𝐎𝐅 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐄𝐍𝐒

𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 | 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭

a.c.
     I sit in a corner booth of a local diner, only ten minutes away from my house. Since Leo deployed, Kate and I meet up for Dinner once a week and just talk. Sometimes we call Leo and talk with him as well. I watch as Kate dials Leo's number, listening to the distant dial tone. She places a hand on her large stomach, sighing as she waits for his answer. We wait, and we wait, and we wait until the line clicks and he answers.
     "Sorry, Kate, honey. I could hear the phone but couldn't find it." He says.
Kate chuckles at his response, grabbing a fry from her tray.
     "That's perfectly fine, babe. I just wanted to say hello. I'm having dinner with Ayleigh." Kate says.
"Hi, Leo," I state, allowing them to talk for a little while before I but into the conversation.
I look down at my tray, then at my empty water glass. I grab hold of it, standing to refill it. I cross the diner, approaching the self-serve beverage dispenser. My shoulder hits a passing man and we both let out low grunts, nearly inaudible, except to us. I look up to apologize, my eyes meeting his. His eyes are wide, chocolate brown, covered with thick black lashes. His hair is neatly trimmed, also chocolate brown like his eyes. His bottom lip is pressed down by his teeth, creating a slight frown or smirk. Devin Calhoun.
"I'm so sorry, ma'am." He says, looking down at me.
I raise an eyebrow, opening my mouth to ask a question before he stops me. His eyes trail back to my booth where Kate stares in our direction. I understand that he doesn't want people to start to question if we know each other or not. I nod.
     "No, I'm sorry, Sir." I say. "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and should've seen you."
     He smiles, shrugging as we look back and forth at each other. He wears a black hoodie, covered by a tan leather jacket. He wears blue jeans and black boots. He wears a cross on his neck and it's just us. I wear a white and navy crop top, high-waisted mom jeans, tan timbers, and a navy sweater. My hair is wavy, pulled back into a low ponytail. All I want is to hold his hand. My hands have felt empty without his in them. Although, we've only spent a couple hours together in total, saving someone's life and learning that they're in a dangerous mafia changes something inside of you. There's a magnetic attraction between us. I just want to close the gap. But, I can't. There's a certain uniqueness about him. Something about him peaks my interest in him. If he was invested with this mafia like the others are, he wouldn't have told me about the Mafia. He would've let me stay in the dark. He doesn't want me to stay in the dark. He doesn't want to stay in the mafia. He broke the rules for me. He wants out. I look at the beverage dispensary machine behind him, then back at him.
"Meet me at my car after?" He asks, quietly, just between us.
I nod, a smile on my lips. We part ways and I fill my glass with water, heading back to my seat. I sit down across from Kate, watching her.
"Who was that, Ayleigh? Who were you talking to? Do you know him?" She asks, looking back towards the beverage dispenser.
Devin stands at the counter, ordering something. I shake my head, looking back at her.
"No," I state, keeping up with Devin's plan. "Never met him."
She nods, looking back at him. Leo clears his throat and I look down at the phone.
"Ayleigh, this Mafia that I told you about is bigger than we thought." He says. "We thought there were around fifty men, but it's way bigger. There are probably two hundred men to one mafia. And we've been learning about that all from Ireland and Scotland. We haven't even had a chance to see the Mafia in person yet."
I raise an eyebrow. Does Leo know names? Does Leo know Devin?
     "What are you saying? Do you know names of the associates?" I ask.
     I look back at the counter, spotting Devin staring in my direction. His eyebrow is raised and a frown sits on his lips. Did he hear me?
     "No, not yet. They're quiet—good hiders. There's something going on deeper." He says.
     I raise an eyebrow, looking back at Devin. He sips through a red straw in a white cup. He doesn't look in my direction.
     "What about the Red Kilts?" I ask. "What have you learned about them?"
     Devin looks in my direction now, his eyes wide. He definitely heard me.
     "How do you know about the Red Kilts?" Leo asks.
     Devin chews on a fry at the counter, looking over at us curiously.
     "You've talked about it before. You said they're associated as enemies." I say, covering my tracks.
I can hear a hum over the phone and look back to Kate.
"The Pictish Beasts is big enough to grab our full attention for now. But I'll update you on the Red Kilts. I've gotta go. Talk to you soon." He says, hanging up.
Kate looks at her watch, smiling. She grabs her purse and takes my hand.
"This was fun, but that's my queue to head home. I'll see you next week?" She asks, like always.
I nod, smiling. I squeeze her hand, placing a twenty dollar bill in her hand.
"Here's that twenty I owe you from last week." I say.
She smiles, squeezing my hand in return. She stands and waves goodbye as she leaves. She exits the diner and I watch her drive away in her Subaru. Devin turns his head, our eyes meeting. I nod. He pays the woman at the counter and exits the diner. I pay my bill and leave, walking to his car. He sits in the driver's seat. He unlocks the door, and I climb in.
"I'm happy to see you," He admits.