Chapter 2 - The Cheeseburger
At exactly seven the following evening, Leo Caruso entered the Riverlight Diner alone.
At least he appeared alone.
Clara spotted two men sitting inside a parked sedan across the street.
“You brought backup for a cheeseburger?”
Leo slid into booth twelve.
“I’m unpopular.”
“That sounds like a personality problem.”
“It may be.”
Clara placed a menu in front of him.
He pushed it aside.
“Bacon. Cheddar. No onions.”
She stopped.
“You remembered.”
“I remember debts.”
“That sentence somehow makes a cheeseburger threatening.”
Leo almost smiled.
Clara poured coffee.
“You drink coffee this late?”
“I don’t sleep much.”
“Again, personality problem.”
“Do you insult every customer?”
“Only good tippers.”
He placed a twenty-dollar bill beneath the coffee cup.
Clara immediately pulled it out.
“Coffee is three dollars.”
“Keep it.”
“Seventeen-dollar tip?”
“Yes.”
“No.”
She replaced it with three singles from her apron and handed him the rest.
Leo stared at the bills.
“You’re exhausting.”
“I hear that a lot.”
The diner door opened.
Graham Pike entered.
Clara’s smile disappeared.
Leo noticed.
Graham noticed Leo.
His face went white.
He turned around.
“Graham.”
Leo did not raise his voice.
Graham stopped.
Every customer kept eating.
Nobody else understood that the temperature inside the diner had just changed.
Graham approached slowly.
“Mr. Caruso.”
“Sit.”
“I don’t want to interrupt.”
“Sit.”
Graham sat.
Clara folded her arms.
“What are you doing?”
Leo looked at her.
“Ordering dinner.”
“You invited him?”
“No.”
Graham stared at the table.
Leo asked, “How much does Clara owe you?”
“That’s private.”
“Not anymore.”
Clara interrupted.
“Actually, it is.”
Leo looked at her.
“This man is charging you illegal interest.”
“That’s my problem.”
“He threatened your brother.”
Graham’s head snapped up.
“I never threatened—”
Leo looked at him.
Graham stopped speaking.
Clara’s anger rose.
“You followed me?”
“No.”
“Then how do you know?”
“I asked about Pike.”
“I told you not to turn this into some debt.”
“You told me not to give you money.”
“Same principle.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
Their eyes locked.
Graham looked between them as if he desperately wanted to disappear.
Leo finally leaned back.
“Fine.”
Clara blinked.
“Fine?”
“Handle it yourself.”
She had expected resistance.
That unsettled her more.
Leo looked at Graham.
“You heard her.”
Graham nodded quickly.
Then Leo added:
“But the number must be legal.”
Graham swallowed.
“Of course.”
“Recalculate.”
Clara stared at Leo.
“That’s still interfering.”
“I’m good at compromise.”
“You’re terrible at compromise.”
“Possibly.”
Graham left without ordering.
Clara watched him go.
Then looked at Leo.
“Why is he afraid of you?”
Leo considered lying.
He decided not to.
“My family controls businesses Graham prefers not to upset.”
“What businesses?”
“Some legitimate.”
“And the others?”
Leo drank his coffee.
“You’re direct.”
“I’m busy.”
He looked toward the kitchen.
“Where’s my cheeseburger?”
Clara narrowed her eyes.
“Answer.”
“No.”
“Then no cheeseburger.”
Leo actually laughed.
The diner became quiet.
Several regular customers looked over.
Apparently Leo Caruso laughing was unusual.
He lowered his voice.
“You don’t want answers to certain questions.”
“That’s convenient.”
“It’s honest.”
“Are you a criminal?”
“Yes.”
No hesitation.
Clara froze.
Leo continued.
“I’ve done things you would dislike.”
“Dislike?”
“That was intentionally vague.”
“Are you dangerous?”
“Yes.”
“To me?”
Something changed in his eyes.
“No.”
The answer came too quickly.
Clara felt it.
Leo did too.
Before either could speak, the kitchen bell rang.
“Order up!”
Clara collected his plate.
She placed the burger down.
“There.”
Leo looked at it.
“Debt settled?”
“After you eat it.”
He took one bite.
Chewed.
“Good.”
“It’s a diner burger, not diplomacy.”
