I gingerly stepped out of my car, and locked it behind me while scanning the parking lot at the diner. I really, really didn't want to be here. Not yet.

Logically, I knew I'd have to come back. I just, I just wanted some time to rebuild my defenses again. I had to meet my boss, and help him figure out where to go from here. We had to clean up and open. Even though I felt like I couldn't catch my breath. And my hands shook so hard I couldn't see me functioning properly at all. Regardless, I liked my job, so when the boss called, I was here. I actually got enough hours to pay both my rent and buy food. I just had to pull up my big girl panties and deal. I smiled as I heard familiar pipes as I unlocked the diner door and let myself in. One day, I'd get to ride a motorcycle. Freedom, fresh air. Just for a little while.

"Jacob, I'm here," I called out. I made my way through the tables, towards the kitchen.

"Back here, babe." I took a deep breath, and walked into the kitchen.

My eyes found Jacob. Dark circles were under his eyes, and his brown curls were wild today. A tiny gold stud peeked out of his messy curls. Stubble darkened his jaw and he actually looked more handsome than usual.

He winced as he got a good look at my face. "I'm sorry, babe. Something came up, and I couldn't make it last night. It shouldn't have happened, I shoulda been here. Shit never shoulda happened." He spoke quietly, running his hands through his hair.

"Jacob... you had no way of knowing Kay couldn't come in either. It couldn't be helped. You know, even if she had come in, she couldn't have stopped him, either." I murmured. I felt bad. I could see the guilt eating him up. Yes, he was responsible for the diner, but he wasn't the one who'd broken in, and beat the crap out of me.

Jacob's fists clenched by his side. "It could be helped. Won't happen again. I've got some friends coming. I'm cashin' in on a few favors. They're gonna wire the place. Make it safer. We'll have some panic buttons, cameras. Gonna hire some friends who won't skip out at the last minute, too." he ground out.

He turned towards the dining room at the sound of the door closing. "Should be them now. Gonna introduce you, then we'll get this mess cleaned up and ready to open this afternoon. Think you can handle a shift?" Jacob glanced back at me.

At the sounds of the heavy footsteps, I took a step back, moving a little behind Jacob. I'm really not super comfortable with people in general. Men even more so. I've always been hyper aware of the difference in strength and size between men and women. My size doesn't help. I'm 5 feet on a good hair day, and while I'm strong, I'm well aware that men are almost always stronger than me. I'd had a boyfriend in high school who'd only had a few inches and fifteen pounds on me. He'd had no problem putting me where he wanted, when he wanted. I flinched away from the rest of those memories, shutting them down quickly.

If I'd had a choice, working in a diner wouldn't have been my pick for a job. I'd learned over the years that people just stressed me out, and unfortunately working in a diner meant dealing with people. Lots of people. I'd rather hide behind my computer, but I couldn't make enough yet to pay my bills that way. I needed my job at the diner. Thankfully, Jacob knew I was an introvert and painfully shy. He worked my schedule out so I didn't always have to be around people. One more reason why I needed this job. Understanding bosses weren't thick on the ground.

"Bro, where are ya?" a deep voice rasped out. He was tall, probably an inch or two over six feet. Short dark brown hair stuck up at odd angles. I swallowed as I looked at him. He was lean, but with obvious muscle tone. He wasn't bulky, or overly large like some bodybuilders, but his muscle looked like it came from heavy, hard work. His black t-shirt stretched tight across his chest, while his dark blue jeans clung to surprisingly heavy thighs. He had a rough face, and looked like he wasn't a stranger to work outside. He didn't look like someone you'd want to piss off.

My heart started to pound in my chest as he glanced at me. I wanted to take a step back, but people get weird when they know you're uncomfortable. I made sure to look somewhere around his ear, instead of his face. I learned that trick long ago. It's not really obvious that you're avoiding eye contact.

"Yo, Jake, you back here?" a baritone voice called out. I jumped a little in surprise.

Another man walked in behind the first. Long, light brown hair was tied in a bun at the back of his head. He had tanned skin with wide, curious hazel eyes. Jeez, what I wouldn't have done for eyelashes like that. He was slightly taller than the first stranger, lean, but still muscled. The way he moved reminded me of those guys who rock climb. You could almost see the energy pour off of him.

