A week went by and she noticed the man with the dragon tattoo came in every day towards closing time. He would just sit in the corner booth and would stare blankly out one of the windows without ordering anything but a glass of water. She also noticed that when another mafia member would come in, he would vanish into thin air, as if he was hiding from them. Something else that bothered her was the fact that the man was always fiddling with a pill bottle, looking like he was debating on doing something rash with it.

There was one night where he was the last customer. Everyone else was either doing their side work in the kitchen, or were talking and having a drink or two in the bar because they were done. The food runner that had gotten embarrassed by the mafia members was looking for one of her co-workers when she spotted the man. She stopped in her tracks, knowing he hadn't seen her yet and took a deep breath before walking up to him.

"Um... 'Scuse me, sir?" She said in a quieter tone than when she was usually working and tapped his shoulder.

He didn't respond as he stared out the window, as though watching and waiting for someone to pass by. She tapped him a little harder and repeated herself with less shyness. The man jumped then stiffened as he looked at her eyes wide, taken by surprise.

The food runner jumped back as he jumped and held a hand over her heart, begging it to calm down from the scare. "I-I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to startle you." She apologized.

He stared at her and furrowed his brow then shook his head and hunched his shoulders. That's when she noticed the bottle of pills between his hands. He was staring at it intently, gripping it like his life depended on it.

She took a deep breath and did her best to ignore the pills. "I-I don't know if you remember me, but uh... last week, I... I tripped twice. And- And you helped me... What I mean to say is... Thank you... It was hard that night and I really appreciate the help." She said gently so she wouldn't provoke him. He was already intimidating, and the dragon tattoo on his arm wasn't helping him look any less intimidating.

He stared blankly at the bottle and furrowed his brow. He looked at her then smiled a little. "No problem Brooke." He muttered. "I apologize that my friends are so... dumb."

"Don't stress about it... Besides... I was falling a lot that day. Tripped on my way here, tripped in my room going to bed, it was an off day." She explained, but didn’t tell him she knew that they were doing it on purpose.

He shook his head slowly and fingered the label then sighed forcefully. He looked around and realized they were closing. "Oh... sorry..." he mumbled and put the pills in his pocket as he stood. He was almost a foot taller than her.

She backed up so he could get out of his booth. "It's fine, we still have some work to do before we leave." She assured him with a small smile. However, on the inside, she was sarcastically telling herself that his height wasn't intimidating.

He towered over her and stared blankly for a moment. His phone beeped and he stared at it. "I have to go anyway." He muttered and walked out. On his way out, he tossed his phone into the trash before disappearing into the night.

She watched him walk away, feeling like he was a depressed spy in hiding. She stood there for a minute, thinking about what just happened when she was called to the host stand. It was one of her coworkers that she considered a "work friend." He told her that he didn't want to see her around the man ever again because he had bad vibes going on. His aura screamed trouble and pain, and he didn't want to see one of the youngest, optimistic workers getting hurt.

Thankfully for the host, that wasn't a problem later on. Another few days went by and she didn't see him at all. He had just vanished and no one had seen him. Her coworkers were relieved that he wasn't bothering her anymore. However, that didn't stop the two mafia members from telling their friends about how it would be fun to pick on her since Blitzwing oh so "protected" her. They would only come in when she was working and make her look like she didn't know how to do her job. They would trip her whether she had food or not; speak loudly about how "they didn't order" the food she brought to them, causing her to turn to a stuttering mess when she would try to find out stuttering mess when she tried to find out who's food it was; and would sometimes flick their food on her face, telling her it was disgusting and how it should go into the trash, just like where she belongs. It came to the point that she would cry after every shift she'd do and would be terrified to return to the place that gave her money.

One day, she recognized a man she hadn't seen in a while: Piper’s brother, Grimlock. He watched quietly and observed what Brooke and the people she was serving were doing. He had been with the mafia recently but left do to reasons unknown. He glared darkly as he watched them trip her then marched over as he clenched his fists tightly. "Knock it off." He said seriously as he towered over them. The food runner was on the ground again. She looked up and was happy to see a friendly face defending her, however, her happiness was short lived.

