Chapter 16

We pull up to a restaurant twenty minutes later and enter through the back door. A waiter greets us and takes us into a private room. I'm confused about why this is being done, and then it hits me. I was kidnapped. No one knows where I am, and I have to be hidden. This restaurant is probably under his payroll too.

Ryder holds out a chair for me. I sit, and he walks around to his. This private room is tiny. Very intimate, cozy, and somewhat dark. There isn't even a window in here to let in the sunlight.

The chairs, tablecloth, and carpet are crimson, with black lines running through them. About 10 different drinking glasses are sitting in the middle of the table. A young man comes in, grabs half the glasses, and hands Ryder and me wine menus.

The very old-looking waiter comes back inside and lights the candles on our table. I grab my napkin, placing it on my lap. The waiter then gives us our menus and walks out of the room.