“Table for three?”

“Yes, please.”

“Okay, please follow me.” Hailey, our waitress, leads Ross, Hagen and me over to our table which is in a nice, cozy corner to the left and beside a large window. The light coming through the blinds warms the left side of my body. The other half is left freezing in the low temperature of this room. After the three of us are seated, we are handed the menus.

Ross and I thank our waitress, but Hagen is obviously more interested in other things than being polite. It appears he’s making no effort to be discreet as he looks Hailey over.

Hailey is completely oblivious to this as she takes Ross’s order, which consists of two biscuits, sausages and two over easy eggs – the Classic Breakfast. Then she moves on to me.

“Um…” I say slowly. “Uh…” I scan down the list of breakfast items, not sure which I’d like. I haven’t gotten a chance to really look at my choices because I’ve been too busy trying to get Hagen’s attention. He, of course, ignored me and continued to stare at our waitress. “I actually haven’t decided yet.”

“Okay, take your time. Would you like me to take your order when I come back with your drinks?”

“That would be perfect. Thanks.”

“What would you like to drink?”

“Just water, please,” I answer. “Oh, and a slice of lemon, please.”

“Alright!” Turning to Hagen with a raised brow, Hailey asks, “And for you?”

“I’ll take a three-egg omelet with a side of you,” he answers, moving his eyebrows up and down suggestively. The way he says this makes it seem as if this is something he says all the time – a line he uses on nearly every girl he meets. “I like a girl that serves.”

Rolling her eyes, Hailey says, “Dream on,” without even a hint of a blush.

“I’m sure you get that often, though,” Hagen says. “I don’t have a paper, but I’ve got a pen. If you give me your hand, I’ll give you my number.”

“Unless they’re the winning lottery numbers, no thank you.”

Hagen shrugs. “Your loss. I’ll take a three-egg omelet, please, and for a drink… um… lemonade.”

After writing down Hagen’s order on the form, our waitress looks up from it and smiles down at us. Or rather, at Ross and me. I wouldn’t blame her if she’s choosing to ignore Hagen. “Alright, I’ll be back with your orders soon!”

“Hagen,” Ross says suddenly, the name rolling off his tongue as if it’s poisonous to say, “don’t get the wrong idea and think that I trust you, but I need to leave you two here for just a moment. I’m running to the bathroom.”

“Alright, don’t worry about your food,” Hagen replies, a sad expression on his face as if Ross’s words cut him deeply. The fact that he’s being overly dramatic is made quite obvious, though, when his hand flies to his chest. “I’m not gonna eat it or something.”

Ross looks right into my eyes with concern clearly in his own as he speaks to Hagen. “It’s not my food I’m worried about.”

Hagen brings his hand from over his heart and rests it on the table. “Ouch, okay, I get the hint.”

“Ross, I’ll be fine,” I say firmly. He can’t even go to the bathroom without worrying about me!

“Trust me, she’ll be fine,” Hagen says with a smirk. “She’ll be in my care.”

“That’s my concern,” Ross says hesitantly. He stands there for a moment, as if debating with himself whether or not he should go. He looks to the bathroom, and then at me. He mouths, “Yell if you need me. I’ll be quick.” I smile and assure him that I’ll be fine. With that, he walks slowly toward the restrooms, looking back once or twice.

Just as soon as Ross rounds the corner and disappears from view, Hagen turns around as if checking to see if Ross is still there. Satisfied, he turns back to me, then shakes his head as he rolls his eyes. A hint of amusement brightens them. “Amelia, I have to talk to you about something very serious,” he says, the corners of his mouth lowering. His mouth forms a thin line.

 “Yeah?”

“I’m not really sure how to say this, so I’m just going to come out with it…” Hagen’s seemingly minute-long hesitation makes me nervous. He leans closer to me, discreetly looks around, and then opens his mouth. I’m completely unprepared for his words, and don’t know what to answer. “I can help you find your father.”

“You… what?”

