Waitressing wasn't exactly a glamorous job, but it was putting me through college. And I enjoyed it ... most days. It was a family friendly restaurant and I liked kids. That also meant that aside from the short skirts, which I was allowed to wear shorts under, the uniform was fairly conservative. But I'm getting ahead of myself...

Bella Ragazza Ristorante. Best Italian food in the city. Which wasn't a lie. The restaurant had great decor, the staff was friendly, and the food was to die for. Jerry, the head chef, was one of the nicest people you'd ever meet, and he was a spectacular chef. Even if it was a little odd to find an Indian chef with pink dreadlocks in an Italian restaurant. Though one server was a Chinese American girl with green hair (myself, just in case you're wondering), and another was a mousy little man who wore thick glasses and never took off his headphones, so the whole place was a little odd. Bella Ragazza did follow one major cliché though: it was a front for the mob.

The Noah family was your classic cliché mob family. They kept the back private room on permanent reserve and conducted their business there. The Earl, or Adam as he was called by those close to him, was the typical overweight mob boss. Tyki, Sherril, Lulubell, Road, and Wisley made up the upper ranks of the family; the Earl called them his nieces and nephews. The Earl's right hand man, Neah, had been killed two years ago and his spot was still vacant. And until his arrest last month, Skinn Bolic had been the family's top enforcer.

They were into all the usual mob things: drug dealing, blackmailing, bribery, money laundering, contract killings. All told, they were very dangerous criminals.

And they were all vampires. (Not everyone in the organization obviously, but those eight definitely were.)

Now before you think I'm crazy, you should know that everyone knows vampires exist. It's become common knowledge in the last fifty years that the undead walk among us. Most still hide what they are, and keep to themselves, but they're a part of society. They live and work among us. And save for a few bad seeds, they play by the rules and we coexist.

Normally learning someone's a vampire isn't a big deal. It's comparable to learning someone's gay. It offends you at first, but then you realize they're the same person they always were and things go back to normal.

Or so I've been told. I don't actually know any vampires personally. And I don't really care to get to know any. Not after the way my parents were brutally murdered when I was a child.

But finding out a criminal is a vampire? That's terrifying. Like learning there really is a monster under your bed. Especially when that criminal is a mobster like the Noah.

And how do I know all this? The Earl took a particular liking to me the first time I waited on them. After that, I became the family's personal waitress. Whenever I worked a shift, in addition to my other tables I had to wait on the Noah family. And after a year I had gained a lot of information. Especially once I discovered that vampire bit. It made everything all the more dangerous, but that wasn't going to stop me from doing everything I could to bring them down.

I've gotten ahead of myself again. I'm Lenalee Lee, twenty one year old college student. Decent grades, decent job, with one psychotic older brother who is fortunately in another country. I don't have many friends, just coworkers and classmates, but that's all I have time for, so it's never bothered me.

.x.x.

Wednesday started out awful and kept going downhill. I spilled my morning coffee down the front of my favorite shirt, a blouse Komui had bought for me in China. And I was already running late, so I couldn't go home and change. Professor Epstein gave a pop quiz that I was completely unprepared for, and Professor Martin assigned a massive research paper. Then to top it all off, I got mugged on my way home.

The guy came out of nowhere and pointed a gun in my face. Not wanting any trouble, I handed over my purse and book bag like he demanded. Then he pistol whipped me and everything went black.

...

"Miss? Are you alright, Miss?" Someone was shaking my shoulder.

I blinked my eyes slowly open and all I saw was white. In my groggy state, it took me a second to realize that the source of the voice was also the source of the white. In this case: a young man with snow white hair. "Miss?"

"What happened?" My throat felt dry.

"You got hit in the head. I chased the guy off before he could do anything else. He got away, but I managed to get your bags back." The man kneeling above me couldn't have been more than eighteen. He was also as thin as a rake. I couldn't picture him fighting off anyone.

"Thanks." I couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Are you feeling ok? I bandaged a gash on your forehead. It seemed pretty bad. You should probably get it looked at." All I really wanted right then was for him to shut up.

