Fire & Brimstone
Page 64

Probably not that good, but she was going to damn well try.
Thankfully the very limited and incredibly disappointing menu helped take her mind off that depressing realization and onto something else equally as depressing. As she glanced through the menu, searching for the small gluten-free sign that would let her know what was safe to eat, she realized something very important.
She was going to starve.
“Oh, everything looks so good,” Mrs. Bradford said while Rebecca sat there trying to decide between…
Well, there really was nothing to decide since the only thing that was gluten free on the menu was a hamburger, minus the bun, with a side salad, minus the croutons and salad dressing. Since that really didn’t sound appetizing, she decided that she’d fill up on Coke and make something to eat when she got home later.
If she had known that her food choices were going to be limited coming here…
She still would have come, she decided with a sigh as she closed the menu and focused back on her intended victims. This was going to be so much fun, she mused, barely managing to keep a smile off her face. For five years she’d entertained herself by finding new and interesting ways to torture Lucifer, but even she had to admit that things had become a little stale there at the end.
Finding new and exciting ways to torture him while working under some serious limitations had been something of a challenge. Since she’d been limited to only torturing him at work and through run-ins in the hall she’d had with him under the capacity of the landlord/tenant relationship, she really hadn’t had much to work with. But now that they spent time outside of work together the possibilities had become endless. It also didn’t hurt that her relationship with Lucifer had brought her new victims to torture.
Speaking of her new victims…
“What song are you going to sing?” she asked Aidan, deciding to focus on him first as a favor to Melanie, who’d made her promise to make his life a living hell since she wasn’t able to be here to do it for herself.
Aidan blinked and when she kept looking at him expectantly, he blinked again. “I, um,” he licked his lips nervously as he shot a pleading glance to Lucifer, probably hoping that he’d come up with something to get them all out of there before it was too late, “I don’t sing.”
“I see,” she murmured, making sure to look disappointed as she added another, “I see,” with a forlorn sigh and let her shoulders sag.
“I don’t sing,” he bit out through clenched teeth, making her up her game.
Fighting back a smile, she let her gaze drop to the menu and her shoulders sag even further. “I just thought this would be a nice way to get to know everyone better, but if you don’t want to…” she said, letting her words trail off with a weak shrug as she kept her gaze firmly locked on the table as she released another pathetic sigh.
“I-”
“You’re not going to sing?” Jason asked and she didn’t need to look up to know that he was shaking his head in disgust since it was a move that she would have used to further manipulate someone.
“But, I-”
“Your brother’s girlfriend is making an effort to get to know you and this is how you treat her?” Trevor asked in disgust, making her lips twitch.
Not because they’d joined her in torturing Aidan, but because they hadn’t realized that they were next.
*-*-*-*
They were all fucking morons, he thought as he searched through the menu, trying to find something that she could eat, but so far he’d only come up with a hamburger patty and some lettuce.
“We need to leave,” he said with a sigh as he tossed the menu back on the table.
“What? No, we just got here,” Rebecca said, apparently forgetting that she was supposed to be pouting to manipulate his weak brother into doing something incredibly stupid.
“We’re going,” he said, getting up and pushing his chair in.
“What’s wrong?” his mother asked even as Aidan released a sigh of relief.
“There’s nothing that she can eat here,” he explained, holding his hand out to Rebecca, but the stubborn woman refused to give up her plans to torture them.
“I’m not hungry,” she said somewhat desperately, obviously willing to say or do whatever it took to keep them from leaving.
“Oh,” his mother said, looking embarrassed that she hadn’t thought about Rebecca’s dietary restrictions, “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I should have realized. We’ll go home and I can whip something up,” she said with a firm nod as she stood up.
“I’m fine, really!” Rebecca argued as she grabbed the menu. “There’s plenty to eat!”
“Sure there is,” he said firmly, giving her that look that let her know that he wasn’t going to change his mind.
*-*-*-*
“I think we’re going to call it a night,” Lucifer said, betraying her and destroying her plans for what had promised to be a night to remember in a matter of seconds.
“We understand, sweetheart,” she said, not looking like she blamed Rebecca, but she did look disappointed, which was probably why Rebecca did what she did and not because she was innately evil or anything.
At least that’s what she told herself, but she knew the truth…
“There’s no reason why you have to leave,” she said, catching the murderous glare that Aidan shot her.
“She’s right. You should stay,” Lucifer said, somewhat appeasing her as he took her hand and stepped out the way just as his father, with an expression that could only be described as homicidal, reached for him.
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” his mother asked, already sitting back down with a huge smile and an expression that made her wonder if she also enjoyed the fine art of torture.
“This is going to be the best night ever,” Jason said, grinning and sounding so damn giddy that she nearly cried.
This was supposed to be her night of enjoyment!
She considered rebelling and telling him that she wasn’t hungry and was damn well going to stay, but that was right around the time that her stomach betrayed her, making an argument pointless, because there was no way that anyone was going to let her stay now.
Stupid gluten, she thought miserably as she allowed him to lead her out of the restaurant and away from all of her dreams coming true.