Fighting Blind Read Online Free Page B

changed in his demeanor, and I feel like he’s upset with me about something. I shake it off. Whatever it is, Theo never stays mad at me for long.
    After I drop off the J ägerbombs, I grab the overflowing trash bags from the kitchen area and take them out back. It’s my least favorite part of my job, but Sarah refuses to do it. She says the back alleyway freaks her out.
    The floodlight makes the shadows appear darker than they are, illuminating only a small square of the alley. A cat hisses somewhere nearby and a man shouts from an apartment above. The smell of rotting garbage makes my stomach turn. As quickly as I can, I hoist the bags into the green metal bin.
    “Mackenzie Brooks?” A deep voice growls from the shadows.
    My heart lurches to my throat and I twist around so quickly I’m sure I tear a couple muscles in my back.
    “What do you want?” I inch my way closer to the door.
    The man moves towards me, but the shadows still hide his face. He’s tall, well over six feet, and there are dark markings which I assume are tattoos covering his exposed forearms. He’s holding something large in his hand.
    “I’ve got a package for your stepfather.”
    Stefano. I should have known.
    “He’s not my stepfather.”
    The man grunts and throws a bag at my feet, causing me to jump back.
    “Give this to him.”
    “I’m not his mule.” I look down at the bag at my feet and curse under my breath. When I glance back at the shadows, the man is gone.
    Shit. Fuck. Damn.
    Want am I going to do? I can’t leave it here. Stefano would kill me. Or worse.
    I pick up the dirty, army-style backpack. It’s heavy. Really heavy.
    With my stomach in knots, I sneak through the kitchen and into the staff room, shoving the bag in my locker, and covering it with a sweatshirt.
    I exhale a slow, steadying breath.
    This is last time. I’m done. I can’t do it anymore.
    The rest of my shift I try to stay focused, but with the bag of God-knows-what in my locker, and Theo glowering at me from the bar, I’m a mess.
    “Why don’t you head home,” Sarah says, when I drop the ketchup bottle I was trying to refill. She helps me pick the broken pieces off the floor. “I can close up. Plus, I think you might want to take broody-eyes home. He looks ready to pass out at the bar, but he says he won’t leave without you.”
    I glance over at Theo who’s swaying on his stool, staring into his empty glass.
    “He doesn’t usually drink.”
    Sarah shrugs. “Go home. I’ll deal with this.”
    “Thanks.”
    I sign out, tally up my cash, then go to the back to grab my sweater and purse. The backpack is there waiting for me. I place my forehead on the cool metal of the locker and close my eyes.
    “You okay?” Theo’s slurred voice floats through the room.
    I turn around. “You’re not allowed back here.”
    “Sarah said you’re ready to go.” His words run together almost incoherently.
    “I am.” I grab the bag and close my locker, praying Theo doesn’t ask me about it. He has no idea what Stefano has been asking me to do. And I plan on keeping it that way. I’m pretty sure Theo would kick the shit out of him if he ever found out.
    There’s a small line of cabs lined up outside of Charlie’s. Theo opens the door of the first one and I hop in, placing the bag on the floor beside my feet.
    “Ten-fifty Third Street,” Theo says, shutting the door behind him.
    “I was hoping you could drop me off at home.” I glance nervously at the bag, then out the window. The thought of holding onto the bag any longer than I have to sends a shiver down my spine.
    “You’re not coming over?” He frowns, leaning his lead against the back of the seat, rubbing his temples. His fingers curl around mine on the seat and my heart flutters in my chest. I look at him, but he still has his eyes closed. “I thought we could watch a movie or something.”
    Or something? There’s something different in his voice when he says those two words. And was Theo