Page 26 of Quiet Rage (Wicked Falls Elite #5)

Tamson

I don't particularly like leaving Dad to lock up the store by himself, but I’m just so exhausted that when he offers to let me leave early, I happily accept.

Gathering my things from behind the counter, I stuff my phone into my pocket and head out. I wave goodbye before pushing the door open and stepping onto the sidewalk.

I see him right away. Kellen’s car is parked at the side of the road, a few feet from the store's entrance. As soon as he notices me, he gets out of the car and heads towards me.

My legs stop moving, and my spine straightens as he approaches.

“Please just leave me alone,” I beg. “I’m tired, and I haven't eaten. Please… just let me go home.”

“I want you to come with me,” he announces, completely ignoring my plea.

I sigh in frustration. I’m so over being pushed around.

I cross my arms in front of my chest. Glancing around the street, I notice a couple walking across from us and a man sweeping the sidewalk a little further down from that.

It’s still light outside, and we are not alone.

What would Kellen do if I say no? Would he really drag me to the car if I were to fight him?

As if Kellen read my mind, he shakes his head, looking at me like he is disappointed I would even think about disobeying him.

“I’m not going with you,” I say, surprising myself how strong my voice comes out.

His gaze darkens at my rejection. “Get in the car.”

“No.” I take a step back, but he takes one long stride, eating up all the distance between us. He is so fast, I don’t have time to react. His arm wraps around my torso, and he pulls me flush into his side.

One arm. It only takes him one arm to subdue me. He guides me to his car, and fear sets in. I dig my heels into the ground, desperately trying to stop him from getting me inside his vehicle.

With an annoyed huff, he picks me up and carries me the rest of the way. He puts me down next to the car and opens the door for me.

“Get in,” he orders.

“Please just let me go,” I try again, but Kellen just shakes his head and places his hand on my shoulder.

I expect him to push me down and shove me into the car, but he just waits for me to get in myself.

“Nothing bad is going to happen,” he offers, but I don’t know if I can believe him.

“Where are you going to take me?”

“Dinner.”

“Dinner?” I ask, dumbfounded.

He nods his head. “You just said you haven’t eaten, so let’s go eat.”

I’m starving, but I'd rather go to bed hungry than to go to dinner with Kellen. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like he is giving me a choice. His body is caging me in and the only place for me to go is inside of his car.

I look around the street again. The couple is gone now and the man sweeping has his back turned to us. There is no one here to help me.

I let my head hang low with defeat as I climb into the car. Kellen waits for me to sit and get buckled before he shuts the door and walks around the car, watching me the entire time. He gets behind the wheel and starts the engine.

A knot forms in my stomach as he pulls out onto the street. He said nothing bad will happen. I probably should not believe him, but my anxious brain wants to really badly, so I give in to the thought. I convince myself that I’m really safe, and he is just going to take me to dinner.

It works for a bit, but doubt and worry creep their way back into my mind. Why would he want to take me out to eat? There has to be more to this. I just can never figure him out. Why is he doing all these things to me?

Kellen drives us out of town and gets onto the highway.

“Is this place you’re taking me far away?” I ask, when I can’t take not knowing anything any longer.

“No. We’re almost there.”

A few minutes later, he takes the exit. We drive for another mile or so before a small diner comes into view.

A large neon sign, Ruby's Diner, sits on top of the building. Kellen pulls into the parking lot and finds an empty spot. I’m still nervous, but I’m not panicking anymore. So far, he is keeping his word.

I unbuckle and get out of the car. Kellen meets me in front of the hood and together we walk into the diner. The hostess gives us a warm smile as we step up to her table.

“Hi, welcome to Ruby’s Diner. Is it just the two of you today?” she asks in a friendly customer service voice.

“Yes,” Kellen answers her.

“Awesome! Please follow me,” she chirps before grabbing two menus. Spinning around, she walks us through the restaurant and takes us to a booth.

“Your server will be right with you. Enjoy!” The server walks away, her high ponytail swaying with each step. She probably thinks we’re a couple. What would she do if she knew I was here against my will?

I sit down on the bench, and Kellen takes the seat across from me, his big body filling almost the entire side of his booth.

“Why am I here?” I ask.

“To eat dinner,” he answers.

I give him a pointed look, not satisfied with his answer, and try again. “Why am I really here?”

Kellen puts his elbows on the table and leans forward. “You are here because I want you to be here.”

“But why do you want that?”

Kellen shrugs. “I just do.”

“You always get what you want?” I don’t even know why I’m asking. I already know he does.

The corner of his mouth pulls up into a smirk. “Usually, yes,” he confirms.

Must be nice.

A waitress stops at our table, ending our conversation.

“Hi guys! I’m Wendy; I’ll be your server today. Can I get you started with anything to drink?” She looks down at me with a wide smile, notepad in hand.

“Water, please.” I order the only thing I can afford.

She scribbles it down on her pad before looking over at Kellen.

