Table 24 ~ Levi Jones

14

The restaurant had been busy this week so I was working overtime, despite only technically being employed for the weekends. The school holidays seemed like a feasible excuse for every family in town to enjoy an Italian together for some reason.

have a good day, love you x

A text from Levi. A few words that held a lot of meaning.

You too xx

I replied.

I'd spoken to him outside after he hung up the phone and he explained to me what was going on. Even if we weren't in the best of situations to say the least, it meant a lot that he was willing to tell me everything as oppose to trying to act protective, like I can't handle things myself.

The basics were as he'd thought; the gang he was involved in before had been following him to keep an eye on his whereabouts, which is where I came in. Although I'd thought nothing of it at the time, thinking back now I remembered seeing people loitering outside the restaurant on occasion.

After all, it wasn't hard to keep track of someone with a strict routine like Levi's Saturdays at Corini's.

Levi was planning on dedicating this week to tying up loose ends and severing connections with the dealers once and for all but as he'd explained, once he was in, it was very hard for him to get back out.

Honestly, the thought terrified me. Not even because I was somehow in some sort of danger, but because if I knew Levi as well as I thought I did, he wouldn't just be trying to cut off his connections with them, he'd try and cut off the ones they had on me too...

Shaking the thought, I slipped my phone into my pocket and cleared a few tables before turning to go grab a dustpan and brush from outside the back of the restaurant. I jumped when I heard a bottle of some sort scuttle across the floor but put it down to one of the cats that often hung about round there.

I closed the door gave the chefs as smile as I passed them, it was just Drew and a new girl today. We hadn't been properly introduced yet so I didn't know her name but she was pretty and short with brown curly hair, a family friend of Austin's I think. Either way, the smile was to make a good impression.

I finally reached the restaurant floor and began to clean up the mass of food a consistent flow of of children had left behind whilst my thoughts kept wandering to Levi.

Today was a Wednesday which meant I hadn't seen him for a good four days and it worried me. Yes, I got updates via text as we'd agreed it wasn't good to meet in person until this was all sorted out but anything could be happening and I would have no idea.

I took a deep breath and made a conscious effort to exhale slowly, I could call him tonight and check that everything was okay. Is that what love is? Wanting to be assured of someone's safety every minute. Or is that just what comes with dating and ex drug dealer?

"Wanna come clear starter plates from table 16 with me?" Rosie appeared from nowhere "and while you're at it you can smile can't you? Levi is okay, you're okay. Okay?"

"Okay" I joked, rolling my eyes and placing in the dustpan and brush out of the way for a minute. Rosie winked and led the way

"Have you all finished your starters?" She chirped, and with a smile on her face she responded to the murmurs and started clearing plates, I followed suit "brilliant, I'll tell the chefs you're ready for your mains!"

Between us, we managed to clear the mass of starter plates and bread baskets that had been covering the table and returned them to the kitchen. We heard the bell ding from behind us and turned to see Drew present a bowl of chips, presumably for us to pick at seeing as there were no plates to be taken out.

"Grubs up" Rosie joked, springing to the counter and claiming the bowl whilst Drew introduced her to the new girl

"Amber, come meet Megan" Drew said as I put the starter plates down "the restaurant is quiet at the moment"

"Will do, one second" I smiled again and darted out to grab the dustpan and brush I'd left on the floor. On route, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and seeing as there were only enough customers to fill one half of the restaurant, I moved to the other to check my texts. Three from Levi.

amber i think you should leave the restaurant i have a bad feeling about something x

i've been keeping track of them like they have me and i've lost a couple of them, please just stay safe i don't think you should stay at work right now

text me

My heart rate tripled, what did he mean he'd lost them? Who is them? That doesn't mean they're here and where was Levi, I was still worried about what he was getting into.

The only certain thing about the situation was that I trusted Levi and if leaving is what he thought was best, that's what I would have to do.

okay i'm going home now

I locked my phone and scurried to the back of the restaurant, already starting to feel a bit nauseous.

"Hi Megan" I said when I got back to the counter "it's really nice to meet you and I hope your first day is going well but I'm going to have to borrow Rosie for a minute if that's alright"

"It's nice to meet you too" she laughed "and it's going pretty well actually, go talk to Rosie!" I like her.

I nodded a thank you and Rosie set down the bowl which was now nearly empty and hopped down from an adjacent table she'd been perched on. She followed me to the back, I swung open the doors and placed the dustpan and brush back where they belonged before dragging my phone out and showing her the texts.

"Can you cover for me?" I asked, my eyes trying to detect a single emotion on Rosie's face that wasn't shock. I bit anxiously at my nails.

It took a second before she replied "y-yeah of course and I'll drive you home, if Levi's onto anything you shouldn't be walking around here" she looked up at me "are you alright?"

"Honestly no, but alright as I can be considering what's going on"

Rosie nodded slowly, staring into space, I hadn't wanted to drag her into all of this and I couldn't help but feel extremely selfish, she looked scared, it was nothing like the joking exterior she usually had. However, after about five seconds, her eyes moved up to meet mine and she pulled me into a hug "you're gonna be fine you ass" she joked "let me just grab my car keys from inside, I'll ask the others to cover for us for 15 minutes"

"Thank you" I smiled at her and began walking over to her car which was about 50 metres to the left in staff parking. I was more than ready to collapse into the passenger seat.

So ready to collapse that I didn't hear the noise of the glass bottle moving again.

That I didn't hear the van engine as it pulled up behind me.

That I didn't see much else before it all went black...

***
beef. so if I'm honest I lost a lot of motivation to write this but the past few days a couple of people have randomly asked me to update so here's something that will keep you wondering, that's for sure ~ megs x