Juliet.
I came to a halt in front of the hosts, taking a deep breath and pushing my curly hair behind my ear.
Looking at the young woman, I noticed how she stood tall with a smile on her face and her hands folded in front of her body. "Hello, ma'am, do you have a reservation?"
"Yes, it's a party of three, I believe under the name Zayn Malik," I murmured, and she smiled as she looked down at a screen.
"Zayn Malik?" She repeats, "Your party is here; would you like to place your coat in the closet?" I nod as she tilts her head.
"Yes, please," I said as I unzipped my jacket and handed it to her before she gave me a number. "Thank you very much."
She smiles at me once more before leading me inside and taking me to my seat. I can see Zayn from a distance; the other man looking down at a menu, his hair covering his face.
"You're late," Zayn said right away. My gaze shifted to my brother, and I rolled my eyes slightly.
"There was traffic, and I don't have a car either. You could have picked me up. " I grinned as I drew out my chair and sat, my gaze finally falling on the man. I frowned, looking over his features.
His green eyes were already on me, hair parted in the middle perfectly, he was wearing another button-up, this time red, he had a few buttons undone and somehow a tie on too.
As I stood there staring at the man, who was amused by the fact that I was angry, his lips began to smile, and he tilted his head slightly.
" Juliet." he worded to me
The same man who worked at the casino.
"Zayn," I whispered, looking at my brother,
"This is..."
"I am aware of who that is." I clenched my teeth and muttered. "It was the jackass who fucking kicked me out of his casino without giving me a reason. Was your fucking ego hurt? " He did nothing but clench his jaw and look directly into my green eyes.
" What casino?" Zayn's voice sounded confused staring between the both of us.
" And he fucking crashed into me." I point at him and laughed " He crashed into me yesterday. He's the fucking guy."
"Juliet." my name off his tongue felt bitter like always. The fact that he remembered my name. I rolled my eyes and looked back at Zayn who was shocked. " I did not crash into your car."
I stared at him annoyed and my jaw dropped open.
" What? Yes, you did."
"You crashed into me Juliet." he smiles and looks directly at me. " Sometimes our mind plays tricks in our head."
" What? Zayn, he's lying."
" Have you been having a rough week? Zayn told me sometimes things can get hard for you." I laughed, shaking my head. Standing up my chair was pushed back.
" Unbelievable. Fucking unbelievable." I bite my inner cheeks and looked at Zayn. " Do you believe him?"
"Juliet," I stared down at myself and stood up. "What are you doing?"
" Leaving." I murmured, "I'm not meeting with a person who can't simply respect me."
"Respect you? What are you on about? " Zayn frowns as he says this.
"Juliet, sit down." The man looked up at me while gritting his teeth.
" No." and he stood, still looking menacing. I swallowed, my hand laying flat against my red dress, and I watched as his eyes dipped down to my breast.
"Sit," he says one more time, and I sat. Crossing my arms across my chest and sputtering out a breath. "It seems like your thing to cause a scene in public."
I prepare to say something, but I quickly close my mouth after observing Zayn's silence. He looked at me fiercely as his palm crossed across the table.
"Are you finished?" He asks in a low, hushed tone, and I was ready to reply when the waitress entered carrying two drinks—a beer and a cup with alcohol—and set them down in front of Zayn and the other in front of the man.
"Hello, my name is Emily, and I'll be your server for the evening," she says as she smiles down at me. "How can I help you?"
"She'll take a margarita." Emily's eyes shifted to the man before she turned to face me.
"Will that be the beverage you desire, ma'am?" I tapped my hand against the table shaking my head.
" No."
He mocks, "No," and I once more turned to face the man across from me. Angry. Who does he think he is?
"No," I say again. "I'll take a martini—the strongest one you have, please." Emily smiles
"May I serve any appetizers to start you off?" I shook my head and look at the two men.
" No, thank you." Zayn replies "I am ready to order, JJ, are you ready?"
" I'm not. Can you give me—us a few minutes please?"
"I'm ready to place my order." Everyone turns to face him, but he never takes his eyes off mine. I hesitantly take my time to look at the exposed tattoos while he runs a hand over his face.
It looked like birds sticking out.
I'm wondering whether there's more under that shirt, and from where I was seated, I could smell the pungent cologne right in front of him. It had a pleasant sensation and a cozy smell that I was unable to place.
Maybe pine? Accompanied by a faint coconut scent.
His eyes shift from me to the server. I watched as his gaze swept over her body. "I'll get your steak with mashed potatoes."
I exhaled and swiftly moved my eyes over the menu options before looking down. "I'll get the same thing, please." I stared at Zayn after swallowing.
"I'll take your pasta." She nods.
"I'll be back in a moment with your drink and food."
"Thank you," I say, seeming to forget that nobody has manners nowadays. I eventually turned and gritted my teeth as I looked at the man in front of me.
