CHAPTER ONE

Evelina's POV

I sat beside my mother's bed, staring at the IV line attached to her arm. She looked smaller than she used to. She looked weak, and I hated whatever cruel force in the universe thought it was funny to keep taking people away from me.

First Dad, now Mum.

"You're too hard on yourself, baby." Mum's voice was weak, but her smile remained gentle.

My throat tightened. "You don't get to tell me that."

Her smile faltered. I quickly looked away before she could see the tears gathering in my eyes.

"I won't let Death take you too..." I whispered. "Just like it took Dad."

Silence settled between us. Then Mum sighed softly. "You're so stubborn."

I snorted. "Runs in the family."

She chuckled, "I appreciate everything you do for me, my little Eve."

The smile on my face faded. "Then stop talking like you're writing a goodbye letter."

"It just breaks my heart," she said quietly, "seeing you work yourself to exhaustion because of me."

I rolled my eyes. "No need to get emotional, Mum."

"Emotional?"

"Whatever... I have to go. I'm running late already for my shift." I stood from the chair and leaned in to kiss her forehead. Her fingers wrapped around mine. For a second, neither of us spoke.

"I don't like that place, Eve." She said.

I sighed, "I love you, Mum."

Her eyes softened. "I love you too, my dear child."

Then, I forced myself to leave.

I hopped on my motorcycle and rode fast because I was late for twenty freaking minutes. I hurried through the back entrance of Sin & Silk, nearly colliding with a waitress carrying a tray of drinks.

The moment I stepped behind the bar, Dennis looked up. His expression immediately turned smug.

"You're late."

I grabbed an apron. "There was traffic."

Dennis stared at me. "Are you serious right now? Traffic, on a bike."

I rolled my eyes. "Motorcycle. And yes, terrible traffic." I moved before he could say anything else.

The club was already packed. Music blasted through hidden speakers. Colored lights danced across the walls. Half the men inside were staring at the strippers on stage like they'd never seen a woman before. Others were having fun with half-naked women. The rest were desperate women looking for one night stands.

I grabbed a tray and got to work. A few minutes later, I was standing beside a table occupied by four rough looking men with bad attitudes. They looked like they'd escaped from prison together.

I placed their drinks down with a simple, "Enjoy." Then I turned to leave.

A hand suddenly grabbed my wrist. I looked down slowly... then up. The man's grin immediately irritated me.

"Hey, sweet thing," he said. "We're not done ordering."

I pulled my hand free. "You could have gotten my attention without making a fool of yourself."

His smile vanished. "How dare you-"

I was already walking away. Honestly, I had bills to pay. Entertaining idiots wasn't on today's schedule.

Behind me, I heard muttered curses. Good, I had a few of my own.

For the next twenty minutes, I worked nonstop, taking orders and serving drinks. Unfortunately, every time I looked up, those four idiots were still staring at me. I ignored them. I was carrying another tray when the club doors opened. For some reason, I glanced up. And froze.

A man had just entered. He was tall and really attractive, but there was something unsettling about him. He had the kind of face that made people forget any other thing or person existed.

His gaze swept across the room. Those green intense eyes landed on me. For a second, my heart stumbled against my ribs. Those eyes lingered on me a little too long. Suddenly, I was aware of how I looked in my work clothes. Probably the strands of hair... what the hell?? Focus Evelina. He's just another customer. Stop being weird.

I adjusted my tray and continued walking. Unfortunately, the universe had other plans. A rough hand suddenly grabbed my ass. The tray nearly slipped from my fingers.

For one second, the entire club went silent in my head. Then I couldn't contain the rage. I spun around, and gave the man a well deserving hard slap. The sound echoed.

"What the HELL is wrong with you?!"

The men were silent for a moment, then they stood up. Uh-oh...

The one I slapped, I guess their leader, touched his reddened cheek. His expression twisted with rage. "Bitch!"

A dangerous smile crossed my face. "The feeling is mutual."

He lunged at me. I grabbed the nearest bottle and smashed it across his shoulder. He crashed into a table. People around were beginning to scream. The second man came at me. I drove my knee upward toward his groin and he went down, his scream nearly drowned out the music.

The third and fourth men looked ready to jump in... until the bouncers arrived. Finally, the idiots were dragged away. Unfortunately, so was I. Straight into Victor Hayes' office.

----

"They assaulted me."

"Yea… yea…" He replied lazily.

I blinked. "Then why am I the one getting punished?"

Victor rubbed his forehead. "Because this club runs on money, Mercer."

I stared at him. Surely he wasn't serious. "They groped me and attacked me."

"They what now?"

The pretentious bastard! I pointed at him and yelled. "Are you being serious right now?! Did you fall as a baby and lose the part of your brain responsible for understanding basic human behavior?"

His eye twitched. "You're suspended for two weeks."

"What?" My stomach dropped.

Victor pointed towards the door. "Two weeks without pay. Now get out!"

Two weeks... without pay. The words slammed into me harder than any punch. I thought about the weight of responsibilities pressing on my shoulders. Mum's next dialysis treatment was due in seven days. Everything flashed through my mind.

I clenched my fists so tightly my nails dug into my palms. If I didn't desperately need this job, I would have told Victor exactly where he could shove his suspension. Instead, I stormed out.

----

The moment I reached the parking lot, my anger finally broke. I collapsed onto my motorcycle... Dad's motorcycle, the only thing he left behind. The tears came before I could stop them. I lowered my head against the handlebars.

"It's too much, Dad." My voice cracked. "What do I do?..." I whispered.

The parking lot was empty. No one could hear me. After a moment, I wiped my eyes aggressively.

Enough... Crying wasn't going to solve anything anyway. I climbed onto the motorcycle and started the engine. Then I looked up and froze.

Across the street, beneath a flickering streetlight, stood the mysterious man. Just watching me. Those impossible green eyes locked onto mine.

A chill ran down my spine. I blinked, and he was gone. I stared at the empty space. "What the hell?" I put on my helmet. "What a creep.”