Most of the town had already gone quiet. The neon sign above the entrance flickered between red and blue, occasionally buzzing like an angry insect. Inside, only three customers remained.Maya Carter moved quietly between the tables, collecting empty coffee cups and wiping down the counter. She was 24, with dark brown hair tied into a loose ponytail and tired eyes that showed how long her day had been. She had been working at the Blue Lantern Diner for almost two years, usually taking the late shift because the tips were better and because the owner, Mr. Harris, trusted her enough to close the place.She glanced toward the kitchen. "Five more minutes," she whispered to herself.She was already thinking about her tiny apartment, a hot shower, and the leftover pasta waiting in her refrigerator.Then the front door slammed open.Four men walked inside. Maya immediately noticed them. They were soaked from the rain, wearing heavy jackets and muddy boots. One was tall and broad-shouldered with a shaved head and a thick beard. Another wore a black leather jacket and had a tattoo running from his neck to his wrist. The other two looked younger, but their expressions were just as unpleasant.The three remaining customers became unusually quiet.The men chose the largest booth in the diner and dropped into the seats as though they owned the place. The bearded man slapped both hands on the table."Hey."Maya looked over. "Yeah?"He grinned. "Serve us."Maya grabbed four menus and walked toward them. "Good evening. Here are your menus. Kitchen closes in about 20 minutes, so—"The tattooed man snatched one of the menus from her hand. "Don't give us a speech."Maya paused. "I'm sorry?"He laughed. "You heard me."She swallowed her irritation. "Okay, I'll give you a few minutes to decide."She turned to walk away."Wait."Maya stopped. The bearded man leaned back in the booth."Serve us, b a s t e r s t c h."The words seemed to freeze the entire room. Maya slowly turned around. The man laughed again, apparently enjoying the reaction. One of the younger men snickered."What's wrong? Never heard that word before?"Maya stared at them for a second before forcing herself to remain professional. "You don't need to speak to me that way."The bearded man slammed his fist against the table. "We'll speak however we want."