Dawn to Dark

by Halston James

I bring my palm to my chest and clutch at the material, hoping it will calm my heart. I have no freaking clue what I’m doing. I sigh, but I’ve imagined it over and over again; I just never imagined how awkward it would feel. Like good awkward though. My happiness tugs at the corners of my lips until I’m smiling. I resist it by biting at the inside of my cheeks, but no amount of fish faces can keep away my glee.

  Derrick’s sitting in the front seat with Max and swivels around to face me. “So, when can we hang out again?”

  Probably never. I wipe my face of any emotion, so he doesn’t think I’m a weirdo and tell him the truth. “I don’t know. My dad’s not big on letting me go on dates.” I shouldn’t even be here right now.

  “How do we get him to change his mind?”

  We don’t. “I can sneak away.” While Dad’s at work. He’s been working weird hours lately. “Maybe meet you at the diner?” I glance out the window. “Can you let me out here? I should walk the rest of the way just in case my dad’s back.”

  “What’s going to happen if he’s back?”

  I smile nervously and shrug. I don’t want to think that far ahead. “Oh, do you have my notebook?” That’s probably the only thing I will be able to do after this.

  “I do,” he says as Max pulls to the side and parks. “Are you going to make me your Chapter Eight?”

  Eight. Nine. Ten. He can be all the chapters I haven’t written yet. “Maybe.” I glance at the backpacks in the backseat. “Which one is yours?”

  “The one with the subscribe button on it.”

  I hand Derrick his bag. He unzips it and finds it devoid of my book. He asks Max, “Do you have the book?”

  “No!” Max growls. “I gave it to you.” He pulls out his phone and types out a message. In less than a minute he gets a response. “Griffin has it.”

  “Oh,” I say. I don’t even want to know how they got it in the first place. “Can he leave it at the diner?”

  “Max will be at my house later on. We’re editing a parental prank episode where we tell our parents we aren’t going to college.”

  I think my father wouldn’t mind that prank so much. “Will they freak out?”

  “Hell, yeah,” Max says. “Especially Derrick’s.”

  Derrick rests his head on the headrest and pulls down the sun visor to watch me. “You know, I live down the block. You can come grab the notebook, and we can hang out at my house for a little while?”

  “Um…” Warmth radiates inside me, starting at my stomach and spreading outwards. I want to say yes, but I’m scared to. “Can we check if my dad’s car is back at the diner first?”

  Max pulls onto the street and drives by the front of the diner. There aren’t many cars, and thankfully, my dad isn’t back yet.

  “He’s not here,” I say as I press down on the release button for the seat belt. “Do you all mind if I met you at your house?”

  Derrick smirks at me. “Why do I have a feeling you aren’t going to show up?”

  “I am.” I think. “I just need to make sure he’s not out looking for me.”

  “Makes sense,” Max adds. “He’s pretty intense, huh?”

  I chuckle nervously.

  Derrick answers for me, “He’s a cop. I think intense comes with the title.”

  “How do you know that?” Max asks.

  “I’ll tell you later,” Derrick says before addressing me. “You sure you’ll be okay? I can walk in there with you if you want?”

  I smile and shake my head. That would just make everything worse. “Thanks, but it’s cool. I’ll see you back at your house?”

  I open the door and step outside.

  “Wait,” Derrick says as he sticks his head out the window. He points toward the small bushes and says, “Cut through there. It’s a shortcut.”

  “Sure.” I nervously bite my lip while he stares at me. Should I kiss him? I glance around the mostly empty parking lot and think, Oh, what the hell. I press my lips to his and kiss him.

  His tongue slides between my lips.

  Whoa. I snatch my head back and point toward the diner before jolting toward the door. What the hell is wrong with me? I throw the door open. Who the hell runs away like that?

  I glance back at the guys and grimace. Max has his camera out, and Derrick’s waving at me with a sweet smile on his face. Fucking fabulous.

  Vanessa glances up from rubbing at a stain on her apron, and her smile widens when she sees me walk in. “Hey, doll. How was it?”

  I nervously scan the room for my father but only find a few guys scattered around the tables.

  She picks up on it. “He hasn’t come back yet. It’s only been forty-five minutes.” I glance at the wall clock and relax a little. I notice the stain she’s working on and instantly see the small plastic bags in her apron. “He called a little while ago asking for you. I told him you left.”

  “Oh, what did he want?”

  “To say he’d be home after dinner if you called. He has some things to take care of with his partner.”