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. I'll be fine." My headache said otherwise. I forced myself to my feet, and tried not to sway.

The teen grabbed my upper arms rather forcibly. "You're not fine. You can barely stand up. You've probably got a concussion."

I tried to protest, but everything started spinning. I felt him lead me down the street. "My car's just up ahead. Let me drive you to the hospital."

I blacked out again when we reached his car. I didn't catch what it looked like, and for all I knew it was an unmarked white van. I was honestly surprised that I woke up in a hospital. The relief died a little when I saw the white haired boy in the chair next to the bed.

"They put three stitches in your forehead." He spoke without looking up from his book. "You've got a concussion, but it's minor, so they won't try to keep you overnight. There's a cop outside, waiting to take your statement about the mugging."

"Anything else?" I was annoyed.

"You've got five missed calls from someone named..." He pulled my phone out of my purse and clicked it on. "Reever."

I panicked and tried to sit up. "Oh god. What time is it?"

He was out of the chair in an instant, pushing me back down. "It's almost four thirty. You've been out for a little over two hours."

"Four thirty? Crap! My shift started an hour ago!" I struggled against him, but he was surprisingly strong for how skinny he was.

"Ah. That explains why he said he'd get someone to cover for you." I blinked. Had the boy always had that slightly British accent?

Then what he'd said clicked. "You answered my phone?!"

"He called five times in twenty minutes. I figured it was important enough that you wouldn't mind." He sat back down and picked the book back up. "He seemed pretty upset that you had gotten hurt. More than a boss would be. Who is he to you?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but he's a friend of my brother." Komui would have a heart attack if he learned I was injured. No, that wasn't the real problem. The real problem was... "Oh shit. If Reever calls my brother, you are so dead."

"Huh?" The white haired teen looked five years younger when he was confused.

"A strange boy answered my cell phone. Komui's gonna go ballistic." I groaned and buried my head in my hands. "He'll probably try to jump on the next plane out here."

"I feel like I'm missing something. Why would your brother care that I answered your cell phone?"

"Komui's ridiculously overprotective of me when it comes to boys."

"So much so that he'd fly out here just because of one phone call? That's scary."

He smiled at me and that's when I noticed the scar. There was a red line running down the left side of his face. It started as an upside down star on his forehead, then it ran through his eyelid down to his chin. I wondered how I hadn't noticed it before.

He caught me staring. He looked away and covered the scar with his gloved left hand. "I was in car accident a couple years ago."

"Oh." That's all I could think of to say.

His hand dropped and he smiled brightly. Then he stood from the chair. "I should go. Goodbye, Miss Lenalee."

I vaguely wondered how he knew my name, but then I recalled that he'd clearly gone through my purse. I stopped him before he reached the door. "Wait."

"Yes?"

"What's your name?" I don't know why it mattered. I was never going to see the guy again.

"Allen. Allen Walker." He gave me a bright smile and then he was gone.

The nurse came in with the cop after Allen left. They asked me all kinds of questions about the mugging and the concussion. It was all rather exhausting.

But, like Allen said, they didn't keep me overnight. I called Reever for a ride home. Normally I wouldn't have bothered him at work, but taking the bus after suffering a concussion didn't seem like a good idea. Much like I had felt earlier, he seemed relieved that I was actually at the hospital.

Reever made sure I made it home. He even walked me to the door. Then he gave me the next day off. I protested, but he said Komui would kill him if he didn't. Which was probably true.

.x.x.

Thursday was long. Really long. I wasn't used to having free time. I didn't have classes on Thursday, and without work to go to, I had nothing to do. Except homework. And daydream about a certain white haired British teenager.

I wasn't into younger guys. Sure, he wasn't that much younger, but I was a senior in college; a senior in high school was too young for me. So it couldn't be attraction. Even if he did seem mature for his age. Even if British accents were hot. It was probably just a reaction to him saving me.

I couldn't help being curious about him. Wondering who he was and where he came from. In my experience teenage boys, especially ones as scrawny as Allen, didn't just jump into the middle of a fight. He was a mystery.

