Page 21 of Moros

“’hank you, lady.” He beamed at me.

“Aww, you’re very welcome.” I told him sweetly.

His mother laughed softly.

“He likes you.” She told me.

“What’s not to like?” I winked at him.

His mother chuckled and I wandered off, my morose mood returning.

I’d spent the entire night job hunting.

From time to time, I would get some motivation—something would happen to make me feel as if I deserve better.

I would use that spark of insanity to try finding better.

Nothing would ever come of it, and I would be left feeling as if my world had ended.

I knew how that would go.

It was a few hours later when something happened that had everyone in the restaurant heading for the door, screaming. To the left of the building a loud boom sounded followed by all the glass windows in the place shattering.

The booth I was sitting in with Khadri caught fire, and that further sent people screaming. Using my body, I blocked flying glass from the little boy, giving his mother time to get him to the door, before turning to see what was happening.

Two or three men all but dove in through the busted window and headed straight for me. I reached back grabbing one of the trays, dumping what was on it and swung.

One hit took out one of the men and he hit a nearby table, blood spewing from his nose—I didn’t care.

Ducking a swing, I brought the side of the tray in again as hard as I could into the knee of another then pushed my body underneath table.

Someone grabbed my leg and instinctively, I stood, bringing the tale up on my shoulder before tipping my body toward the body of the person who’d grabbed me.

There was a scream of pain but I didn’t let up.

I chucked the table and without waiting to see what happened I picked up the tray again and backed up.

It was then I noticed two other men coming toward me while a third went for a woman—she wasn’t in there before.

“They’re dangerous!” I called. “Run!”

One of the men got me in the right shoulder causing the tray to fall. I ducked another punch and listened as the bones in his hand crunched. He’d punched an exposed metal pipe directly behind me. Lacing all my fingers to form one fist, I brought it up in his crotch then pushed him over.

He fell on top of the other guy who’d managed to punch me in the face.

The woman dispatched her attacker then rushed over to take my hand and dragged me after her.

“What were you thinking?” I demanded, half running, half tumbling over myself. “You could have gotten hurt!”

“Get in.” She demanded motioning to the pink Lotus Emira.

I knew what it was because it was my dream car—an impossible dream.

“I’m not going anywhere with you.” I told her.

“Would you rather stay here with them?”

I quickly realized I didn’t really have a choice.