The Hunted ( A working title): Chapter 1

1st ROUGH draft...from the 1st person perspective in the lead female character's point of view.1

He strolled into Johnny’s exhausted and out of place. He was tall, tan and well, as clichéd as it sounded, handsome. I watched as he took the table along the wall, close to the door and wondered if he was new in town. He might as well be, I’d never seen him before and I’d grown up in Blue Springs my entire life. I finished cleaning the bar and flung the dirty rag at Uncle Johnny. Johnny caught it midair and waved it around at me, as if to scold me for throwing things at him. I smiled and sauntered out from behind the counter.2

“Delila, watch yourself,” he warned.3

Dear Uncle Johnny and his coveted advice on men. I rolled my eyes and threw my arms in the air. Sometimes, I almost wanted to give up, but instead I remained hopeful that one day, my prince would enter my life and Uncle Johnny would approve. 4

“Don’t I always? I think most men are more afraid of me than you think,” I said.5

I zipped through the crowded bar and over to his table, careful not to knock anyone over and minding my customer’s drinks. Nobody could ever say I’m not multi-talented. That’s probably why I earned more tips than the other waitresses. But I wasn’t that concerned with making better tips at the moment. I was more curious about the new guy and what brought him to Blue Springs, Missouri. I leaned over his table, but he didn’t stir. I wasn’t sure whether that should have offended me or made me strive harder for his attention, but I knew one thing for sure. His lack of inattentiveness made me want to know more about him. 6

“What can I get for you, sir?” I asked.7

Still he didn’t look up, not even an acknowledging nod. 8

“I’ll take whatever’s on special for the evening, doll,” he said.9

“Well, that will be a little difficult, considering there are three specials this evening. All beer, one draft, two bottle. What can I bring you?” I asked.10

“Whichever bottle is the cheapest special. I’m not picky,” he said.11

He finally looked up and I could see in is pale bluish green eyes that he was a little taken back. As crazy as it sounded, in that one look, I was hooked. There was something about him that made me believe that maybe, just maybe, he was someone I’d been looking for. I gently touched his hands when he didn’t say a word after a few minutes and a small jolt of static electricity sparked between us. He nonchalantly pulled his hands away though I felt him jump. It was enough to make me smile.12

“Um…the beer…it would be nice. Thank you, sweetheart,” he finally said. 13

I nodded and strutted back to the bar, adding a little sway to my hips. I didn’t do things like that, but for this guy, I hoped to catch his eye. Though I wasn’t sure why. I didn’t view myself as highly attractive. I mean I’m pretty in a non superficial way. I’m not supermodel thin, but I’m not overweight. I’d describe myself as curvy, maybe even healthy. I twisted a lock of my long wavy auburn brown hair between my thumb and forefinger, thinking about what he had to be thinking at that moment. He might be drooling at this point but I wouldn’t get my hopes up. 14

Uncle Johnny didn’t look too pleased as I walked up toward the bar. As a matter of fact, I caught him glaring in the man’s general direction.15

“What did you do or say to him that had him staring at you like that, De?” he snapped.16

I waved my hand around his face to dismiss his mood. I loved Johnny dearly, but he would not rain on my parade at this moment.17

“Nothing. Give me the number two special, John,” I said.18

He raised an eyebrow and I knew calling him by the butchered version of his name got my point across. He hated being called John and probably would have killed anyone else if they called him that. Considering it was me who called him that, he knew I meant for him to watch himself. He popped the top on the beer bottle and slid it over to me. I had pulled some cash from my folded over apron pockets and handed it over to Johnny. He eyed me suspiciously, but said nothing. I assumed I had finally gotten my point across to him and took the beer back to my customer. 19

When I made it back to him, he was staring at the table, like he was when I’d first approached him. This time he looked flustered and a little embarrassed. I set the beer down in front of him.20

“Can I get you anything else?” I asked.21

I hoped he’d cast his blue green eyes in my direction again, but he wouldn’t look up at me. He shook his head and reached for money in his pocket. I turned and walked away before he could dig it out. 22

“Hey, wait!” I heard him call.23

I smiled and whirled around. 24

“How much do I owe you?” he asked.25

I smiled and shrugged. 26

“It’s on me, honey,” I answered.27

He paled before my eyes and I cocked my head in a curious manner. So far, this guy was cute, but oh so strange. I wonder what his deal is.28

“Look, sweetheart, I don’t want to cause any problems. I just came here for a drink and then I’ll be gone,” he said.29

I lifted an eyebrow. I had no idea what he was babbling about. He seemed nervous about something. I watched him pick at the label on the bottle.30

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” I said.31

“You’re boyfriend over there at the bar. He saw me watch you walk away and I think he wants to snap my neck,” he said, pointing over to Johnny.32

I glanced back and pointed my thumb at him. I started giggling and shook my head. How utterly weird that he thought I was with him. So not my type.33

“Johnny?! No, no, no. That guy over there is my uncle,” I said.34

A look of relief washed over his face and he smiled. In that moment, I felt myself go weak at the sight of his pearly whites. A lady killer grin. That’s what most would call it. To me, it was a reason to believe in fate.35

“What’s your name?” he asked. 36

“Delila. And you?” I asked.37

Second 1st ROUGH draft...in 3rd person perspective more so leaning toward the lead male character's perspective.38