In my paranoia, I went through my bag. Nothing was missing. I did find the book he'd been reading though. And I was surprised to find that it was mine. He'd been reading my book. I tossed the book away in a huff, but when it hit the ground, something fell out of it. A note.

"This is one of my favorite books. I hope you're enjoying it. -Allen"

I don't know what I was expecting, but that certainly wasn't it. I picked the book back up and looked it over. I had only read a few chapters. It was some fiction thing the guy at the bookstore had recommended. The redhead had clearly been flirting with me, but the book looked interesting, so I bought it.

My homework was forgotten. I had a clue. It was a sucky clue, but it was a clue all the same. If Allen liked the book then maybe I would learn something about him from reading it.

So I spent the rest of the day reading. It was a good book. It didn't help me figure out anything about Allen though. Which was frustrating. And stupid.

The whole thing was stupid. I was stupid. Stupid for thinking that a book could tell me something about Allen. Stupid for still thinking about Allen. Because, really, what was the point of still thinking about someone I knew nothing about and would never see again.

.x.x.

Two weeks passed and I had forgotten all about Allen. I returned to my routine.

It was Friday night. A busy time at Bella Ragazza. And to top it off, the Noah family was having some sort of family wide meeting. I barely had time to think as I bustled about the restaurant.

The Noah were rowdy. From what I could gather, their new enforcer was finally coming to a meeting. They'd been talking about him for weeks; they all thought he'd be able to take Skinn's former spot as top enforcer. It was something new to worry about.

That worry was probably why I didn't see the guy that bumped into me and made me drop a tray full of glasses.

Fortunately, we were away from the majority of customers so it didn't cause a scene. Unfortunately, all of the glasses shattered when they hit the ground. The guy huffed, cussing at me as he walked away.

I ignored him and knelt down to pick up the broken glass. I noticed a pair of black knee high boots approaching, but I didn't give them much thought. Even when the owner stopped in front of me.

"That looks dangerous. Let me help you." I froze at the sound of the voice and its slightly British accent.

I gaped at Allen as he knelt down and started picking up broken glass. He smiled at me. "It's good to see you're feeling better."

"Thanks." I snapped myself out of my stupor and worked with him to pick up the glass. "What are you doing here?"

He gave a little laugh. "Some family thing. Out of town cousins came for a visit, so we all had to get together. My uncle's kind of crazy when it comes to family."

That made me smile. "I bet my brother would make your uncle look sane."

Allen smiled at the joke. "Probably best to keep the psychos away from each other, eh?" Then he laughed. "Unless that was an invitation to meet your family, in which case I'd say we don't know each other well enough for that yet."

I blushed at the implication. And dropped the piece of glass I was holding. Everything went slow motion as I watched it slice across Allen's right hand. "I'm so sorry! Are you alright?"

He smiled reassuringly as I grabbed his hand to get a closer look. "I'm fine. It missed."

"Are you sure? I could have sworn that it-" I inspected the back of his hand. There was no blood. No gash. Not even a scratch. "Huh. I guess you're right."

I let go of his hand and focused on the last of the glass shards. That was really strange. I knew that he'd been cut by that glass. Yet there wasn't a mark on him. Something weird was going on.

...Why was I so paranoid when it came to that boy?!

"That's the last of it." Allen wiped his hands on his jeans as he stood up. "I should go join my family."

"Thanks for the help."

"No problem." He smiled. "See you later, Lenalee."

I watched him walk off. He ushered a wandering child back to his parents just before the boy would have knocked into a waiter carrying a tray full of food.

I laughed at myself for being ridiculous. Allen was a nice guy. I had no reason to be suspicious of him.

.x.x.

After that night, I started seeing Allen around Bella Ragazza all the time. And he was everywhere. Gossiping with Jerry in the kitchen, joking with Reever in his office. Everyone knew him and everyone loved him.

I began to look forward to work. And not just for the chance to see Allen. Ever since he had shown up, I had started growing closer to my coworkers.

I once found Allen playing chess with Johnny in the staff room. Johnny, who kept to himself and never spoke about anything except work, was laughing and smiling. Because of Allen.