“I’ve had worse diplomacy.”
Clara walked away.
For the next twenty minutes, Leo ate quietly.
He watched her work.
Not like a man studying a woman.
Like someone studying a mystery.
She remembered regular customers’ orders.
Gave an elderly man extra crackers without charging him.
Quietly slipped a free slice of pie to a homeless veteran near closing.
Argued with the manager when he wanted to throw the man out.
Leo understood something.
Clara had not saved him because he was special.
She had saved him because she was Clara.
That somehow made the debt feel larger.
When the diner emptied, Leo stood.
“Thank you.”
“For?”
“The burger.”
“You paid.”
“For the blood.”
“We settled that.”
“No.”
Clara sighed.
“You really struggle with this.”
“Yes.”
She wiped the counter.
Leo reached into his coat.
She immediately pointed at him.
“If that envelope appears, I’m calling the police.”
He stopped.
Then slowly removed something else.
A business card.
No company.
Only a phone number.
“Keep this.”
“Why?”
“If you need help.”
“I won’t.”
“Keep it anyway.”
She looked at the card.
Then took it.
“Fine.”
Leo turned toward the door.
Clara said:
“Someone photographed my apartment last night.”
He stopped.
Every trace of humor vanished.
“What?”
“A man across the street.”
“Describe him.”
“Average height. Gray jacket. Baseball cap.”
“Face?”
“Couldn’t see.”
“When?”
“After you left.”
Leo was already reaching for his phone.
Clara stepped forward.
“Wait.”
He looked at her.
“What does that mean?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“You know something.”
“I know someone tried to kill me.”
Clara’s stomach tightened.
“And now someone is watching you.”
“Because I donated blood?”
“Possibly.”
“That makes no sense.”
“It might to the person who shot me.”
Leo called Frank.
His voice changed.
The warmth disappeared.
“Get men to Clara’s building.”
Clara grabbed his wrist.
“No.”
Leo looked down at her hand.
She released him.
“I don’t want armed strangers outside my home.”
“They won’t be visible.”
“That is somehow worse.”
“Clara.”
“My brother lives there.”
“Exactly.”
She stared at him.
“What have you dragged us into?”
Pain crossed his face.
Not physical.
“I didn’t ask you to save me.”
“No.”
“But you did.”
He stepped closer.
“And if that put you in danger, then whether you like it or not, I’m responsible.”
Clara wanted to argue.
Then her phone rang.
Evan.
She answered.
“Hey.”
His voice was strange.
“Clara?”
“What’s wrong?”
“There’s someone outside.”
Her blood froze.
“Where?”
“The apartment.”
Leo was already moving toward the door.
“What are they doing?”
“Knocking.”
“Do not open it.”
“I didn’t.”
A loud crash came through the phone.
Evan gasped.
“Clara—”
The call ended.
She went white.
Leo caught her before she dropped the phone.
“My brother.”
“I know.”
They ran.
The black sedan was moving before Clara had fully closed the door.
For the first time, she did not complain about the men in the front seat.
“Faster.”
Leo looked at Frank.
“Faster.”
They reached her building in six minutes.
The apartment door was broken.
Clara ran inside.
“Evan!”
No answer.
Living room empty.
Kitchen empty.
“Evan!”
Then she heard breathing from the bathroom.
She opened the door.
Evan sat inside the bathtub holding a baseball bat.
His face was white.
Clara dropped beside him.
“Oh my God.”
He grabbed her.
“I’m okay.”
She held him tightly.
Leo remained in the hallway.
He looked around.
Nothing stolen.
Nothing obviously disturbed.
Then Frank called from the kitchen.
“Leo.”
On the table lay a white envelope.
Inside was the donor card Clara had kept in her wallet.
She stared.
“I had that.”
Leo looked at her purse.
The zipper was open.
Someone had taken it.
Returned it.
With one sentence written across the back.
WE KNOW WHOSE BLOOD IS INSIDE HIM.
Leo’s face became terrifyingly still.
Clara read it twice.
Then looked at him.
“What does that mean?”
Leo did not answer immediately.
Because for the first time since waking in the hospital, he understood Vincent Rourke’s strategy.
Rourke had failed to kill Leo.
May you like
Now he had found the woman who saved him.
And he intended to make Leo pay for surviving.
