Chapter 1

Kay repeated the question; the guy either had not heard her or was just being a jerk….

Chad’s mind was racing as he stared at Kay. She hadn’t figured out who he was or she wouldn’t be so unguarded. What was she doing here, or all places? The last he had heard, Kay Bennett was long gone from Harmony, supposedly half way across the country. He had heard all the rumors about Kay selling her sold and sending Charity to hell, but he had also been there, not by choice, when her mother had thrown her out. He had never seen anyone look so desperate, and so scared. Especially someone who wasn’t supposed to have a soul.

“Um, Excuse me?”

“Huh, Oh, sorry.”

“Did you want something to drink?”

“Yeah, a bottle of whatever you have.”

“Coming right up.”

Chad was further distracted from his musing by watching Kay walk away. He doubted that any of the Bennett males would appreciate the particular kind of male attention that she seemed to be attracting. That short little skirt didn’t help matters any.

What was he thinking, especially about some girl messed up in things that made his life seem tame in comparison? He wasn’t here to have thoughts about how long Kay Bennett’s legs were, but what was she doing here anyway. That was a question that would take his mind off his own problems for awhile.
 

Kay walked away from the booth, but she could still feel his eyes on her. After two months of working here, she could almost ignore the leers. But his was different. Unsettling even. Other men would look at her with a kind of hunger that made her nervous, but his gaze was speculative, as if he was trying to look inside her soul. Kay shuddered at that, at least she had hers back. He was probably just some freak, just trying to freak her out. It was working too; she didn’t like not knowing what too expect from him.

“Earth to Kate.”

“Yeah Richie?”

“You ok?”

“Yeah, just thinking.”

“Well save it for later, you’ve got a job to do.”

“Sorry…”

“Good girl. Here’s the beer for the guy in the corner booth. Check on the tables by the door, would ya?’

“Got it.”

“Here you go. If you need anything else, let me know.” Kay smiled but her feelings of unease increased as the man replied.

“Thanks, I think I’ll be here for awhile.” Kay’s pulse increased as she took in the deep timbre of his voice. She had heard that voice before. Her eyes connected with pools of dark chocolate and she bolted.

“Sure,”

“Hey Bobby, look who came to check on us. It’s sugarplum.” Kay rolled her eyes at Mike’s introduction. He was a boor, but compared to the other jerks in the place he was considered harmless. Bobby on the other hand wasn’t. He had never suggested anything to her, but she didn’t like the way his eyes seemed to undress her. She always felt dirty after waiting on him.

“Well Mike it seems your right. I always enjoy dreaming of sugarplums at night.” The rest of the table exploded into laughter and Kay tried her best not to show her disgust. She had to remember how badly she needed this job. Bobby had been watching her and gave her a smile that was more snake charmer than anything.
 

“Sorry boys, but that job has already been filled.” The men groaned in disappointment as Kay played along. Maybe she had imagined the predatory glint in Bobbie’s eye. “So do any of you need anything else?” Kay forgot about Bobby as she focused on their orders.
 

Before Chad knew it, the bartender had called out the fifteen-minute warning before he threw everyone out. He had spent the evening brooding over a couple of beers. He had kept himself entertained by watching Kay and guessing what led her here. In his mind it was better then wondering if Eve would every stand up to T.C. and claim her rights as a mother. Kay had seemed nervous around him all night. He didn’t think she knew who he was, but he was sure that something had triggered those warning bells. But the one thing he did know was that he had to talk to her. He knew that though Grace was still calling Kay Satan’s Spawn, Sam and the rest of the Bennett’s were just worried about her. He wanted to be able to tell them that she was all right. He had to repay them somehow. He had decided that the best way to approach her would be where she lived. He already knew that the beefy bartender would have no trouble kicking him out if he thought that he was harassing Kay. But if he approached at her home, he would be less likely to wind up bleeding on the ground. Now he just had to follow her.
 

Kay sent up a silent prayer when the last straggler had left. She ripped off her apron and blew a kiss to Richie. She could have just used the stairs inside the building to get to her room, but she wanted some fresh air. Kay stepped out the back door and leaned against the wall as she took in the night sky. The stars were brilliant in the dark August night air. It took a few moments but as she came back to awareness, she realized she was not alone. She looked up frantically to see who it was but ice blue eyes caught her.

“Hey sugarplum, I thought you might want to play tonight.”

“Bobby.” Kay managed to squeak out. Years as a cop’s daughter were flooding black as she tried to find anything in her path as she could use as a weapon.

“Yeah baby, but I thought that sugarplum wasn’t as personal as tonight’s going to be. So Kate, lets go inside.” Kay didn’t like the way that he was coming towards her. She was straining her ears to hear if Richie was still inside cleaning up.

Suddenly he was right in front of her. His breath reaked of the whiskey he had been drinking all night. When she tried to move she was pushed roughly up against wall and her arms were heldly tightly in one of his. That’s when Kay began to scream.