Staring down into the black pot of bubbling coffee, Ellie shoved a strand of hair back behind her ear. The day had been utterly normal until he had made an appearance. Dark hair that begged for Ellie to run her fingers through and his deep brown eyes. God, his eyes were amazing. He was just the type of guy Ellie had sworn she would stay away from.
Ellie sighed and slammed the pot back down on the kitchen counter, coffee sloshing up around the glass jug. He looked like one of Grey’s men, he had that look that security guys had and Ellie had seen her fair share of security men in Breaker’s Point. The fact that the town was a haven for the rich and famous made it impossible not to recognise security. And he had the look of a man who would be very good at protecting people…
“He’s an ass!”
Kelly’s voice rang out as she slammed the kitchen door open and dropped an empty plate down onto the counter next to Ellie making her jump.
“He clearly doesn’t know a good thing when he sees it.”
Her voice was filled with bitterness as she twirled her fingers up into her blonde hair.
“Kept asking after you. Wanted to know if you were alright… Maybe he’s one of them weirdos we get from time to time.”
“Why would that make him a weirdo?”
Ellie couldn’t help but bristle at Kelly’s words. They weren’t friends and Kelly seemed to enjoy sticking the knife in whenever she could.
“Because he kept on asking after you and staring at the kitchen. I’m just thinking of you, Ellie, you don’t want someone like that in your life…”
Kelly smiled but the emotion never made it to her eyes and Ellie knew it was just another attempt to make her feel bad.
“And anyway, I heard you accusing him of working for Grey, what’s the deal?”
Kelly’s smile faded and was replaced with a look of concern.
“It’s nothing, I was mistaken.” Ellie attempted to brush over it, the last thing she needed was Kelly poking her nose in and making it worse.
“But why would it matter? I didn’t think Tony had banned any of Grey’s boys from coming into the diner and they way you were behaving kind of gave the impression that they weren’t welcome here…”
“Really, Kelly, it’s nothing. It was a misunderstanding… I have customers I need to serve.”
Ellie snatched up the coffee jug once more and started for the door but as she pressed her hand against the white plastic veneer she paused, her mind instantly conjuring an image of the guy she had yelled at in the booth.
“He left, you can relax.”
Kelly leaned in over her shoulder, her words filling Ellie with a disappointment that took her by surprise.
Without a word Ellie pushed out through the door and into the diner beyond. Immediately her gaze drifted to the booth where he had sat but it was empty.
Get a grip, Ellie. Inwardly she scolded herself. You’re in enough trouble as it is without hankering after some guy you just laid eyes on. No way would he be interested in you like that anyway!
Ellie fought to keep her tears at bay, sometimes she couldn’t help but think she was too hard on herself. She caught sight of her reflection in the mirror wall that extended along the back wall of the diner and immediately turned away.
Her mom had always told her she had such a pretty face… It was just a shame about the rest of her. That was before it had all gone so wrong, a time when her mother could say things to her… When she could say anything at all.
No, she wasn’t being too hard on herself it was nothing more than she deserved. Guys weren’t interested in the fat girl with a pretty face, they wanted the perfect package and Ellie just wasn’t it.
Mentally she shook herself and plastered a smile across her lips as she moved away from the counter and began filling coffee cups as she went. Perhaps there would come a day when she didn’t care what others thought of her, for now she would simply have to fake it.
Ellie grabbed her handbag and flicked off the lights in the kitchen. Being the last one in the diner and locking up wasn’t her favourite job but she was just happy the day was finally over. In her mind she imagined getting home and sinking into a hot bubble bath, letting the soft scent of her rose bubblegum bath soak melt the day’s troubles away.
The back door of the diner smashed open and Ellie jumped, a small shriek of fear escaping her. She scrabbled for a weapon, something, anything she could use. If someone thought they could rob the diner as she was locking up then she planned on making them think twice.
Her hands closed around the handle of a wickedly sharp chopping knife and she whipped it down from its place on the wall mount. She turned in time to catch sight of someone closing the door slowly behind them, they were cast in shadow and Ellie couldn’t see their face but there was something familiar about the way they moved that made her hesitate.
“Ellie?”
The voice that came out of the darkness surprised her and without thinking Ellie lost her grip on the knife, letting it fall from her hands, it hit the floor with a metallic clang.
“Ricky, what the hell are you doing? You can’t just bust in here like that!”
“Ellie, I’m sorry but I’m in real trouble. You have to help me.”
He skidded around the counter and grabbed her hands in his.
He had always been in trouble, ever since he was little Ellie had known him to be a magnet for some sort of problem and they were usually of his own making and normally he wiggled his way out of them. But this time… Ellie could see the fear in his eyes and deep down she knew that whatever trouble he found himself in this time wouldn’t be something he could just laugh off.
“What happened, what did you do?”
He shook his head and dropped his gaze to the floor as he released her hands.
“You always think it’s something I’ve done. You never want to believe that maybe the trouble I’m in might be someone else’s fault.”
“You can’t blame me for thinking that, every time you come to me it’s because you’re in over your head. Last time I saw you was because you needed some money to pay off a gambling debt. Every time I see you it’s because there’s something wrong.”
He sighed and turned his back on her. She watched as he forced his hand back through his hair, frustration etched in the tension of his shoulders.
“I never meant to be such a screw up, Ellie. It wasn’t a part of my plan…”
He turned around, spreading his hands wide, imploring her.
“But it’s real bad this time. He’s going to kill me and I don’t think there’s anything I can do to stop him.”
