The smile she gave him showed neat white teeth. As she turned away, Gavin stopped her in her tracks by resting his hand on the flatness of her stomach. The heel of her shoe made a mouse-like squeak on the tiled floor.

“What’s your hurry? I might need—” he let the pause drag out, enjoying the young woman’s discomfort “— something else.”

The energy of the room shifted. Many eyes were upon him.

“I’m very busy. There’s only two of us working today.”

Gavin dismissed the other waitress without consideration. She was older, short and portly, waddling around the bar on pudgy legs. No, not his idea of fun at all. He increased the pressure of his palm upon her midriff. “But what if I want… something that’s not on the menu?”

Her jaw tightened. “We have other girls for that.”

Gavin’s mocking laugh came as two sharp barks. He pushed her away. “Thank you, Daniela.” He laughed again as she heard her name. It was one of the first tricks he had learned from the master. The sharp twitch of the head, the questioning look, the mark wondering how he knew anything about them. If he knows my name, what else does he know about me?

Daniela gave him a sideways glance as she moved back to the kitchen. She brushed the front of her shirt where his hand had rested.

Smiling to himself, Gavin finished his food at a leisurely pace. He made a show of standing up, stretching his arms above his head. He stood a foot taller than most in the room. The legs of his chair scraped harshly across the tiles. He dropped the notes from his wallet as if paying his bill was beneath him. There were no comments from the local crowd. The patrons of the cantina seemed more interested in examining the contents of their glasses. He gave another of his canine laughs and strode briskly out through the front doors.

The Dodge pickup was the only vehicle on this side of the parking lot. In comparison to the beat-up trucks that sat in a cluster on the far side of the lot, his vehicle looked like it had just come from the showroom.

The signal lights blinked as he pressed his key fob. He paused, looking back over his shoulder. Someone there? He turned slowly, his hand moving towards his belt.

Nothing.

But as he hauled his lanky frame into the Dodge, his world turned to pain. A rapidly moving shadow detached itself from the nearby bushes and closed on him. The shadow held a stubby pistol in its hand. A sharp series of clicks sounded and Gavin slumped to the ground, one foot still inside the truck. Taser.