Chapter 3

“Shouldn't we wait for the girls?” Davey asked as he and Ki exited their room glancing at the next door.

“They said meet up at the diner not wait in the fuckin' cold for 'em,” the other man grumbled shoving his hands in his pockets as the girls' door opened.

“Ever the gentleman there Ki,” Sara drawled as she came out followed closely by Tara.

“Momma only said never hit a woman, she didn't say shit about leavin' 'em to walk by their damn selves,” he shot back.

Tara rolled her eyes, Ki and Sara constantly traded barbs. She wondered often about the underlying tension between the duo. Falling into step behind Sara she kept her eyes on the older girl's back avoiding looking at Davey.

The trip to the diner was thankfully uneventful and despite the weather fairly easy. As the foursome entered the establishment all conversation ceased and every head in the place turned to look at them. Finally a young woman came bustling forward she was a tiny little thing with dazzling green eyes. The name tag pinned to the left side of her shirt told them she was Annabelle. “Just you four?” she asked politely.

Sara nodded because she was reasonably sure that if she opened her mouth she would come up with something truly scathing and the last thing any of them needed was for her to start a fight. Gabe might forgive them for missing one show but any more and he would have puppies.

Tara moved to the front of the group as Annabelle said "This way please."

"Thanks hon, this weather is atrocious." Tara said sweetly.

“Yeah, it is,” the waitress agreed as she stopped at a table near the back. “Usually is this time of year, though it's been a while since we had a storm this bad this early in the season. Hopefully it'll clear up soon. I hate driving in this weather.”

“You and me both,” Sara concurred sliding into a chair. “I don't know what's worse the weather or the idiots who don't know how to drive in the elements.”

Annabelle laughed as she passed around the menus. “I heard that. Now what can I get you to drink?”

“Coke,” the raven haired woman answered instantly.

“Coffee,” Tara said a moment later.

"Lots of cream," they said simultaneously. After the waitress disappeared, Tara picked up her menu and began perusing the selection. As she contemplated the options she idly twirled a stray strand of hair around her index finger and bit her lip. Sara heard rather than saw the man across from her shift in his seat and shot Ki a wicked grin.

Ki brought a hand up to smother a grin. He had seen that look before, though never directed at him. It was a look that said someone was about to be on the receiving end of her well placed barbs. He opened his menu pretending interest in it while he waited for her opening shots.

Sara sat silently a moment longer watching Richards watch her friend. Though it was obvious he was trying not to his eyes kept flicking down to the redhead's sweatshirt clad chest. Oh, that was just too priceless. “Davey, I gotta ask,” the raven haired woman said at last, garnering his attention. “Is there something on her hoodie?” She leaned forward to look for the nonexistent stain. “Cuz I gotta say I don't see it.” She turned back to him with an innocent expression.

Davey's eyes shot up to met the amused hazel eyes staring innocently at him. "I...don't think so," he muttered as the blush began creeping across his face.

Tara looked over at Sara, the warning in her eyes wasn't lost on the brunette it was however about to be ignored. Sara was bored and she had found someone to pick on. Nothing was going to stop her now.

The raven haired woman leaned crossed arms on the table. Her expression going from innocent to wicked in a blink. She smiled evilly as Richards sat up straighter in his chair as if that alone could save him. “Honey do they just not having good lookin' women where you come from or has it just been so long that you forgot what one looked like?” Sara asked needling the man about his reaction to her friend.

Ki gave up all pretense of interest in the menu folding it shut as he began to laugh at the other man's discomfort. He turned dark eyes on the man next to him studying the younger man before turning to Sara. “I think that this a first for him,” he drawled smirking as Davey's face darkened in promise of retribution.

“As a matter of fact, it is," Davey drawled. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone as petty and juvenile as the two of you."

“Ouch, touched a nerve did we dear Davey?” Sara asked with false sweetness even going so far as to bat her eyelashes at him.

Davey glared at her as Tara kicked Sara in the shin. "Do you know what you want?" Annabelle's voice rang out though the only one looking at her was Tara.

Ki snickered "Davey does!" Tara promptly kicked him as well, twice as hard. "Hey! That fuckin’ hurt Tara!"

"Good!" Tara shot at him.

Sara clutched her stomach as tears of mirth formed in her eyes. “I wasn't even aware she was on the menu for tonight,” she chimed in between gales of laughter.

Davey stood up so abruptly the chair clattered to the floor. "I think I've had enough." All three watched him stride out of the restaurant, a murderous expression on his face.

Tara turned to Annabelle "Could you get me a couple of cheeseburgers and fries to go? Now." The waitress only nodded and backed away from the table. The look on the young woman's face sent a chill down her spine. Tara turned to her table mates "Ki, I don't know what your problem is and I really don't care. As for you, " she turned to look at Sara "I asked you to be nice. You know Davey didn't ask to get stuck the fuck out here in the middle of fuckin nowhere with us. He didn't have to risk his car and his life to trek out here and retrieve us. He could have told Gabe no. You can be the most ungrateful bitch I have ever met." Tara rose to her feet and stalked over to the counter.

Drumming her nails on the counter top she counted to 100, then 200. She hadn't been this pissed off at Sara in years. Finally Annabelle appeared in front of her. "Here ya go hon."

Tara forced a smile. "Thanks, sorry about that." She jerked her head towards the table where Ki and Sara were still sitting. She slid a twenty across the table and said "Keep the change, cheap bastards probably won't tip you anyway."

She turned and exited the restaurant. It was full dark now and she could barely make out the lights of the hotel across the street.

Sara shook her head watching her friend go. She wasn't going to lie and say that she wasn't hurt by her friend's ungrateful comment, but she knew that if the positions were reversed Tara would have done the same thing. However, the redhead should have known it was going to happen ribbing each other was what wrestlers did. Just like she knew that when they got to the next show she would catch no end of hell for getting directions from Jack in the first place. As much as she would rather not deal with that she wasn't going to get pissed and storm out like some child.

Annabelle cautiously approached their table looking at the duo warily. “Are you ready to order?” she asked .

“Yeah,” Sara said smiling at the young woman. “I'd like a hot roast beef sandwich with fries instead of mashed potatoes.” She folded the menu handing it over to the waitress before turning to Ki with an expectant look.

He placed his order watching Annabelle walk away before turning back to Sara. “Aren't you gonna go after her?” he asked curiously.

“Nope,” she replied taking a sip from her coke. “If I go after her now, she's just as likely to stab me as you. I'm giving her time to cool down.”

“Or time to work herself up into a righteous rage,” Ki commented leaning back in his chair.

"I think she's already there." Sara toyed with the straw in her glass. "So who is this boy?"

“Don't know,” he said with a shrug. “What I do know is that he works hard, he's very focused, very intense. From the little bit I've learned about him he seems like a good kid.”

“Wow, that's high praise coming from you,” the raven haired woman responded. “You do of course realize that he's not here so feel free to remove your lips from his ass any time now.”

Ki scowled at the young woman. “Do you always have to be such a bitch?”

“Anything worth doing is worth doing right,” she returned with a small grin. “Seriously, I'm not looking to pick a fight with you. One fight a day is my limit. Let's just enjoy our food then go see how pissed Tara is.”

"Fine by me." Ki muttered.