At this point, I was starting to suffer from testosterone poisoning. My chest started to feel tight as I realized I was holding my breath.

Jacob glanced back at me and frowned.

I wasn't hiding. Not really.

My boss stepped to the side and put his hand on my lower back. I stiffened as he pushed me forward a little. "Feena, let me introduce you to some of my friends. The dark, grumpy one is Jackson, and the pretty boy is Lee. Jackson, Lee this is Feena."

Both men eyeballed my face. I bit my lip and winced as it stung. I'd forgotten my split lip. I had a good idea what they saw. Swelling and bruising on one side of my face. Split lip. A couple bruises on my neck. I hadn't thought I'd see anyone else, or I'd have tried to cover them up. Nobody wants to look like a victim.

"Hello, sweetheart." murmured Lee. I made myself look at him. "Hi" I croaked, and extended my hand. He carefully shook my hand and smiled. Holy crap. He's got dimples. I blinked to distract myself.

I turned to Jackson and offered my hand, "Nice to meet you, Jackson."

I watched as his lips tightened and eyes narrowed. I took my hand back quickly, not sure why he looked so ticked off. "Call me Jax. Nice to meet you too, Feena."

"All right. I guess the others will be here later. Let's get this done." Jacob turned to me. "Feena, can you straighten up the pantry while we work out the security and repairs?" I looked at Jacob as he spoke, my eyes widening. Others? You mean there were more?

"Breathe, Feena." Jacob murmured, coming to stand close in front of me.

I stepped back. "Of course. I'll go work on the pantry."

I walked as quickly as I could to the pantry, grateful for the chance to get away from them. I'm sure they were nice guys, I just didn't want to be around them right now. Too much stress, too soon. I looked around the room. I mostly needed to just put the boxes and cans back. Oh. And mop the floors. I grimaced as I looked at the blood smeared all over the floor. And the door was half hanging off the wall. That wasn't something I could fix though.

I knelt down to start gathering the cans, wincing at the sharp pain in my ribs. I might need to reconsider taking a shift today. I was more sore than I realized. I pulled out the step stool and made short work in putting everything away. Next, mopping.

I made my way back to the far corner of the pantry where cleaning supplies where kept. I grabbed the mop and bucket and wheeled it to the utility sink. I poured in the cleaner and added enough water. As I wheeled the bucket to the front of the pantry I noticed large black boots standing at the dried puddle of blood.

"Fuck," the dark stranger mumbled. I looked at one of the most beautiful men I'd ever seen. His dark mahogany skin gleamed even in the poor lighting of the pantry and his lean frame did nothing to hide his muscular form. His liquid, almond shaped eyes took in my face quickly.

I took a step back at the fury in his face. My heart stuttered as I tried not to panic. "Dammit, Dev, don't scare her." Jacob peered around the stranger. "Feena, this is Devraj. He's here to help out. I've known him since we were in high school. No worries, ok?"

I swallowed and glanced between the stranger and Jacob. He didn't look so angry now, and I trusted Jacob. "All right. Nice to meet you, Devraj." I licked my lips and stepped forward, holding my hand out. See. Big girl manners.

Devraj cleared his throat and shook my hand. "I didn't mean to scare you. You can call me Dev, ok sweetheart?" I glanced between Jacob's retreating back and Dev's handsome face. His dark hair was longer than most, curling just above his shoulders. A glint caught my eye as I notice a gold ring in his ear. I swallowed. "It's alright. I was just surprised. I didn't realize you were here."

He tilted his head as he continued to watch me, crossing his arms. "Is all this from you, or did you hit him back?"

Heat rushed into my face. "No, I think it's all me. It looks worse than it was though. I think I just smeared it everywhere when I tried to fight him." I sighed. "I tried to hit him with the fire extinguisher, but he just took it from me. Nothing I did worked."

"We'll work on self-defense when you're healed up." Dev replied, nodding. Um. No. I really didn't want to argue with him, but I had no intention of learning self-defense with these guys. I'd take care of it on my own, thank you very much.