“Here are your drinks,” Hailey says, placing my water and the slice of lemon that rests on a small saucer on the table in front of me. “And for you…” she adds, giving Hagen his lemonade. This time, Hagen seems completely uninterested in our waitress. He instead keeps his eyes locked onto mine. I still haven’t had the time to fully grasp his statement. I’m unable to even utter a simple ‘thanks’ to Hailey. Knowing Hagen for the short time I have, I hardly expect him to either, and I am right. He doesn’t.

To my surprise, Hailey asks, “Is everything okay?” as she eyes us curiously. She puts Ross’s drink on the table and gives it one gentle push, causing it to slide over to his side. I half expect it to fall or spill, but it doesn’t. Not one drop of water comes out of the cup as it slides on its own across the table. She must have done that before. She seemed so confident. “Is he bothering you?” she asks.

“Um, ‘he’ is right here.”

Hailey ignores Hagen’s comment, and remains focused on me.

“No, I’m fine,” I say, finally finding my voice. I look up and into her eyes, hoping to assure her of my words.

Hailey doesn’t seem completely convinced, but doesn’t question me any further. “Okay, alright. Now, what can I get you?”

 “Am I able to order breakfast for lunch?” I reply, scanning the menu. Everything looks so good that I wish I could get one of each thing on the menu! “If so, I’ll take the Belgian Waffles, please.”

Our waitress smiles and nods in a way that tells me she understands. “Yes, you may. I’ll be right back with it!”

“Okay, thank you.”

“No problem.”

I wait until Hailey is supposedly out of earshot before leaning forward, my arms crossed on the table as I get ready to speak. After looking to the bathrooms, I say, “What do you mean, Hagen?”

“Like I was saying, I can help you find and rescue your father. I know people who can track down anyone in the world, and I can get in contact with them whenever I want. Trust me, the Mafia isn’t a friendly bunch, and soon they won’t need your father anymore, if my hunch is correct. If you want to see him again, we’ll have to act soon. Are you in?”

“Well, of course I want him rescued…”

“Listen, Mia, Ross doesn’t know what he’s talking about. You’re a woman now, not a little girl. Ross shouldn’t treat you like one. Besides, your father needs you to say yes to my offer.” Hagen turns his head again to check the coast, and we find that this time Ross is now coming back to our table. For now, Hagen’s last words to me regarding rescuing my father are, “Think about it.”

“Sorry it took me so long,” Ross says as he sits down. “They ran out of a certain essential something.” Hagen and I look at each other, and I can almost hear his words as they run through my mind. How could I say no to him? If I were to do that, my father could be killed, and it would be my fault.

“Here you go,” says Hailey as she places my plate of Belgian Waffles in front of me. I feel my mouth watering at the sight and smell of them.

We all enjoy our food, but we eat in uncomfortable silence. Or, at least I do. Hagen glances up at me occasionally, no doubt wondering if my mind has been made. It has, but so many questions have been birthed in my mind, such as how in the world are we going to get past Ross to get to my father? Hagen had better have a plan, and a good one at that.

Later, in the RV, I find that as a result of eating all the sugar in the pancakes, I have become sleepy. This is another reason I hate sugar, but my tongue has been craving sweets ever since I tasted the Reese’s ice cream at Hershey Park. It’s all Ross’s fault!

“Hey, Amelia,” Hagen, who stands in the doorway of the living room says. He’s still wearing an outfit identical to the one Ross wore when I first met him, which consists of a khaki suit jacket and matching dress pants. Between the lapels is a dark blue tie with white dot designs scattered all over it, unlike Ross’s, which was maroon without any extra designs. “Have you made your decision yet?”

I purse my lips, hesitating, though I already have an answer for him. It’s not as if I could go wrong by rescuing my father, so why is something inside telling me to be careful? I turn around and walk over to him, squashing the voice that feeds my mind with doubts and fears. I have to be brave for my father; this is no time for chickening out.

