"I'm sorry sir, I tripped," she said, as she struggled to get back up.
"Ms. Lander hasn't had a break the entire time I've been here and I'd like to speak to her for a few minutes," Ryan said to the man, while glaring over at him.
"I don't appreciate you telling me how to treat my employee's, as it's none of your business," her boss puffed up in anger at Ryan for having the audacity to call him on anything. "Get back to work, Ms. Lander," he snapped.
She once again struggled to get up and Ryan still refused to let her go. She couldn't make a big scene in front of her boss but he was giving her no choice.
"You're going to get me fired," she said through gritted teeth. She was starting to get scared and he could see the vulnerability in her eyes. He was done with the place and she was leaving with him, even if he had to throw her over his shoulder.
"We're leaving now," he said, as he released her and stood up. He threw some bills on the table and grabbed his jacket. Nicole quickly fled from him, then went around the tables and refilled her customers' glasses. He stood by the counter and waited until she was done.
"I need to use the restroom. I'll be right back," Nicole told her boss and quickly disappeared. Ryan's rage increased when the man nodded tightly. He couldn't believe she needed to get permission to use the bathroom. It was ridiculous. He spotted the cook, who looked like an understanding man. He pulled a couple hundreds from his pocket and approached the guy.
"Can you please grab Nicole's things for me? She's leaving with me now, whether she wants to or not and I think she would rather have her possessions," Ryan said to the guy, who sized him up. "I in no way want to harm her. Our families are friends and she'll no longer need this job," he assured the cook.
"She should've left here long ago. The boss treats her like crap," the cook said. He grabbed her belongings and set them on the counter, then stood waiting for Nicole to come out. She appeared quickly, since it seemed she wasn't allowed more than a couple of minutes, even to use the restroom.
"Nicole, do you know this guy?" the cook asked her. Her shoulders seemed to sag a bit as she tried to figure out how to answer that question.
"We grew up together. Don't worry, Bubba, he's not trying to hurt me," she assured the cook. She had no clue she'd just given the cook permission to let Ryan cart her out of the restaurant, or she would've never said that. Bubba smiled at Ryan and gave him the thumbs up.
"Right then, let's go," he told Nicole once again.
"Ryan, I already told you I'm not going anywhere with you. I don't get off until eight in the morning," she almost yelled at him. She then looked over at her boss, who was glaring at her. She had to get him out of the restaurant. "If you really want to talk to me, I'll come to your offices in the morning," she finished and smiled at him, in what she hoped was a reassuring smile.
Ryan didn't feel the need to talk anymore. He grabbed her things up, then grabbed her around the waist and tossed her over his shoulder and started walking toward the front door. Nicole was in so much shock from his caveman display she said nothing until they were almost to the door.
"Ryan, I demand you put me down right this instant," she finally found her voice.
"Nicole, if you walk out that door now, you can kiss your job goodbye," her boss said to her. She looked at him from her upside down position with incredulity. She wasn't walking anywhere. Was no one going to stop this man from openly kidnapping her?
The few customers in the restaurant heard Ryan talking with Bubba so no one was stepping up to stop him. Nicole shuddered in disbelief as he carried her out the door and approached his car. The last thing she heard before the door of the restaurant closed was her boss yelling at her she was fired.
She started pounding on Ryan's back in anger as they stepped up to his car. His driver opened the backdoor like there was nothing wrong with him carrying a girl over his shoulder. Hell, for all she knew, he did it on a regular basis. He tossed her down on the back seat and quickly climbed in beside her, before she had the chance to get her breath back again.
Chapter Two
Ryan said something to the driver and the car started to move through the nearly deserted streets. Nicole was in shock from his behavior. She couldn't believe she'd been openly kidnapped in the middle of a diner and no one had done a thing to stop it.
"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded of him, once she got her wind back.
"You wanted to talk and then walked out. You're lucky I'm giving you a second chance," he stated in an arrogant tone of voice. She looked at him like he was insane. He thought he was doing her a favor by dragging her out of the diner, costing her a valuable job and most likely her last paycheck as well.