"All right, sweetheart. Lee and I are gonna get set up to fix this door. We're gonna upgrade it. Get it reinforced for you. If you need it, you'll be able to barricade yourself in here and give you a safe place to wait for help."

I took a deep breath as I watched him walk away. New plan. Finish mopping, and get the heck out of dodge before more of them showed up.

I pulled the water heavy mop out of the bucket, wincing as I dragged it across the floor. Luckily, it wasn't a huge mess.

Ugh. I wrinkled my nose. I hated the harsh smell of the cleaner, but I was done. The pantry was clean again and I could probably leave. I breathed carefully, my ribs were beginning to be more than uncomfortable. I found Jacob in the dining room, pouring over notebooks and diagrams. "Jacob. I'm going to head out. I'm pretty tired; I don't see me taking a shift today. Is that all right with you?"

His dark brown eyes looked over my face, worry evident. "Sure, babe. Go home. Get some rest. I'll give you a call tomorrow morning and check on you. Make sure you answer your phone this time, yeah?"

"I will. Talk to you tomorrow." Escape was in sight.

I turned around and walked into a Viking.

"Mmph." I sucked in a breath and looked up. He was probably as tall as Lee, but with blonde hair. It was shaved on the sides and longer in the middle. Tattoos flowed up above the collar of his t-shirt and ran into the bottom of his beard. Bright blue eyes catalogued the bruises on my face and neck before checking out the rest of me.

"You've gotta watch where you're going, darlin'. I think we need to work on situational awareness along with self-defense."

I shivered as he grasped my upper arms to steady me. I took a step back and wrapped my arms around my middle. "Sorry. I didn't hear you come in."

The stranger's face broke into a huge grin, his white teeth distracting me for a second. "I got that, darlin'. I'm Bastian. Who might you be?"

"I'm Feena. It's nice to meet you. I'm sorry. I've really got to get going." My voice was soft, not quite a whisper. I'd had just about all I could take today.

I glanced around the room, all too aware of the men who had stopped everything and were watching. Jacob stood a few steps behind me, arms crossed. Lee tilted his head to the side, glancing between Bastian and me. Jax just watched me, expressionless. Dev stood, arms braced over blueprints spread out on a table, frowning at me.

"Bye ya'll." I whispered.

It took everything I had to not run out of the diner.

I glanced around the parking lot, keys in my hand. The three Harley's, along with an unfamiliar truck and an older black BMW caught my eye. Apparently some of Jacob's friend rode motorcycles, too. Despite what the guys thought, I was generally aware of my surroundings. I unlocked my car and slid into my car seat. I locked the doors with a click. My eyes slid closed, just for a second. Deep breath in, out. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Time to go home.

I made the short drive home on autopilot, navigating the streets with ease despite the heavy early afternoon traffic. I'd grown up here, and knew the area well. I pulled into my apartment complex and scanned the parking lot. Kids were playing at the small playground, but there wasn't anything suspicious. With a click I let myself out of the car and walked quickly to my apartment, pulling the door slightly toward me to get the lock to turn. The lock tended to stick and I'd learned quickly how to finesse it.

I opened my door and closed it quickly, flipping the locks shut. My need for security right now was intense, and for a minute I wished Jacob was here with me. I knew I was safe when he was around, despite the vague edginess I felt around him. His tendency to take charge was on par with his protectiveness. I'd lost count of how many times Jacob had discouraged late night diners from hitting on me, or smoothed things over with irate customers.

But he wasn't here, and I was on my own. Normally that was how I wanted it. I'd finally grown comfortable in my skin, happy with who I was. Last night was one more thing that I'd learn from, and I'd deal with the aftermath just how I'd dealt with everything else.

I laid my purse on the counter, and dropped onto the barstool closest to me. My shoulders sagged, fatigue pulling me down. Despite being completely exhausted, I knew if I didn't eat a decent lunch, I'd feel sick later. I took a deep breath and forced myself to throw a large salad together and added some leftover chicken for protein along with my homemade salad dressing.

I desperately wanted to take a nap, but my heart still pounded in my chest, and I could feel my pulse rushing through my legs. Sleep was far away.

A little yoga might help.