In Too Deep

Eight

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The sound of small chatters filled the cafe, and the scent of coffee and other different kinds of food wafted through the air. Nova had been standing in front of two customers for the past four minutes, as they skimmed through the menu with a snotty look, unable to decide whether they would go for pancakes or chicken salad. This was the part of her job that she came to hate, having to deal with customers like these two. Sometimes, she wanted to quit and find a better job that didn't pay less.

"So, have you decided?" She gripped her pad in her hand. The redhead girl scrunched her face as she kept her eyes glued to the menu, while the blonde was typing away on her phone, completely ignoring Nova. "Excuse me? I said, are you ready to order?"

The redhead slammed the menu shut and looked up at Nova with a look so dark she expected her to cower behind it. But it didn't scare Nova one bit. Simply because she had seen a look far worse than the one the redhead was giving her.

"When we are ready, we will order. You don't have to stand over us and be so annoying."

Nova gritted her teeth but still managed to smile through all of that. If she wasn't sure the manager would fire her, she would have kicked them out of the cafe. Huh. Having dealt with her gangster boss so many times, he had unleashed a wave of unquenchable anger inside her.

"As you wish." She turned sharply and marched away from the table, muttering curses under her breath. When her eyes met the manager's, she hurriedly put her mask back on and stormed over to the counter.

"Everything alright, Nova?" The manager asked with lifted brows. He was watching her like he expected her to blow up, like all he wanted was for her to do that so he could have an excuse to fire her. She had been on his radar for a few days now. Every time she moved, he was watching her. When she breathed, he had to make sure she did it right.

Nova got that she had been a little distracted lately, but if he knew what was going on in her life, he would give her a break. Anyone in her position would act the same way if they got themselves working for a gang. And the fact that every time her phone rang or vibrated, she felt like hyperventilating because she expected it to be Ghost demanding her services.

For a whole week now, she had been jumpy, but more especially, annoyed. She couldn't figure out what was taking him so long to call her, and there was only one explanation for that; Ghost wanted to drive her crazy first. He had to enjoy torturing her to the point that there was nothing she would think about except their deal.

Well, he was really winning.

Because she felt like she might possibly go mad.

"....tening to me?" Someone snapped their fingers in front of her face, jerking her out of her thoughts before she faced the barista, Erica. Erica frowned when she realized Nova hadn't been paying attention to anything she had been saying. "Are you okay, Nova?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine." She pushed her hair out of her face and tucked it under her ear.

"Okay. We have new customers at table six." Erica jerked her head past her shoulder, but Nova didn't turn around yet. "Kacey will take over table three."

Thank God, was what she was thinking before she head to table six, where two men sat in a booth, and Nova instantly had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. The one sitting on the left was taller than the one on the right, but they still looked the same. It was too early to jump into conclusion and she needed to stop being so paranoid that every man who walked in was part of Ghost's gang.

"Hi, what can I get you?"

There was really nothing about these two men that proved they were Ghost's men, and yet, she suspected them to be. They looked as if they needed an excuse to beat the shit out of someone. Even their dark clothes and mean look did not hide the fact that they weren't good men.