Chapter One
"The dirty blond guy in the green coat by the door has a gun under his coat," Quinn murmured as he reached for the water glass of one of the three men sitting at the small table. "The two guys in black jackets sitting three booths over are with him. They're rogues. Be careful."
He carefully set the glass back on the table and reached for the next one, then the next, filling them both before placing them on the table as well. He set his pitcher of water on the table, pulled out his order form, and smiled at the three astonished faces looking back at him.
"Have you decided what you'd like, gentlemen?" he said loudly. "I would recommend the salmon. The chef has prepared it rather nicely tonight, with fresh herbs, sundried tomatoes, and banana peppers, cooked in a light olive oil and seared on both sides. It comes with a side of a garlic mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables."
"Uh, yeah," the man with the midnight black hair said, "that sounds good to me. I'll have that."
Quinn smiled and wrote down the order on his note pad before turning to look at the other two men. One had blond hair, the other dark brown hair. All of them had muscles on top of muscles, which told Quinn they were more than likely enforcers.
"And you, sir?"
"I'll have a steak, rare, and a baked potato."
"Very good, sir." Quinn added the dark brown-haired man's order to his pad then turned to look at the last man, the very large blond-haired man. "What can I get you tonight, sir?"
"I'll have the salmon as well."
"Very good, sir. I'll have these out to you right away." Quinn wrote the last order down on his pad then shot a quick glance towards the armed men sitting several feet away. He drew in a deep breath and turned back to his customers. He smiled and pointed. "Of course, sir, the restroom is right down that hallway next to the kitchen door, first door on the left."
The blond arched an eyebrow. "Huh, thank you," he said before standing and heading in that direction.
"Is there anything I can get you gentlemen from the bar? A glass of wine perhaps?"
"If you'd just point me to the bar, I'll get our drinks."
Quinn nodded at the man with black hair. "Very good, sir, it's right over here. I'd be happy to show you the way."
He waited until the man stood and then started towards the bar, leading the way. He knew he needed to get these three men out of the bar before the rogues realized who, and what, they were. His mind was running a million miles a minute as he tried to figure out the best way to do that. There weren't many options for getting three very large men out of a restaurant full of people without someone noticing.
Once they reached the bar, Quinn turned and smiled. "If there's anything else I can get you, sir, just let me know."
The man looked confused, but nodded. Quinn hurried back toward the kitchen. He paused in the hallway leading to the kitchen and glanced around to make sure no one was watching before knocking softly on the bathroom door.
Quinn barely suppressed his yelp when the door was suddenly yanked open and a large hand grabbed him by his white dress shirt, pulling him into the small room. The door was slammed shut and Quinn's body was forced back against it by a much larger one.
"Who are you?" a deep voice growled.
Quinn swallowed hard. He could feel the vampire's hot breath blowing across his face. "No one important."
"Then how do you know about the rogues?"
"I just know, okay?" He groaned as he was lifted and slammed back against the door.
That was going to leave a mark.
"Not good enough."
Quinn rolled his eyes. He'd been through this before. It was never good to show his hand, but he was really getting tired of being roughed up. He was trying to warn these guys that they were in danger, not be a kicking target.
Quinn raised his eyes and looked deep into the golden ones glaring down at him. He reached up and grabbed the vampire's fingers where they were wrapped in his shirt and began to twist them.
He took great delight in the stunned look on the vampire's face when he was able to free himself. Most people—and pretty much every vampire he came across—didn't expect him to be so strong considering his slight form and small stature.
Quinn liked proving them wrong.
He straightened his shirt and his tie and then planted his hands on his hips. "Who I am is none of your damn business. If you and your friends want to make a quick exit, I suggest you use the back door through the kitchen. It leads to the alleyway."
"Why are you doing this?" the vampire asked. "It's obvious that you know who we are, what we are. Why are you helping us?"
"I hate rogues. They are nothing but killers."
Fangs flashed in the bathroom light when the vampire grinned. "So are we."
"No, you take blood to survive. They take blood for enjoyment. There is a difference." It was small, but it was there. Quinn was slightly intrigued by the dark blond eyebrow that the vampire arched up. In his experience, most vampires were dark—dark hair, dark eyes, and a dark aura. This man was golden from his skin to his eyes to his hair. It was like looking directly into the sun.
He was glorious.
Quinn would be lying if he said the vampire wasn't drop-dead, wet-dream gorgeous. All three of the vampires were. That didn't mean he could get involved with them in any manner. He had too much at stake.
"Do you really believe there is a difference?"
"I do." He knew from personal experience that there was a difference. He just didn't want to get into a long explanation about how there were different types of rogues, and these rogues were the bad type. A tribe vampire would never understand the difference.
"You'd be the only one." The man chuckled softly. "Most consider us monsters."
"You mean most humans?"
The man frowned. "Well, yes, I guess."
"Enough said." Quinn turned toward the door and grabbed the handle. "Now, if you want out of here, the back door is through the kitchen. I have to get back to work before I'm missed."
"Wait, who are you?"
Quinn smirked as he glanced over his shoulder. "I'm no one, remember?"
He quickly slid out of the bathroom, leaving the door ajar in case the blond wanted to make his escape. Quinn had done what he had set out to do. He'd warned them that they were danger. The rest was up to them.
Quinn went to the kitchen to check on his orders. Seeing that most of his food was about halfway done, he started plating the rest of it. Despite his desire to help the vampires out, he still had a job to do, and he needed every cent of his paycheck.
After his plates were ready to go, Quinn shot a quick glance through the warmer to where the chef was busy cooking the dishes ordered. He figured he had just enough time to go out and check on his tables again before he'd be needed back in the kitchen.
He wasn't surprised to find the table with the three vampires vacant.
Good thing he hadn't put in their order.
On the other hand, the rogues were all still inside the small restaurant. Quinn really hoped they weren't planning on starting any trouble. There were far too many innocent people in the place. It would be a blood bath. Literally.