking babysitter," I grumbled, my cheeks heating as all eyes at the table landed on me, scrutinizing my appearance. I snatched my fork up petulantly and speared a fry with it. The idea of flicking it to the ground in an act of defiance was very appealing, but I decided I wasn't five years old and with the grace and dignity of someone under strict orders, I started picking at my burger.