"Grimlock! Been a while huh?" Knockout greeted the taller, stronger man cockily. "Hey guys, look, it's Grim Reaper!" He teased and elbowed his friends to look at the man standing over their booth.

Grimlock growled lowly at the mafia member, then carefully and easily pulled the food runner to her feet. "You okay?" He asked quietly and when she nodded. After being thankful that she was fine, he looked at the others in the booth. His expression became dangerous and he gripped the man's shirt. "You know my nickname? Then you better watch it." He seethed angrily through gritted teeth.

"Hey, hey! Can someone help me over here?!" Knockout said loudly to gain the attention of the restaurant. "Oh come on, we're only teasing the little girl, Right?" He said, trying to right his wrong, then looked to the food runner with a glare that told her that she should say 'yes' or else.

"Don't look at her." He growled lowly and glared at him. He glanced down to the food runner for a second and went back to glaring at Knockout. "Let's take this outside. I don't think the little lady would want to clean up the mess." He smirked darkly and pulled him out of the restaurant. The rest of the mafia members followed and had their hands on their hidden weapons. The hostess that night was already calling the cops, telling them that the Decepticons were getting out of hand and that it wasn't going to be pretty in a minute.

Meanwhile, as the redheaded Decepticon was being dragged out of the restaurant, an old, yet skinny-fit waitress guided the food runner to the kitchen, telling a busser to clean the booth as they passed by, and went upstairs where the office and a break area with bathrooms was. The waitress took the food runner to the bathroom and locked themselves in to calm the girl down as she started to cry.

The fight didn't last long and Grimlock easily took all three down. He hit them repeatedly and demanded they tell him where is friend was. The mafia members claimed they didn't know anything. They had tried to get him to join the mafia but he just vanished. Grimlock growled angrily and only stepped back when the cops arrived. They took the three mafia members away and took Grimlock in for questioning.

The next day, after school, Brooke was given the day off from work due to last night's events. Immediately after she found out about getting the day off, she started to walk her way back to her home. It took about half an hour since she stopped at a café to get a pastry and a drink, but she finally made it to her apartment complex. She walked into the elevator and checked her phone as she waited to get to her floor. When the elevator reached her floor, she exited and unlocked her apartment door, walked inside, and locked it back over again, but with also a chain lock to ease herself.

The afternoon was relaxing for her as she lounged in the house in her pajamas and a face mask. She was eating pizza rolls as she binge-watched Netflix shows. After a few minutes, she heard a knock on the door. She forgot how she was in her pajamas and mask and went to answer the door. The man with the dragon tattoo stood there with a serious expression. Thankfully, she had the chain lock on so he wouldn't be able to open the door if she couldn't close it. She jumped in the air in surprise and backed up a tiny step. "Wh-wh-ho-how did you find me?" She stuttered.

He raised an eyebrow at her appearance and shook his head. "Girls." He mumbled and reached into his jacket pocket. Her instant thought was a gun.

Brooke’s eyes widened and she let out a high pitched yelp as she attempted to slam the door in his face. His foot however, stepped between the doorframe and the door, not allowing it to close fully. Seeing this, she took the heel of her foot and slammed it down on his toes, though protected by his shoes, then tried to push the door shut with her body.

"Ouch!" He shouted and stumbled back. He winced as the door slammed and locked and he sighed forcefully. "I'm not going to hurt you Brooke..." he mumbled and stared at the tattoo on his arm. He glared at it then pulled his sleeve down to hide it. He sighed quietly and slipped an envelope under the door before walking off. He shoved his hands in his pockets and his shoulders came up.

Inside, Brooke was terrified. She thought she was going to be killed then and there. While trying to calm down, she noticed the envelope and grew even more scared. The first thought was a death note or a threat for if she would talk about anything that happened last night. After a long time of calming down and curiosity, she slowly picked up the envelope as if it was a small, sleeping monster that would kill her if she woke it up. She opened it and found  $200 dollars with a note.

‘I'm sorry for what my friends did to you. That was cruel and insensitive of them. You didn't deserve that and I hope this makes up for any damages.’