“You’re not sure, are you?” he asks, his eyes visibly sweeping over my face as he no doubt reads my expression with ease. “You’re very expressive, you know.”

I nod. “I’m very sure, and yeah, I know. I’ve been told.”

A small smile comes to Hagen’s face, and it shows in his green eyes. “Your father will be proud of you for your bravery.”

“Bravery regarding what?”

“Oh, Romero, we–” Hagen begins, but Ross cuts him off.

Firmly, he interjects, “It’s Ross.” Judging by the body language the two men use, their relationship with each other goes further back than I originally imagined. The stares they’re exchanging are filled with contempt, and the way they hold their shoulders – high and rolled back – further explains the way they’re feeling. While Ross’s demeanor doesn’t change, his partner’s appears a little more relaxed now. Ross says, “I need to speak with Amelia alone, please, Hagen.”

“Yeah, like you didn’t just interrupt our conversation.” Hagen rolls his eyes, heads for the door, but then stops in the entryway and turns around. “But sure, whatever. Just… whatever you do, don’t ruin her innocence. It’s cute.”

“I’m the one with a reason for concern, Hagen. God knows what runs through your mind.” Ross gestures with a hand for him to leave the room.

A dry laugh escapes Hagen’s mouth as he shakes his head. “Oh, that’s right,” he says in a low voice, dragging out the vowels. Without turning to face us, he looks almost out of the corner of his eye as he says the next few words. “My bad. If you two are already so comfortable sliming all over each other in public, who knows what else…” Ross and I exchange glances, and when we look back at Hagen, he simply shrugs, then exits the room.

 “I trust him about as much as I’d trust a madman holding an axe with my children,” Ross says. “The wise thing for me to do is to call Lance and discuss my thoughts with him. Hopefully he’d send in a different deputy. But after the mishap, I’m not sure if he cares so much about what I have to say. But anyway, Amelia…” As he turns his body toward me, a slight grimace crosses his face.

Ross takes a few slow steps in my direction. I can tell that whatever it is he’s about to say, he feels uncomfortable saying it. It’s made obvious by the fact that he can’t seem to make permanent eye contact with me. “I just wanted to apologize for breaking your phone. I know that nothing can replace the memories in those photographs, and… I’m sorry. I must be honest, though, and say that I don’t regret my choice. I could never. Your safety is what matters most to me. Not only because it’s my job, but also because I care about you.”

I smile inside at the sight of the truth in his beautiful light brown eyes. What they tell me matches up with his words. “Ross, I understand. It’s all right.” He’s now standing a mere foot away from me. Our closeness causes a flip-flop sensation in my stomach, and my breathing pattern immediately changes.

“Mia, I’m also sorry for what happened yesterday.”

I raise a brow, not quite sure what he means. “That wasn’t your fault. It was mine completely.”

“No, you know… I mean… Well, for kissing you without your prior consent. I only did it so I could hide you from the group that was coming toward us.”

I have to wonder, was that really the only reason? The passion with which he kissed me made it feel like more than just that. Who does he think he’s fooling?

Two words slip out of my mouth that I hope I won’t regret. “Kiss me.”

Ross glances toward the door to the cab as he runs a hand through his hair, making it clear that I’ve made him uncomfortable. “Amelia, I can’t...” What was I expecting?

Sighing, I look down. “Can’t, or don’t want to?”

“This is silly. We should be go–”

Grabbing a fistful of his white cotton shirt in my hand, I pull him closer to me and find that I have to lift my chin higher to look into his eyes. My action cuts him off, but his mouth remains slightly open, showing his surprise. Without saying another word, I cup his face in my hands, stand on tiptoes and press my lips to his. But he doesn’t respond, causing me to immediately regret kissing him. I step back and study his face. Surely I’ll find something there… something that will tell me he felt even the slightest bit of pleasure. But no… I find nothing except an angry and somewhat frustrated expression. The look on his face is warning enough.

“Don’t ever do that again,” is all Ross says to me before his long, purposeful strides take him out of the room.