“We’ll have two cheeseburgers with fries and two vanilla milkshakes,” he tells her, before handing her his menu. She grabs the second menu off the table.

“You got it,” Wendy confirms before taking off.

“What if I’m a vegetarian?” I snap, irked by him ordering for me.

“Then I would say you are missing out. The burgers here are amazing.” His eyebrows raise slightly. “Are you a vegetarian?”

“No,” I admit. “But that’s not the point.”

“What is the point, then?”

“It’s that you shouldn't order for other people. I don’t even have money to pay for this,” I explain, my voice laced with irritation.

“Don’t worry about it.” He dismisses my concerns. “I’ll pay for your food.”

I hate the idea of him paying for me. It’s something he can hold over my head later.

The waitress returns with my water and the two milkshakes, setting everything on the table in front of us. “Your food will be out soon,” she says in a cheerful voice before taking off again.

My eyes land on the tall glass in front of me. The whipped cream swirl, topped with a maraschino cherry looks so perfect, I don’t even want to touch it.

“Have you been here before?” Kellen asks as he picks up a straw from the table. I watch him unwrap it and put it in his milkshake before I answer.

“No. I don’t usually go out to eat.” I can’t remember the last time I’ve been to a restaurant. We just don’t have the money for it. That must be hard to understand for someone like Kellen.

He nods in understanding and takes a sip of his milkshake. “Try it.” He motions towards my glass.

Part of me wants to say no, just because I don’t want to listen to him. I decide this one is not worth the battle. Taking my straw, I free it from the paper wrapping and put it into my milkshake. Leaning forward, I wrap my lips around the straw and take a few sips.

Damnit, it’s delicious. Sweet vanilla flavor bursts on my tongue as I greedily swallow the cold treat.

Kellen watches me with interest in his eyes. I know he is about to ask me another question before he does. “What kind of music do you like?”

“Um…a little bit of everything, I guess.”

He looks at me expectantly, like he wants me to go into detail.

“I like acoustic stuff,” I explain, wondering why he is asking me these questions in the first place.

“What’s your favorite movie?”

His questions seem innocent enough, but in the back of my mind I’m still worried that he has alternative motives.

“ Twilight ,” I say, immediately regretting that I shared this with him. I should have lied and given him a random movie just so he wouldn't know something personal about me.

“Can’t say I’ve seen it. Did you read the books, too?”

I almost scoff at the questions. “Of course,” I answer proudly.

“Let me guess, the books were much better than the movies?”

“Definitely,” I confirm. If anyone else was sitting across from me, I would lead into an hour-long conversation about how much more in depth the books were and list ten scenes that weren't even in the movies. But this isn’t anyone else.

It’s Kellen, my bully, who suddenly wants to act like we’re on a date, getting to know each other.

He asks me a few more mundane questions. I keep my answers short, and I never ask him anything back. He doesn’t seem to care. He is content with interviewing me about all my favorite things until the waitress comes out with our food.

She sets the plate in front of me and I stare at the giant burger. The savory smell of meat and melted cheese invades my nose and my mouth starts watering. This time I don’t wait for Kellen to tell me what to do. I pick up my burger and take a big bite.

Oh my god. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m so hungry or if it’s true, but this might be the best thing I have ever eaten. I chew the juicy patty and buttery bun quickly, eager to take another bite.

I look up from my plate, realizing Kellen is staring at me, amusement flickering in his eyes. “Damn, you really were hungry,” he teases before picking up his own burger.

I feel my cheeks heat with embarrassment. The next few bites I take are smaller and I force myself to chew a little slower. We eat in silence, and I’m glad for the break in conversation. I make it three-quarters through my burger and half-way through my fries before I can’t take another bite.

Using the napkin, I wipe my hands clean. I’m so full my stomach feels swollen. I lean back against the bench and watch Kellen eat everything on his plate. When he is done with his, he reaches across the table and grabs the rest of my burger. He finishes that, too.

I want to ask him if he ever gets full, but I don’t want to start up another conversation.

When the waitress returns, grabbing the dirty dishes from the table, she asks, “how was everything?”

“Delicious, as always,” Kellen answers for both of us.

“I’ll be right back with the check.” She leaves with our plates and returns with the check moments later.

Kellen gets out his wallet and pulls out a few twenty-dollar bills. “Keep the rest,” he tells her.

Wendy’s face lights up as she accepts the generous tip. “You guys have a great night,” she cheers.

Kellen slides out of the booth and stands up. I do the same. We walk back to his car and get in.

The drive to my place goes by quickly. We pull up in front of my house, and I unbuckle. To my surprise, Kellen does the same. He cuts the engine.

“What are you doing?” I ask, a lump forming in my throat.

“I’m coming inside with you,” he announces confidently.

“No.”

“Do you really want to play this game again?” He has the audacity to sound annoyed.

“You said nothing bad was going to happen tonight,” I remind him.

“And it won’t. I promise.”

I just wish I could believe him.