Her eyes grew wide as she reread the note over and over while looking to the money. Damages? What damages? Damages to her feelings? The restaurant? All she knew was that she couldn't accept it. She had to return it. It was too much. She cracked the door open and peaked out. She saw he was slowly walking down the hallway. He looked so rejected. To catch his attention, she cracked the door open some more and threw the envelope out into the hallway. "I don't want it!" She shouted, slamming her door back shut and locking it.

He winced at the sound and sighed quietly. He walked back over then slipped the envelope under the door again before disappearing.

She was about to repeat herself when she heard him walking away. She closed her eyes in frustration and shook her head, feeling like she was losing her mind.

There was another knock on the door and she figured he had come back for some reason. Either way, the knock scared her and she shrieked. “What do you want from me?!" She stuttered and backed away from the door.

"Uh... ma’am this is the police." A voice said and he mumbled something to his partner.

Eyes widening from the surprise, she began to stutter. "Uh... Uh... Just give me a minute!" She shouted to the door and ran to her bathroom, dropping the envelope along the way. She did her best to wash the mask off of herself and rubbed the rest off with a towel. Once she was done, she ran out of her room, and then started to speed walk to the door so they wouldn't get suspicious. She kept the chain lock on and slowly peaked through the crack she made.

She recognized the two from the restaurant. The blonde one smiled slightly and waved a little. The other cop gave him a look then cleared his throat. "Um... Brooke right?" He asked and smacked his forehead. "Right... we need to take you to the station to ask you about last night." He said seriously.

"I... Uh... Uh... I'm sorry... I-I-I'm having a lot going on right now." She stuttered and closed her eyes, then started to make circular motions with her one hand as if it would help her focus.

"Are you resisting to cooperate?" He asked and blinked in surprise. "It's not bad. We just need to know what all happened." He said seriously.

"No! I uh... It's... I... Uh... I..." She kept stuttering. Her body was shake as she tried to calm her hundred miles per hour mind.

"Just calm down ma'am. It'll only take about an hour." He mumbled and smiled reassuringly.

"No... That’s not... I... I... Uh... I..." She stuttered more and visibly shook more. Her eyes were starting to tear up and her face was turning red, indicating a growing panic attack.

The blonde one pulled him away and she heard them talking to each other. More so, she heard the one talking but the blonde never said anything.

Their private conversation scared her and made her feel worse. The panic grew, along with heavy breathing and tears starting to slowly fall down her face. The shaking started to worsen to the point that her nails were digging into the door that separated her from the two cops.

The two said cops came back and looked at her with more composure than before. "Hey... please calm down." He said gently. "My name is Jazz and this is Bumblebee. Are you okay if we come inside and ask you a few questions?" He asked softly.

Even though she wasn't at her highest, she could still understand him and nodded, but then made a hand sign to wait. She closed the door, unlocked the final lock, then opened the door for them.

"Thank you." He said gently and walked in. Bumblebee carefully closed the door and locked it for her. He smiled a little and led her to the couch then sat her down. "We aren't here to scare you Brooke." Jazz said gently and sat across from her as Bumblebee sat beside her.

She took a shaky, deep breath and nodded. The way Bumblebee led her to the couch and sat next to her made her feel like he might have dealt with anxious people like herself before. She pushed herself up to grab some tissues from the small coffee table that separated them so she could wipe her tears away. "I... I'm sorry..." She whispered and tried to calm down more.

Bumblebee nodded slowly and saw a blanket on the couch. He grabbed it and carefully wrapped it around her shoulders. He smiled a little, just wanting her to be okay. "We just need you to tell us what happened that night?" Jazz said gently.

The girl nodded in understanding and pulled the blanket ends close to herself and looked down. "It... It was a busy night as usual... But... I guess guys from the mafia came that night. They're always there when I'm there." She started off. "They've... They've been tripping me and... And have been really mean if I serve their food... Last night... They tripped me... And then... My friend's brother came in... He helped me up and checked if I was okay. The mafia members though... They knew him... They called him the 'Grim Reaper’ or something like that. I guess that pissed him off ‘cause that was when he picked up one of them and told them that... Basically they shouldn't be messing with him since they knew his 'nickname' or whatever... And then... The next thing I knew, I got a glare, and then he was dragged out." She explained, taking a deep breath, finally calming down after talking.

