Harry
After much urging from Abel, I allowed him to play back security footage of the restaurant from the past two weeks, in order to confirm that the girl who had my knife did in fact work there. The footage confirmed that she did work there, as she was seen entering and exiting each day. That, or she was just very fond of the restaurant, but I was going with the first option.
I decided not to tell Whit about my plan to retrieve my knife, or that I had even lost it in the first place. He was so ecstatic about how well we succeeded in our mission, that I didn't really feel like putting a damper on his mood. He came into the Fort earlier than he had in weeks this morning, telling us all that Grayson had called him, and wanted to set up a time to meet, in order to cement the alliance between us and them.
He said that Grayson was beyond thankful that we had saved James' life, and because of our heroic act, he was more than eager to form an alliance with us. So while that mission had been a complete success, I still had a mission of my own to complete. Retrieving my knife.
I figured it would be best for me to go to the restaurant later in the night, after the typical Friday night rush. Despite all of the boys' protests, I was going to do this alone. I didn't want to draw anymore attention to myself than necessary, and I am pretty damn sure Whit would be suspicious if all of his top team members were out on a mission that he knew nothing about.
I stood in front of the full-length mirror across from my bed. Adjusting my black tie. I decided to wear an all-black suit, down to the black dress shirt I had tucked into my pants. I ran my fingers through my hair once more, and glanced down at my watch. 8:40.
The restaurant wasn't nearly as far from my place as it was from the Fort, about a twenty-minute drive or so. My reservation was for 9:15, which is much later than I ever like to eat, but again, I didn't want to go when it was too crowded.
I went downstairs and grabbed my keys and my wallet, checking around to see if I forgot anything when I spotted my handgun. Without at least my knife on me, I felt a little naked. I always liked to be prepared, no matter where I was going. So, going with my gut, I grabbed it and slipped it inside my coat pocket, just in case.
I gave the room one final glance over, before heading out the door to drive to the restaurant.
***********
Tate
Words could not begin to describe how thankful I was to be wearing flats tonight. My feet still ached from wearing my heels yesterday, as well as my knee from where it collided with the pavement. I woke up to a small bruise forming on my knee cap, and so I decided to wear a pair of faux leather skinny jeans, with a black turtleneck sweater, and my black boots. I was glad that I had worn a sweater, as each time a guest opened the door, a gust of chilly night air blew in and caused me to shudder a bit.
I wasn't as tired as I was yesterday, Fridays were my favorite workdays, because I didn't have to come in until four, meaning that I got to get some extra sleep. Those few extra hours did wonders and made me dread the night shift far less than I normally do.
One of the servers, Michael, came up to the front desk and handed me a stack of menus that he had just collected from the group at table seven. "Here ya go!" he smiled cheerfully, beginning to walk off, but not before I grabbed his arm.
He looked confused but I just laughed and pulled him next to me, fixing his nametag that was put on upside down, and patted his chest. "And there you go!" I chirped. He slapped his forehead and groaned.
"I must have looked like an absolute idiot all night, thank you, Tate." He sighed.
"No problem, now go on, and finish the rest of the night not looking like an idiot," I joked back, and he gave me a small wave before turning around to get back to work.
I turned around and grabbed the menus, bending down behind the desk to slide them back onto the shelf, when I suddenly heard a deep voice.
"Hello?"
I was so startled that it caused me to jump a little bit, and knock my head directly onto the unforgiving wood desktop. Perhaps it wasn't the shoes that made me clumsy, perhaps it was just me.
My cheeks were burning as I stood up, bringing my hand to my head, rubbing the now tender spot. Ouch.
"I'm sorry about that, sir, what can I help you wi-"
I paused in astonishment at the sight before me.
It was a younger man, probably not much older than me. He was tall, much taller than I was, and for the first time all night, I found myself wishing that I was in heels, so that I wouldn't feel as small as I did now.
He had on a head to toe black ensemble, looking sleek and refined, mature well beyond his years. His hair was dark brown and curly, tousled up and messy in a way that somehow managed to look neat.
And then his eyes.
His eyes were a breathtaking shade of green, comparable to emeralds. I felt like they were burning a hole right through me where I stood.
It was at that moment that I realized I had been staring a little too long, feeling my cheeks heat up again as he raised one of his eyebrows at me. Great.
"I um, I have a reservation actually, for Styles, Harry Styles." His voice fit him very well. Deep and raspy, and I felt my face growing hot.
I forced myself to avert my eyes from him, and down to the reservation list in front of me, scanning it with my finger until I found his name. Styles, party of one.
