Lior sat in a far corner in the bar, one of his arms resting lazily on the back of the seat, the other wrapped around a glass of the cold and sour drink on his table. The dim lighting suited him. He didn't want to stand out. He would have loved to stand out on a normal day, but not today.
Darian had given his simple orders and he had been here since the last two days.
He did as ordered; watch her.
Samantha moved between tables, smiling at customers, laughing when needed, her hands steady as she carried trays of drinks. Her uniform was neat. Her hair pulled into a simple ponytail. Nothing about her showed she'd witnessed something horrifying recently.
To him, he felt like what he had watched on the CCTV footage was just an exaggerated expression except he knew it was totally right for her to act like that. How could Darian even do that? Everything else aside, he knew how human women especially were fragile.
Still, here she was. Working. Smiling.
Stronger than she looks. It was surprising to him but not surprising at the same time.
He sipped his drink slowly, eyes occasionally flicking to the screen of his tablet where he reviewed company reports, but most of his focus stayed on her. No one suspicious had come in. No one had followed her. So far, so good.
Until someone dropped into the seat across from him.
Lior blinked, looked up, and paused. He was sure he reserved this table to himself.
The girl had black hair with sharp blue tips that curled around her shoulders. Freckles dotted her nose and cheeks, and her wide brown eyes studied him like he was some criminal she knew but just couldn't put her hand on. She wore ripped jeans, a cropped black hoodie, and confidence that seemed to suit her. Her glossed lips curled in a slow smirk.
"What's your deal?" she asked.
Lior raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
"You've been watching my best friend for the past twenty minutes." She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. "Kind of creepy."
Lior glanced up at Samantha before looking back at the lady before him, a small smile settling on his lips. So that was it? He really must have lost his touch if a human was able to detect his intent or she was just unusually sharper than others.
He leaned back in his seat, expression calm. "Maybe I just like the drink."
She snorted. "Yeah, and maybe I'm a fairy princess. Come on, Mr. Tall-and-Broody. What do you want with Samantha?"
He didn't answer. Couldn't. Even if he could, he wouldn't just tell her anything even though she was Samantha's best friend. Not everyone was to be trusted.
So he just stared at her.
She didn't flinch.
Instead, she leaned back too, mimicking his posture, and crossed her arms. A rose tattoo peeked out from under her sleeve, inked just over her shoulder.
"I know trouble when I see it," she said.
Lior's lips twitched at the corners. "Do you?"
"Yup. You're either a stalker, a criminal, or an undercover cop. And you're too good-looking to be a cop."
That made him laugh, just a small sound, but enough to surprise them both.
"I'm none of the above," he said.
"Then what are you?"
He tapped his fingers against the glass, choosing his words carefully. "Can't a man unwind after a busy day? I'm just here for a drink, honestly."
Kaia narrowed her eyes. "That drink involves staring at my friend like you're memorizing her face, does it?"
"Do I need to call the manager?" she added, glancing toward the bar.
Lior shook his head. "That won't be necessary."
"Then give me a real reason. Because I don't like men who stay back and just creep people out."
He could tell she wasn't ready to let him go and he wasn't ready to spill anything so they just kept staring at each other till Samantha stepped towards them, a smile on her face.
"Do you need something?" She asked Lior, glancing over at Kaia. From the look on her face, Samantha could tell it wasn't a friendly chat which she knew nothing about and wanted no issue with her boss.
"Yes," Lior said, looking up at her. "I'd like a drink for my acquaintance here. On my card please."