Runaway ✔

098 • Dana

Dana smiled at the young waitress when she set two plates with burgers and French fries at the table. 

"You've had dinner here before?" Opie asked. He looked past her, to the entrance of the diner, but eventually aimed his glance at her. 

"A few times, with Cherry."

Cherry and she were both a disaster in the kitchen, so when they decided to have dinner together they usually ended up here. The diner was located on a busy street and the large planter boxes took her out of sight. 

"You've talked to Lyla lately?" While waiting for an answer, Dana took a sip water and started to eat her burger.

Opie shook his head and took a big bite out of the bun. With the back of his hand he wiped away the sauce sticking to his beard. 

"Why not? She didn't like the barbecue?"

Opie shrugged his shoulders. "It will come."

"Or not. She's a pretty girl. If you let her believe you're not interested in her, someone else will run away with her."

The corner of her lips curled up when she saw how he contemplated her words. The guys easily got ladies in their beds, but how to handle the rest was a question that was much more difficult to answer. Nine times out of ten sex was all they wanted from a woman, but she knew Opie didn't consider Lyla as a toy. 

"She can call me too."

She chuckled softly. "You're a son. She knows your reputation: you take what you want and if you don't, you're not interested. She ain't gonna call you."

"So you'd never have taken initiative if Juice hadn't done it?" Opie asked with raised eyebrows.

Dana took a bite of the burger and swallowed it before she answered: "I was only trying not to fall for him."

"But in a normal situation? If there hadn't been a crazy ex in play?"

Dana had no illusions things would have been very different between them if Maddox never had been a threat. Juice wouldn't have been as careful as now. They would have slept together pretty soon and maybe it had ended with that. 

"I wouldn't know. But Juice... Juice is Juice... I saw immediately he had a soft side. But you... you make quite an indestructible impression."

Opie snorted. "Bullshit. You just want me to call her."

Dana smirked guiltily. 

"Maybe you should have dinner with her if you like her so much."

"It's on my to do list. But I need no guards at the entrance when you're with me. And my latest guard dog... he's annoying enough to just sit around the table with us. Thought that would only cause awkward situations."

Since Kozik had been to the barbecue, he hadn't left Charming. He'd transferred from Tacoma and had declared himself as her personal escort when Juice wasn't around. He'd told the others he'd sworn Happy to protect her, but Dana had her doubts. She had the feeling Happy would want anyone but Kozik to carry out the task. 

Dana wasn't complaining. His company was never boring and Juice and he hadn't said a bad word against each other. Now and then she caught a glance from Juice she didn't know how to interpret, but if he still had a problem with Kozik he just got to tell her.

"Awkward situations for who?" Opie asked, frowning.

"Seemed just a little weird if I would grill Lyla about you when Koz was sitting with us. You know how he is, he'll wrap her around his finger immediately."

"That the reason he stuck his tongue in your throat last Saturday?"

"Exactly," Dana answered unmoved, noticing Opie tried to shift the attention to her. "But..."

"I'm sorry to interrupt you." The waitress stood next to their table. She was holding a phone in her hand and looked at Dana. "There's a man on the phone who wants to talk to Dana Lowman. He... he gave me a pretty accurate description of your clothes."

Dana stared at the girl, completely stunned. She couldn't breathe and grabbed the edge of the table. 

"Give it to me." Opie took the phone from the waitress.

What he said next, passed her. She gasped for breath while her surroundings were spinning around. It felt like she could feel Maddox's chill right through the phone. It was him. She was hundred percent sure.

Vaguely she registered how Opie ended the call. "Hear nothing. Must be some stupid joke."

On the moment the device ended up in the hand of the girl, it rung again. 

"I... I have to answer." Her voice was shaking, she didn't even know whether Opie could hear her. "I have to answer. Or else.... he will do something horrible."

That he was taking the initiative now, could only mean one thing. 

He ran out of patience. And he would take it out on somebody. 

Her thoughts immediately shot to Juice.