"Yes sir! Party of one, correct?" I questioned, pleased that I managed to get out a full sentence.
He shook his head, the corner of his mouth turning up a little bit, threatening to reveal a smile.
"Yep, just me."
"Okay, perfect! Let me just get you a menu, and I will show you to your table!"
"Sounds good," he replied, shifting slightly and scanning the room.
I very carefully bent down behind the counter, not wanting to further injure myself tonight, and reached onto the first shelf to grab a menu.
I heard the faint chime of the door while I was down there, and I prayed that I would be less of a mess with the next guest than I had just been with this one.
I clutched the menu to my chest and gradually began to stand up, keeping my distance from the countertop, and began to speak.
"Ok, sir, right this way-"
I stood there, dumbfounded. Wondering if the bump on my head was causing me to lose my mind.
He was gone.
**************
Harry
I walked into the restaurant and found no one at the front desk.
"Hello?" I called out.
Moments later, I heard a loud thud, and up rose a young girl, clutching her head in pain. I held back my laughter, as her clumsiness confirmed that she was in fact the person that I was looking for.
She looked to be about my age, maybe a few years younger. Just like me, she was dressed in all black, though I doubt that was her choice seeing as every other staff member was donned in the same color as well. I laughed to myself as I realized probably the only thing this girl and I had in common was the colors we were required to wear to work.
She had dark brown hair, that stopped a few inches below her collarbone. She had olive-toned skin, and still had the slightest amount of summer tan remaining. Her lips were full and pink, shining slightly probably due to a balm of some sort. Her nose had the faintest amount of freckles scattered across it, and her eyes were big, and a dark hazel color, surrounded by dark, long eyelashes.
She started to speak, but then stopped, staring at me. I almost smirked. This was something I had grown used to when it came to women. I had never really struggled in that department.
I raised my eyebrows at her, and she broke out of her trance, looking flustered.
I told her my name, and she began scanning the list in front of her until she found it.
"Okay, perfect! Let me just get you a menu, and I will show you to your table!" she spoke, her voice was soft and sweet, which was a change from what I was used to. The women I usually encounter are bold and seductive, trying to use their words to charm me into their bedrooms, and sometimes, it worked.
I nodded at her and leaned against the counter, my eyes gazing over the restaurant. It was a really nice place, not what I typically went for. It wasn't too crowded, and I smiled and mentally patted myself on the back for choosing to come later. My plan was to hang around as late as possible, and before I left, to ask if anyone had turned in a knife. It would be a pretty odd question to ask, if I didn't already know that she had it.
I was about to turn back around and direct my attention back to her, when something caught my eye, causing me to freeze.
James.
I suppose he decided to switch his nightly drink location after his interaction yesterday, although I have to say, he couldn't be the brightest, seeing as this restaurant was only a couple of blocks down from his usual pub.
He sat at the bar, swirling around the ice in his drink.
I had to get out of here. As trivial as it would seem to any normal person, running into someone you know in a popular restaurant, in our line of work, there were hardly ever any coincidents. If he saw me here, he might think that I was spying on him, that our organization was spying on his, and it could cause his trust in us to waver. He might report back to Grayson and lead him to believe that our impending alliance was laced with ill intent.
I had to make a decision and fast. My knife, or one of the largest alliances our field had seen in years.
Needless to say, I decided on the latter.
Getting my knife would just have to wait.
Once I had made up my mind, I quickly turned and went out the door, I decided to head back to my car and wait there until the restaurant closed. Perhaps then I could catch the girl on her way out, and make up some excuse for my sudden disappearance, before asking her about the knife. My stomach growled in annoyance as I made my way down the street to my car, clearly disappointed about not getting to indulge in any of the heavenly scented foods that filled the restaurant.
Once I got to my car, I cranked up the heat, rubbing my hands together. I opened the console and was relieved to find two granola bars in there, amidst some extra chargers and a pack of gum.
I turned on the radio, fiddling around until I found the station I wanted, and peeled open the wrapper to one of the granola bars.
I sighed to myself, taking a bite, and beginning to chew.
"And now," I hummed to myself, swallowing my bite of food, "we wait."
AN: WOOHOOOOOOO!! I hope you guys like this chapter. Chapter 6 is in the making, and hopefully, I will have it up by tonight, but if I don't, check back for it tomorrow! Keep your eyes open in case I do announce it tonight though! You guys have made me so happy with all of your support throughout this book! THANK YOU! Don't forget to vote, and also to comment and let me know what you think! Xx