Possessive Vows

Chapter 2

The diner was unusually busy for a Thursday afternoon. Rain streaked the windows, and the air inside was warm and smelled faintly of bacon grease and coffee.

Lila tied her apron around her waist and forced herself to smile as she dropped menus onto table after table. Her hands still felt raw from scrubbing them the night before, but no amount of soap had erased the faint reddish stain under her fingernails.

She’d barely slept, tossing and turning as the image of that man’s dark eyes haunted her. The sound of gunfire still echoed in her head,but she told herself it was over.Whoever he was, he was gone.

The bell over the door jingled, and she looked up automatically, pen in hand,only to freeze when her eyes landed on him.There he was,he looked different now. Clean black suit,crisp white shirt. Not a drop of blood in sight. But the way he sat, shoulders back and jaw tight, screamed the same quiet danger she’d felt in that alley.

Her stomach twisted as she watched him casually settle into a booth at the back,he didn’t look at the menu,didn’t touch the glass of water the hostess set down.He just stared at her.

Lila ducked behind the counter, heart hammering.

“What the hell…” she muttered under her breath.

She waited five full minutes before creeping back out to the floor, praying he’d left,but no.He was still there,waiting and watching.

When she dared approach his table, she forced a brittle smile and said, “What can i get you?”

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he reached into his jacket pocket and slid something across the table toward her.A black business card.

She picked it up with hesitant fingers. It was heavy, embossed with nothing but a single name in silver:

Alex kaiser.

Her breath caught.

“You’re on my radar now,” he said softly, leaning back in his seat.His voice was smoother than last night,controlled,but just as dark.

“I didn’t ask to be,” she shot back, closing her fist around the card.

“That’s too bad.” His lips curved, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “You stepped into my world when you threw that bottle.”

Her cheeks flamed. “Oh you mean when i saved you?” “You’re welcome, by the way. You’d probably be dead if it wasn’t for me.”

“That’s one way to look at it,” he said, almost amused.Then he stood without another word, adjusting the cuffs of his jacket.

Lila stood rooted to the spot as he walked out the door, leaving her with nothing but the card in her hand and a sinking feeling in her stomach.Her shift ended late that night, and the streets were slick and empty by the time she made it home.

Jamie was waiting on the couch, eyes glued to some cartoon, a bowl of cereal balanced on his lap.

“Hey,” he mumbled without looking up.

“Hey,” she replied softly, dropping her bag on the table.

He looked okay and safe. But she still double-checked the locks on the door before she let herself breathe.Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Unknown number. She almost didn’t answer,but something told her she should.

“Hello?”

There was silence at first. Then his voice, low and calm “Lila.” She froze “How did you”

“I told you,” Alex Kaiser said. “You’re on my radar now.”

Her knuckles whitened around the phone. “Why? What do you want from me?”

A quiet chuckle. “We’ll talk soon.” The line went dead.

She dropped the phone on the couch beside her and sank into the cushions, her heart pounding in her chest.Jamie looked over then, frowning slightly. “Everything okay?” She forced a smile she didn’t feel.

“Yeah,” she lied. “Everything’s fine.”

The next morning, the diner was quiet again, but Lila couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. Every time the bell over the door rang, her stomach clenched,but he didn’t come back. Not that day. Not the next.For a few blissful hours, she convinced herself maybe he’d moved on.

But that hope died when she got home two nights later and found their apartment door wide open.The lock was splintered,her stomach dropped.

“Jamie?” she called, her voice rising as she stepped inside.

He was there,deep down her heart she thanked God. Curled up in the corner of the living room, his arms wrapped tight around his knees.

“Jamie!”

She ran to him, dropping to her knees and pulling him into her arms. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?” He shook his head, but his face was pale, his hands trembling.

Lila’s eyes darted around the room. The couch was overturned, their meager belongings tossed everywhere. Cabinet doors hung open. Someone had ransacked the place.On her bed, a single sheet of paper lay in the middle of the mattress.She let go of Jamie and walked over to pick it up, her fingers shaking.Red block letters scrawled across it

STAY OUT OF WHAT ISN’T YOURS.

Her blood ran cold.Jamie’s voice cracked behind her. “Who… who are they?” She crumpled the note in her hand, jaw tightening. “They’re nobody,” she said, even though she knew that was a lie.She already knew exactly who they were,and she knew exactly who could stop them.

That night, she didn’t bother waiting inside.She stood outside the apartment building, arms folded tight against the cold.She didn’t have to wait long.A sleek black car rolled up to the curb.

The window slid down, and there he was.Alex Kaiser.His dark eyes met hers, and his mouth curved into a faint smile.

“I told you,” he murmured. “You’re mine now.”

Lila didn’t move at first.The black car idled at the curb, its engine purring low, faint wisps of exhaust curling into the cold air. The passenger-side window stayed down.

Alex’s gaze locked on her like she was prey that had wandered too close.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” she said, her voice sharper than she felt.

Alex tilted his head, considering her like a puzzle he wasn’t sure he wanted to solve. “Not exactly,” he replied smoothly. “But i do enjoy being right.”