Atone (The Disciples 2)

I grab her wrist, causing her to gasp and try to jerk away. “We’re having this conversation whether you like it or not.”

“No, I don’t need money. I do need to use the toilet though. Is that all right, boss?” She scoots out of the booth and grabs her purse heading toward the restroom.

“Perfect.” I toss my napkin on the table and reach for my phone. Of course, there are a ton of texts, most from Axel and Blade giving me shit about Charlie.

“Here you go, handsome.” Betty sets down a plate filled with ham, bacon, sausage, and two eggs and another with Charlie’s spinach and cheese omelet, fries, and toast. The biscuits and gravy are on a separate plate.

“Thank you.” I put my phone back into my pocket as Charlie slides back into the booth. Her face looks fresh and her hair is up. She shoots me a saucy stare as I shake my head. This is ridiculous.

“Listen, I’m sorry I was…”

She picks up her napkin. “Rude?”

“It’s not me being rude, it’s me stating the truth.” I start to eat, breaking open my egg yolk so I can dip my sausage in it. I rarely eat this kind of food. Since getting sober, I try to eat organic. I’ve destroyed my body enough. But every now and then, a good greasy spoon can’t be beat.

“All right, but here is the truth, David. You’ve been gone, and somehow I have managed to live.” She takes a sip of water. “I guess I’m not communicating correctly. I do what I want and I do it because I want it. Not because you or anyone else thinks it’s right. I assumed you would know me a little better.” She nibbles on her sourdough toast.

“You want jelly?”

She drops the toast. “And yes, it kind of insults me to think that you believe I’m some sort of”—she waves her hand around—“barfly or something.”

Taking a sip of my coffee, I say, “I have no clue, Charlie. All I know is what I fucking observed.” She glares at me.

“Christ.” I look away. The smile I’m fighting is completely unwarranted.

“I have money if you need it. From what I saw, both of you girls were getting in a bad spot all because you were desperate.”

She snorts and crosses her arms, shaking her head. I’m no longer finding it amusing; now I’m getting pissed all over again.

“I’m dead serious. If I hadn’t shown up, some bad stuff could have gone down. Unless you’re in the club, you can’t understand that the men don’t give two shits about women unless it’s their women and even then, they might not. The club and the brothers always come first. Women are second or third. Fuck, with my old man, my mom and I came dead last. The day he died in a bar fight, I didn’t shed one tear.”

She blinks at me and I inhale. That’s the most honest thing I’ve said in years.

Cocking her head, she uncrosses her arms and leans forward almost touching my finger. “Thank you, but I had it under control.”

We stare at each other as I break away first. Somehow she’s not caving, not letting me get my way, and I fucking hate it.

“I don’t need money. Cindy does. All I wanted to do was get out, have a drink, and play pool.” Her eyes swim with tears making them look like big nuggets of gold. “I wanted to forget that you fucked me on a car and didn’t even want to stop by and see me again.”

“Fine.” I can’t have her bursting into tears already when I haven’t even gotten to the part where I tell her that I’m not available.

“Christ.” I scrub my hands up and down my face.

She grabs her fork and starts eating. I’m almost done, so I drink more coffee.

“We need to talk about this morning.”

Her head pops up. “Oh God.” She sets down her fork. Her eyes still look a little watery, but her tears evaporate instantly.

“I’m not going to lie to you.” I search her face, trying to judge if this is the right tactic.

“O-kay.” She reaches for her coffee and frowns as she tastes it. “Is yours cold too?”

“Yes, but it’s fine.” I push my plate away to rest my elbows on the table. “I have this… connection with you, always have.”

She spills coffee onto the table. “Shit.” She stands and reaches for the napkins on the side of the table.

“Charlie…” I gently take the coffee carafe. “Sit down, babe.”

She drops down into her chair, soaking up the coffee with the napkin as she whispers, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” I grin at her. She’s completely adorable, which is absurd considering the way she looks. But there’s an innocence, a true goodness, that I have always wanted to be near. I frown at where my thoughts are traveling.