Ellie stared at her younger brother, her eyes widening in shock. She couldn’t see anything in his eyes that told her maybe he was exaggerating. As far as she could tell he was being completely honest with her and that frightened her. Ricky wasn’t exactly known for his honesty, the fact that he seemed to be giving it to her now could only mean something terrible.
“Ricky, what happened? Who wants you dead?”
He dropped his gaze to the floor once more and Ellie instantly knew what he was going to say.
“It’s Grey isn’t it? How could you be so stupid, Ricky? You know what he’s capable of, you know what he’s tried to do to our family and you go and get caught up with him?”
Ellie’s voice lifted in panic and she found herself backing away from her brother. It was bad enough to think that he was in trouble but trouble with Grey Mattheson? She turned and moved into the main area of the diner. The darkness swallowing her up as she fought to stifle her sobs with her hand.
How could he have been so stupid?
Ellie’s legs buckled beneath her, her back slamming into the tall counter as she slid to the floor. Ricky knew that getting involved with Grey was a bad idea.
Grey lacked a conscience and he had the money to back him up. He practically owned the town and whatever he wanted he got, nothing was off limits to him…
Ellie shook her head and buried her face in her hands, an image of her father’s smiling face popping into her mind. The only man in town to stand up to Grey’s bullying tactics. He’d believed that his friendship with Grey’s father would mean something to the young playboy, he’d been wrong and he’d paid for that mistake with his life…
Strong hands wrapped around Ellie’s wrists pulling her hands away from her face.
“Ellie, please don’t cry, I won’t let him get to me, I promise I won’t end up like father.”
Ellie’s temper got the better of her and she lashed out with her hands. She caught Ricky by surprise, her open handed slap landing him back on the floor on his ass.
“Dad thought he was doing the right thing, he thought he could stop Grey from turning this entire town into his own personal playground. You on the other hand did something stupid, despite knowing what Grey was capable of, you still got involved with him!”
“I didn’t do any of this on purpose, Ellie, despite what you might think I didn’t draw him on me deliberately. He set me up…”
Ellie shook her head, she wouldn’t listen to him. Ricky was an adult now and it was time he started behaving like one. She couldn’t always be there for him, bailing him out whenever he got in over his head.
“Don’t lie to me. What happened, Ricky? What did you do?”
There was a girl, Melanie and…”
Ellie snorted in derision and pushed herself up from the floor.
“Of course, I should have known a girl would be at the heart of this.”
Ricky followed her the look in his eyes wild. He grabbed Ellie’s arm halting her progress and swinging her back towards him.
“Ellie, please, it’s not what you think. I thought she really liked me but she was using me to get back at Grey… She stole something and now he thinks I helped…”
“How could you be so stupid?”
Ellie scrubbed her hands across her eyes.
“Did you steal from him, Ricky, and I want the truth?”
He released Ellie’s arm as though the merest touch of her skin burned him.
“You think that little of me? You think I’d draw Grey’s attention back on our family?”
The look in his eyes was one of disappointment and hurt. Anger drained from Ellie, leaving her feeling limp and she sagged back against the counter.
“I didn’t mean that…”
He cut her off.
“Don’t, Ellie, don’t bother. I thought you of all people would understand how easy it is to get caught by Grey. At the end of the day, you were the reason father had to go against Grey, you’re the reason he’s…”
“Don’t, Ricky, don’t you dare say it.”
Ellie’s voice trembled with emotion and the guilt she had carried since the day her father had turned up dead crushed over her. The last thing she needed was Ricky to confirm what she had felt all these years.
Ricky shot her a look of disgust before he strode from the diner and back out through the kitchen. She started to follow him but by the time she made it out into the kitchen the backdoor to the diner stood open and there was no sign of her brother.
Tears started to trickle from Ellie’s eyes, her vision slowly blurring as she stared at the open door.
Ricky was right of course. She was the reason their father was dead, if she had just kept her mouth shut then he’d still be alive…
Time ticked slowly by as Ellie stood in the kitchen staring at the open door but it wasn’t the door she could see. Her mind conjured all the images she had kept bottled up inside. A year had passed and yet Ellie could still remember it like it was yesterday.
Cold air crept in around her and she shuddered but it was enough to pull her from her thoughts of her darkest hour. Pulling the keys to the diner from her pocket she moved to the backdoor and stepped out into the alley. She slammed the door behind her and jammed the key into the lock, turning it until it made a satisfying click.
It took a few attempts to pull the key back out of the lock but once she had she moved down the alley to where she had parked her car. Sliding in behind the steering wheel she dropped her bag onto the passenger seat and buried her face in her arms. All thoughts of going home and taking a hot bath was gone, replaced instead with a cold ache in her chest.
A sudden image of a pair of warm brown eyes flitted into her mind. There had been something in his eyes, something that told her he knew what it felt like to lose the people you cared about. Of course she had screwed all that up to and he probably thought she was some sort of crazy person and who could blame him if he did think that.
Ellie needed to stop thinking about him, there was nothing between them except her wild imagination and it needed to stay that way. Getting close to people only led to heartache and she’d had more than enough of that to last a lifetime.
Ellie flipped the key in the ignition and gunned the engine. It roared to life and without a second thought she pressed her foot to the accelerator, the car jumping forward in response. All she wanted was to get home and hide herself under the covers and try and bury the painful memories she had allowed to resurface. If she could do that, then maybe she could think of a way to help Ricky.