Jazz nodded slowly and wrote down everything she said. Bumblebee watched quietly and wrote some things down. "Did anything else happen?" He asked seriously.

"No... Not last night..." She trailed off. Her eyes looked around and they landed on the envelope she got from the man with the dragon tattoo.

Bumblebee furrowed his brow and followed her gaze. Jazz watched them then looked at it. "Is there something else we need to know about?" He asked.

"I... Uh... It's been happening for about... A week and a half. But only when I'm working do they come in apparently." She explained. "The first time I was tripped by them, they had someone else with them and he stood up and helped me."

"Can you describe the man?" Jazz asked as he furrowed his brow. Bumblebee frowned a little and glanced out the window.

"Th-the one who helped me?" She asked, finally looking up from the envelope to the young police officer.

"Well... actually all of them if you can." He said seriously. "Anything unique about them." He muttered.

"Oh... Uh... There was a guy... He had red hair... Jerk and full of himself written all over him..." She described. "Then... There was one guy with an eyepatch... Maybe a scar or two... And then..." She described, but stopped and shivered.

Bumblebee looked at her with concern and furrowed his brow. "That would probably be Knockout and Breakdown." Jazz said but stopped as he looked at her. "Everything alright?" He asked quietly.

"N-no." She barely whispered. "The guy who helped me... Just before you guys got here... He somehow found me here..." She whispered. "He... Gave me that envelope."

Jazz blinked in surprise and looked at Bumblebee. "They... found you?" He asked then watched the other cop open the envelope. He frowned deeply and gave it to his partner. "Is he trying to pay you off or something?" He asked.

"I... It was only him." She explained. "I opened the door like I did for you guys... I asked how he found me, but then... He was reaching in his jacket. I screamed and tried slamming the door, thinking it was a gun... He put his foot between the door and doorframe...  I stomped on his foot as hard as I could, then slammed the door in his face..." She sighed. "He slipped that under the door with the note. I-I don't know what damages he was taking about, but I couldn't take the money. I opened the door to throw the envelope back out since he was still there and closed it, saying I didn't want it... He... He slipped it under again... And then he was gone... Then you guys showed up ten seconds later."

He nodded slowly and furrowed his brow as he looked at Bumblebee. "What did he look like?" Jazz asked as he furrowed his brow.

They both watched her carefully as she closed her eyes and looked down as she thought. "Dark hair... Messy dark hair... Black, red, and yellow outfit... Yellow eyes, I think... And a dragon tattoo wrapped around his arm. Like... It looked like the body was wrapping around his arm and going up it." She described and explained, looking up after she finished.

He nodded slowly and wrote down the information. "We only see him hanging around the mafia members, but he's never actually done anything." Jazz said seriously. Bumblebee shrugged slightly and nodded as he thought. "But stay away from them anyway." Jazz said and stood up. "Thank you so much for your help." He smiled.

"Yeah... Sorry I couldn't help as much." She apologized. "But... Can... Can I ask you guys something?" She asked timidly, as if she were embarrassed to be asking.

"You've actually been extremely helpful." Jazz said as he smiled slightly. "Go for it." He said as Bumblebee carefully stood up.

She sighed and had a look on her face that held sadness and some worry. "Is the city safe?" She asked them.

"For now... yes." He said seriously and smiled reassuringly. Bumblebee nodded slowly and smiled a little. "Just promise me one thing." He said seriously. "Don't go near any of those men again." He muttered and they went to the door.

She bit her lip and stood up, running to the door. "Here, sorry." She apologized again and opened the door for the two officers. "I'm sorry for asking, but... I just... It's scary now that they've been doing all of this." She said in a shy voice, looking down to the ground, ashamed.

"Don't be afraid." He said as they walked out of the apartment. "That's why we're here ma'am." He said as he tipped his hat to her.

She gave the officer a smile with a chuckle after he tipped his hat. "Well... Thanks for your service." She said and nodded.

They grinned and Bumblebee gave her a number. "Seriously call us if you see them again and they bother you." He said and nodded before heading out.

Brooke sighed when they left to the elevator and closed her door, locking it. She didn't understand what the world was doing to her by letting members of the mafia bully her at work.

~~~~~

Sorry for the long wait, guys. Life is so crazy for both of us. XD