He strolled into Johnny’s Bar, amused that such a small hole-in-the-wall could hold so many people. Friday nights must be a hopping night he thought as he parked himself at a table along the wall. He hoped that for a packed place no one would really notice he was new in town. A lot of the people in the bar were hovering around the pool tables while others where sitting, around the dance floor. Not many people were dancing. He looked around for a waitress but no one was available at the moment. He waited as patiently as he could and tapped his fingers along to the beat of Stealer’s Wheel’s “Stuck in the Middle with You.” It seemed fairly appropriate as he was stuck in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by clowns and jokers. He wasn’t sure what the hell he was doing in Blue Springs, Missouri, but he was bound to find out.39

A woman appeared in front of him and placed her hands on the table, leaning in to talk to him.40

“What can I get for you?” she asked. 41

He didn’t bother looking up. He continued to stare out into the crowd.42

“Whatever the special is for the evening will be fine, doll,” he answered.43

“Well, that will be kind of hard, considering we have four specials going on this evening,” she laughed.44

He glanced up, careful to look to her face and not her chest. He’d gotten into quite a bit of trouble with that in the last few towns he’d been through with the waitresses. But hey, it wasn’t his fault they practically stuck their breasts in his face. They may have thought he was cute, but it seemingly pissed them off when he stared. When he saw this particular waitress’s eyes, he felt his heart skip. She had deep green eyes, almost the color of grass in the summer. Her dark auburn brown hair flowed in loose waves around her neck down to the table. She smiled at him, and he couldn’t help but melt. He’d seen some pretty girls, but none as gorgeous as her. He’d seen her mouth move but he didn’t catch a word she’d said. He was lost in those pretty eyes. A sudden jolt ran through his hand and up his arm, bringing him back into reality. He realized he’d been shielding too hard and that her hand was on his. The touch shocked him, letting him know there was an energy to her. It vibrated around her like…well for lack of a better analogy in his case, the magic fingers beds in the many motel rooms he’d spent most of the last few years in and out of. He wasn’t a psychic by any means, but he had an ability to sense things, feel them. It had helped him over the years in his particular line of work.45

“I’m sorry, sweetheart, could you repeat that? I um…was lost in thought,” he asked.46

She nodded and removed her hand.47

“Pay attention this time, cause if I have to repeat myself again, I’ll make Johnny over there hose you down,” she said.48

She motioned over to the man at the bar in a black t-shirt. He looked rough around the edges and [he] was sure that he’d probably gotten that way over the years from running this place.49

“Trust me, you don’t want that,” she warned with a heartbreaking smile.50

He nodded and smiled back. He didn’t want to find out what it meant to be hosed down by Johnny, but he certainly didn’t want to find out. He came into town to prevent trouble, not look for it. 51

“I assume you drink beer like a manly man and not a fruity little drink, so there are three specials; one draw, two long necks. Any questions?” she asked. 52

“Just bring me the cheapest priced long neck of the two. I’m not picky,” he answered.53

She stood up and he noticed her uniform. A tight black Johnny’s tank top and a pair of jeans that fit her form well. She wasn’t skinny but she wasn’t overweight either. In fact, he would describe her as curvy and he definitely liked curvy. There was a slight sway to her hips as she walked and he wondered if she was doing that to keep his attention. Whatever the reason, he couldn’t help but watch. He definitely liked this bar, good music and great service. In a place where he wasn’t sure why he was there, he’d picked the right bar to walk in that evening. He looked at the bar and noticed Johnny glaring in his direction. He looked away. The last thing he really needed was to start a fight in a bar over a girl who was obviously the bartender’s girlfriend. She walked back and placed the beer bottle on the table. She turned around to walk away.54

“Wait, Miss. What do I owe you?” he asked.55

She turned around and smiled at him.56

“It’s on me,” she said. “If you need anything else, let me know.”57

“What’s your name?” he asked.58

“Delila,” she answered.59

He motioned for her to sit down in the empty seat. She turned it around and straddled it. He tried hard not to watch her leaning over the back of the chair, but it was hard not to. She was just too damn cute. He let down his guard a little, just to feel her energy again. He wasn’t exactly sure what she was, but he was hoping to pick up on a feel for what she might be. But she didn’t feel familiar. She didn’t feel like anyone like him.60

“Listen, doll, thanks for the beer, but I don’t want to cause any trouble here,” he said.61

“Then don’t,” she replied.62

“But your boyfriend over there-”63

“Johnny?! Ha! No, no, no, no, no! Johnny’s my uncle,” she explained.64

His eyes widened and he chuckled. Great, not only was he wrong, but instead of it being a boyfriend, it was a family member who’d probably kick his butt. He took a swig of his beer and swallowed it hard. Delila giggled and took the beer from him and took a swig.65

“Johnny’s harmless. As long as you don’t get on his bad side,” she said.66

“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of,” he said.67

“De! What’s a guy got to do to get another drink around here?!” a voiced cried out.68

Delila looked over in the general direction and saw a man at one of the pool tables lifting up his empty glass. She shook her head and put the bottle on the table.69

“Look, I gotta get back to work. Just holler if you need anything,” she said.70

He nodded and raised his long neck to her. She smiled and walked away. She was definitely something, perhaps a psychic. But he couldn’t be sure. He’d never sensed anything like her. He’d definitely come to the right town.71