"Don't you ever try to order for me again?"
"I thought that's what you liked." With his lips rolling inside his mouth, he seemed amused. I opened my mouth to say something and got interrupted by Zayn.
"Should we start this meeting?" Moving my eyes towards him, he maintained eye contact, slowly fixing the cuffs of his white shirt.
"Yeah, so I can leave this place faster. I work tomorrow—early." I bit my inner cheeks and gazed at the two males.
"What do you do for a living?" I raised an eyebrow while anxiously rubbing my thighs.
"None of your..."
"She is a doctor and a very good one. Whatever the name of those doctors is, she is ideal if you ever need someone to be stitched up or have their health checked."
"What?" I say confusingly nobody saying a word as my drink was placed in front of me before they left again. " What do you mean I'm perfect for—"
"How long have you been a doctor?" The man across from me asked.
"I was trying to ask a question," I murmured with a frown, tipping my drink back as the strong alcohol burned my throat.
"You didn't. I asked a question now: how long have you been a doctor?"
"Uhm.. just for two years, I graduated—"
"What college did you graduate from?" He interrupted me once more, and I was at a loss for words, so I simply took a long breath.
"Would it kill you to be patient?" I rolled my eyes making a fist with my hands.
" Juliet." Zayn clenched his teeth and stared intently into my eyes, his brown eyes no longer blazing, but appearing dark as if he were agitated by something I couldn't comprehend.
"What university did you attend and graduate from?" The man repeats. He clenched his jaw tight and smacked his fists flat against the table, his rings clinking as he did so.
"I went to New York University and studied there until I got my master's just two years ago."
"And moved to Vegas? " He hums. Picking up his beverage and taking another sip, appearing bored as his tongue ran over his lips afterward.
"Yeah, I've always liked it here more, but, uh, Zayn, what do you mean—"
"You know we're under attack again." nodding once I looked down at my hands.
The last time we were attacked was seven years ago when my mother died.
"You told me,"
"You might become his next victim." The man speaks slowly, mockingly, and his eyes move from my eyes to my lips that were tucked under my teeth.
I shook my head as I cast a disgusted glance at him. "Why on earth would you say that? Are you even aware of what my mom's killer did?"
"Juliet, stop." I shut my mouth and turned to face my brother, "Just stop."
"You're going to let him say something so ridiculous and repulsive?"
The man's eyes never once left mine, and his smirk persisted. "Juliet now is not the time to argue," Zayn says.
" Right." Despite the food being placed just in front of us, I guffawed and crossed my arms over my chest. " When is it ever the time?"
Who says something like that? My mother's death was inexplicable.
"You guys are siblings?" the man inquired.
"You never told me she was your sister, Zayn; I had no idea you had a sister."
"He usually doesn't claim me." I grinned and looked at Zayn, who appeared serious with no expression on his face. As my smile faded, I picked up my cup again, mumbling. "Fucking boring," before drowning in my drink.
"The topic never seems to come up, Styles," he shrugs, "But now you know, and I'm paying you to do a job."
" Job? What.."
Styles.
There we go again.
Weird name... Styles, I wonder what his last name is.
I scowled, "Hello? Will someone stop cutting— "?
"Knowing would have been wonderful. " He exhales loudly, and I sigh while closing my eyes.
"Please don't keep cutting me off. I have a question." I turned to face Zayn. "What on earth are you paying him for? For me to be his stupid Doctor? You didn't even ask for my—"
"I'm not paying him so you can be his doctor," He rolled his eyes and cut me off once more. I flagged down the waitress again after finishing the last of my drink and requested a refill. I'm going to need a lot more of those if I'm going to spend the night with two narcissistic men.
"What are you paying him for, then?" I rapidly downed my second drink allowing the alcohol to slowly enter my body.
"To keep you safe." I sat there, letting the words sink in while furrowing my brow in confusion. I eventually turned to face Zayn and then the man who was licking his lips.
They both looked so emotionless and despondent. The man was composed, his hands folded in front of him. I shifted my attention to his hands and examined his crossed tattoo and the numerous rings on his fingers.
A punch from him would surely hurt.
I wonder how getting punched with rings feels like, letting my eyes look into his green once I watched as they held amusement, a grin rolling on his pink, plump lips.
"To keep me safe?" I at least muttered. "What is he going to defend me against? The boogeyman. " I stifle a chuckle as I gaze over at a furious Zayn. "I already told you last night that mom's killer isn't after us—isn't after me." I shook my head.
"No time for jokes, Juliet," Styles says running a hand over his hair
"I'm not joking." I put my tongue over my lips and declare, "I can defend myself."
"When have you ever protected yourself? You can't even carry a gun around with you because you're scared," Zayn adds in jest.
I scowled and muttered, "I don't need to."
"You do. Would you like to die like your mother?