Part of me thought that he might have been hanging around to see me. But whenever I tried to talk to him, he always brushed me off and said he had to get back to his family.

I should have put it together. But no, I wouldn't see it until it smacked me in the face.

.x.x.

It was a typical Thursday afternoon. The restaurant was quiet, but waiting on the Noah kept me busy. Not that I had to do much other than keep their drinks full.

They were especially uptight that day. Tyki hadn't attempted to grab my ass. Road wasn't joking around or trying to make the others do her homework. Something was going on.

Like always, I listened to them talk whenever I was in the room. Either they didn't think I could break their code, or they didn't care that I could hear them. It was the usual mob stuff, money and drugs, things I filed away for later. But I did learn why they were so edgy: that new enforcer was out teaching a rival gang a lesson. It was his final test; if he succeeded, he'd officially have Skinn's old position.

I was curious about him, he'd been around for a couple weeks, but I'd never actually seen him. This was my experiment after all. It was my, anonymous, information that led to Skinn's arrest. The guy was a monster; he needed to be taken off the streets. And I wanted to see what would happen, get a better idea of how the organization worked. And what I learned was that the Earl considered people to be replaceable. So I was curious about the new guy. If he was as much of a monster as Skinn was then I might have actually done more harm than good.

The dinner rush started, so I was forced to stay away for a time. When I returned to refresh their drinks, the atmosphere had changed. It was back to carefree and laid back. The new guy had returned victorious and now they were celebrating. I refilled their water glasses, surreptitiously looking for the new guy.

What I saw made my heart stop. I caught a glimpse of white in Skinn's usual spot. I'd recognize that white hair anywhere. A second glance and I caught sight of the scar on his face. There was no denying who he was.

He smiled sheepishly when he saw I'd noticed him. The Earl called for a bottle of champagne. I went to fetch it immediately, suddenly needing some air.

Allen. Kind, sweet, innocent Allen, was an enforcer for the Noah.

The rest of the night was a blur. I honestly don't remember what else happened. Until I found myself sitting in front of my locker in the staff room at the end of the night.

I gathered my stuff and walked out to my car, only to run into Allen. He was sitting on the trunk of my car. Waiting for me. "Lenalee."

I ignored him, moving straight by him to unlock my door. He didn't let me pass. "I feel like I owe you an explanation."

I narrowed my eyes at the teenager in front of me. "Why? It's not like we actually know each other."

We clearly didn't. The guy worked for the mob! As an enforcer. That meant he'd killed people. Yet, somehow, he had convinced everyone that he was a nice guy.

He seemed sad that I was angry. "I still think you should know."

I sighed and leaned back against the car. I didn't want to hear whatever crappy excuse he was going to give me. But maybe if I listened I could get this over with. "Then explain it."

Allen leaned on the car next to me and stared at the stars. I looked up too. I didn't want to see him while he lied to me. He was silent for a while. "I don't have a choice."

What was that supposed to mean?

As if reading my thoughts, he answered my question. "If I tried to leave they'd hunt me down and kill me." He sighed. "And even worse, whoever they got to replace me would probably be as much of a monster as the guy I replaced."

Allen sighed again. This one made him sound a lot older than eighteen. "If I'm going to be stuck with them I can at least make sure they're not hurting innocents."

I wasn't sure if I believed what he was saying. He could easily be playing me. But at the same time... Allen hadn't denied being involved with them, which was what I had expected him to do.

To break the silence, I asked the first question I could think of. "Why'd you get involved with them in the first place?"

"They're family." He shrugged.

The way he said it, it didn't sound like the mob cliché. "Wait. You mean you're actually related to them?!"

"Related to people related to them. Yes."

We both stared at the sky for some time. I don't think either of us could think of anything to say.

The silence was broken by Allen's cell phone ringtone. He frowned at the caller ID then shoved it back in his pocket. "Are we alright?"

"I don't know." And I honestly didn't.

"Oh. Umm..."

"Just give me some time, ok?" I needed to think.

"Oh. Ok." He walked off.

I climbed into the car and headed home. I didn't look back.

.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

Edited February 2017