Silent Stalker (A Dark Mafia Stalker MC Romance)

CHAPTER ONE: ROBIN

I hear my alarm go off and wake up to turn it off, and then I look at the time, roll out of bed, and groan. I pulled up my lock screen and saw that it was only noon. “f**k! Why do I always wake up so f*****g early?” I mumble as I begin to gather my clothes and toiletries to take a shower and make sure that I even have my makeup. I shower and wash my icy blonde hair with a shadow root. I make sure that I use the conditioner too, while I use my Icy Mint body wash.

After showering, I dry my hair, straighten it, and add some large ringlet curls. I start getting dressed before I decide to do my makeup. I do a bold smokey eye with a ruby red lip for makeup. My outfit consists of black biker shorts with fishnets, black chunky combat boots, and my black and gray Fly Birds cropped tank top. Once I am dressed, I grab my keys that I need to lock my apartment door and unlock the front doors to the bar. I own and manage the Fly Birds dive bar that is under my apartment. I have been working here since I was 17 and just took over as owner and manager a few years ago when the previous owner, Micah, passed away.

I walked down the steps to the side door that goes through the kitchen to the bar, after locking my apartment door. I see that Cook is here, and yes that is his name, so I give him a small nod to say hello. After doing that, I go behind the bar to start setting up for opening, which includes stocking the inventory to make drinks, stocking and replacing the garnishes, making sure that I have enough glasses for the night, and making sure that my tap labels are put on correctly before doing test pours of each tap beer. After getting the bar set up, I go to start taking the chairs down from the tables and unlock the front doors. By the time I finish taking the chairs down and unlocking the door, including turning on the Fly Birds sign, it is five minutes until 4, so I make sure that I am behind the bar ready to go.

I turn on the speaker and hook it up to the iPad that stays at the bar for music only. The bouncers and bodyguards also have an iPad that they use to check IDs because we have a lot of underage people who try to come in. Once I make sure that the music is set, and the lights are on, I start setting up my shakers and bottle openers. I put a smile on my face to show that I am welcoming the patrons in when I hear the bouncers/bodyguards gasp as five tall built men in suits walk in, so I look at them and ask “Hey, guys what can I get you to drink or eat?” They just stare at me blankly as if I am supposed to automatically know what they get, so I assume they want a glass of scotch (neat), whiskey (on the rocks), bourbon (neat), rum (on the rocks), and an IPA (chilled) on tap. They smile and nod as if to say that I got their drinks right. I go back to cleaning the bar area off, and then I start serving more drinks as patrons come into the bar.

I fix my cropped tank a few times as I attempt to reach the top shelf to make sure the well and top-shelf are restocked and filled. Suddenly, I see the five men leave and leave enough to cover their tabs plus tips with a package on the bar. So, I grab their money, cash them out, and put tips in the tip jar for Cook and me while putting the rest into the register to count later. I grabbed the package, and there were a dozen red roses with starlights wrapped around them showing the stem cut at an angle. I nod to the other bartender to take over while I take these up to my apartment and put them in a vase with the lights wrapped around it. The note that was in the box said, “See you very soon, starlight.” ~ D.

I shook my head at the note, not knowing who it was from, and headed back downstairs to the bar after locking my apartment door again. Then I get a text message from a blocked number, “Starlight, Starlight, oh so bright enjoy the roses and lights.” I ignore the message and lock my phone as I walk down the stairs and head back into the bar area. I nodded to my bartender and let her go back to the floor to help clean up the empty glasses and empty beer bottles along with all the trash from the food. I smile at her as she moves from behind the bar and heads to the floor. After my bartender goes to the floor, I start cleaning the counter and restocking the ice bin. I ring in my meal alongside my bartender’s meal, so Cook can start making it and I make sure that it is notated to be a delayed order. I felt my phone go off, and I knew by the vibration pattern that it was a text message.

The message read, “Starlight, Starlight, oh so bright, what do you eat on a lonely night? Perhaps, the burger and fries, to be on the finer side. Enjoy your food, and sleep oh so tight. Let the lights be your guide in the night, let the roses fill your nose as your eyes close. See you oh so very soon my pretty little starlight. -D.” I shrug and put my phone back in my pocket as I prepare for the last call, knowing that I will have a rush of patrons to get their last-minute food and drink orders, even though most of them are not driving home. Tony, one of our regulars, came up to the bar and I could tell he was drunk, so I just gave him a look. He looks at me and says “Oh, come on Robbie, I am fine to go home like I am.” I laugh and reply “Tony, honey, I am not letting you drive, Byron at the door can call you an Uber.” He sighs, hands me his keys, reluctantly goes to the door, and hands Byron his ID.

I started to close the bar and heard the door open, unaware that it wasn't one of my patrons coming back for their cards or phone. "Tony, didn't you go home earlier? Why are you back here? We are closed. Try again tomorrow." I said, rather annoyed at the fact that he had returned. I didn't hear anything but something being placed on the bar. I turned around and saw a package on the counter of the bar. The package is a small rectangular box-shaped package, wrapped in tan paper. I took a look at the writing on the box, and I knew that it was a package to be opened when I was the only person in the bar. The writing on the box said "Starlight, here lies a gift for you. I hope it shines like ocean blue. Once you open the gift you cannot quit. -D."

I finished cleaning up the counter of the bar and put all the chairs up on the tables. I locked the front doors and grabbed the package before going into the kitchen and grabbing my plate. I walked up the stairs towards my loft apartment and unlocked the door before stepping inside and using the microwave to heat my plate. I sighed as my plate was heating in the microwave and sat at my desk to open the package. I opened the package and saw that it was a book and right as I began to look at it my phone went off notifying me that I had a text message. I ignored the text message and picked up the book, before hearing my microwave go off, letting me know that my food was done. I grabbed my food out of the microwave and started to eat before realizing that I was tired.

After I finished eating, I decided to go to sleep. However, before I could go to bed, I had to rinse off my plate in my sink. Once, I laid down in my bed, I covered up, turned on my go-to playlist, and fell asleep. I was completely unaware of what was coming next or who was coming around next.