"Why do you say that?" My tone lowered to a whisper. "I'm not going to die like my mother. You don't even know her."
"How do you know the person who murdered your mother isn't waiting for you to return home so he or she can kill you? I'm doing this for your own good." He continues with an angry look on his face, Zayn only nods in agreement.
"You're selling me off." I didn't waste any time in accepting the other drink that was put in front of me.
Zayn is allowing Styles to talk about our mom in such a negative way despite knowing how much our mother's passing impacted me.
"Juliet, I'm not trying to sell you. Till everything is finished, that is it. You will still be free, but with more restrictions. Styles, leads his cartel and is among the greatest at what he does, is well respected and trusted by a large number of people. In this world of ours, he is one of the biggest."
"You do realize that seven years have passed, right?" Silence. As I jerked my head away, I chuckled. "How will he manage to keep me safe?" I desperately wanted to cry and scream. "He can't protect me. I don't want him to protect me, and you can't force me to do anything, Zayn I'm a grown woman."
"You'll be moving into his residence; it's better than that dump you live in."
"I won't be moving." I shake my head. "I have a lease on that so-called dump I live in, which I paid for myself."
"Where you live is not safe. Anyone can break into your apartment," Zayn shakes his head
"And I'll be safe in his fucking residence?" Styles' eyes are already fixed on me as I turn to face him. "When someone is attacking me, will he fucking save the day? Is everything going to be fine if I call him?"
" Juliet." My name slipped off his tongue so easily, but I ignored him, staring at Zayn. "When I'm talking to you, Juliet, look at me."
I was drunk after four drinks, my mind racing with thoughts I couldn't control.
"Why can't I just stay in my apartment and he'll come over if he ever needs to fucking save the day?"
"That's an hour away from his house." I shrugged, clenching my jaw. "You need to be close to him; the apartments are like five minutes away from his house, Juliet. Don't be so hard."
"Not my problem, but why the hell can't he move? Why do I have to do this? " I whined like a little girl.
"You're being stubborn," he said again, but I chose to ignore him.
"Do you realize that if I move, the hospital will be at least two hours away? With traffic, it's already an hour away. What am I going to do? Get up at three in the morning just because you want him to protect me?"
Zayn softly murmurs, "Juliet," and I laugh.
"Unbelievable"
"That's why I suggested you will be his doctor."
"You know, I enjoy my job. I didn't go to school for years just to work for one of your little cartel buddies. " Rolling my eyes, I sucked in a breath.
" Then change hospitals."
"You make it seem so simple. " I scoff at the man who is seated across from me. One who never lost his ridiculous smile and seemed to relish every moment of it. "Why do I have to change my entire life just so he can protect me? Why can't you keep me safe? After all, your family, not him. " My drink was still in my hands, so I sank back into my chair and finished it my throat feeling raw.
" You do complain when someone is trying to keep you safe."
I muttered, frowning, "Stay out of it," as I watched Styles push a yellow envelope in my direction. I gave the closed file a long look before turning to face him.
"Images of the apartment. One of our best. " He beams.
I rolled my eyes and shrugged, turning to face Styles. "I could care less."
He bit his lower lip, fixing his eyes on me. "You have no choice in this situation." He speaks in a low, guarded voice.
"Excuse me"
"Do you want to die like your fucking mother?" silence "Is that it?"
I scream at my brother, "Stop saying that! She's your mother too, you know! " He didn't say anything while staring into my eyes, "Why would you say that? You know what happened to me after she died. You know the impact that had on me." And neither of us said a word as we simply stared at one another.
I take a sharp breath in and bite my tongue. He's doing this to protect me. Obey Juliet.
After a moment of stillness, I ask, "Where will you be staying?"
" Nothing's going to happen to me."
" What about dad?"
" Who cares about him." he shrugged " If he gets killed it's what he deserves."
" It's not what dad deserves." looking at the file again I pushed it back towards Styles standing. Everything around me felt dizzy, holding onto the table I looked at both men who stared at me.
" Sit down Juliet."
"I'm going home. I simply don't care anymore. I don't even seem to have a voice or a choice. You two appeared to be on the same page. " As I lost my footing, I began to swear under my breath.
"Sit down, you're drunk." When the man's voice resounded in my head, I rolled my eyes and mocked him lowly.
"I'm not drunk."
"As a doctor, you undoubtedly don't take other people's lives seriously. Just like yesterday, you got into a crash. How does this represent you, Juliet? Driving while intoxicated? Not very professional of you. Do you not get them that frequently? People who have been involved in drunk driving accidents visit the hospital."
Closing my eyes I rolled my hands into a fist. " I don't even have a car, you jerk. You crashed into me. I'll call an uber."
" How about you sit down and we finish this conversation?"
" No, thank you. Good night boys." taking slow walks I made my way toward the front door.