  The only customer calls her over, holding three fingers in the air. “Vee, can I get my check?”

  She drops her apron and says, “One sec.”

  I follow her to the register.

  “Oh, and he said, ‘Tell her to do what I said.’ I’m not exactly sure what that means.”

  It means to stay put. I glance out the glass window and see Derrick and Max getting out of the car still filming, but they’re headed through the woods to his house. “I need to grab my notebook from Derrick’s friend. Do you think you can cover for me for, like, an hour, tops?”

  “Umm,” she says as she hits things into the computer and prints out a bill. “Sure. I’m in a good mood today, so why not?”

  “Good mood?” I ask, picking up on the sparkling eyes.

  She giggles softly. “Good things are finally happening, Ari.” She taps at the screen as she transfers what’s on her notebook to the register. “If you want to go with the boys, I can tell him you went over Freya’s, but you might want to head over to her house after you’re done. Or at least call her to cover for you.”

  That’s a good idea. “Can I borrow your phone?”

  She reaches into her apron, in one of the smaller flaps, and retrieves her phone, dropping something in the process. She doesn’t notice and hands me the phone. “Here you go.”

  I bend down to pick up her cash. “You dropped this.”

  She chuckles and winks before putting the fifties back into her pocket. “I’m still getting money stuffed into my clothes, huh? Tips are tips though. I’m not complaining.” She steps to the side and saunters over to her customer.

  I send Freya a message, asking for her to cover for me before dedicating my attention to Vanessa—Something isn’t right about all of this.

  I won’t tell if you won’t. Her words echo in my head, sparking my adrenaline.

  She reaches into her apron pocket, takes out three small plastic bags, and puts them in the leather check holder with the receipt, then hands it to the man. “Here you go.”

  The man counts out the dollars for his coffee and puts it in the check holder, taking the bags.

  Vanessa places her hand on his shoulder, hiking her hip toward him. “Don’t forget the tip,” she says loudly.

  The customer sticks the tip—which looks like a wad of cash—into her pocket and then gives her the holder.

  “Thank you, hun.” She takes the leather holder and tucks it under her armpit, which frees her hands to clear the table. She walks his plate and mug to the kitchen.

  He stands up and stops in front of the register, grabs a handful of mints, and smiles at me. “Tell Vee the order will be to go next time.”

  “Okay,” I reply, noticing the corner of the small plastic bag that sticks out from his breast pocket.

  I conceal my gasp and turn away. Is Vanessa dealing drugs in the diner?

  I tuck her phone into my pocket and rush to the kitchen. She’s talking to the cook, so I point
toward the back room, and she nods. A few minutes later, she joins me. “You reach Freya?”

  I hand her the phone. “I sent her a message.”

  She takes it and leaves it on the bench, then goes to her locker and opens it. She plucks the tips out of her apron and slides them into her purse, blatantly removing the baggies and counting them in front of me.

  “Are you dealing drugs to the customers?”

  She stops counting and starts cackling. “I thought we established this earlier.”

  “No, we didn’t. I thought those were for you.”

  “All of these?” she asks, wiggling them in the air. “Maybe if I wanted a few months’ worth.” She tucks them back into her pocket. “Do we have a problem?”

  “I… um…” I swallow hard. “Kind of.”

  She shoves the baggies into her pocket and crosses her arms in front of her, glaring me down. “Really? After all I did for you?”

  “Driving me to the high school?” I ask, getting a little attitude in the process. “That doesn’t compare to you using this place to push drugs. These are our customers. They come here to eat, not have drugs shoved in their faces.”

  A knock comes on the door behind me, but neither of us pay it any mind.

  She holds her hand in the air and slams the locker shut. “You have no idea, do you?”

  “No idea about what?”

  “This place was almost out of business, even when your mother was still alive. She was a sweet lady, but aside from a few kids, no one came in here. This diner was bleeding your family dry.” She steps toward me. “I came over and shared my customers. I saved this place, doll face.”

  “My father would never let you peddle drugs here. Not after what happened to my mother.”

  She throws her head back and chuckles, just as the door to the room opens. Derrick walks in with Max, causing me to panic.

  When she faces me again, I expect her to stop talking because of the audience, but instead she says, “Sweetheart, your daddy knows.”

  What? I forget we aren’t alone. “You’re lying.”

  She clicks her tongue and heads over to the sink. “I’m a lot of things.” She slides her finger under her lip, cleaning the outline of her mouth before turning toward the three of us. “I can’t add liar to my resume, unfortunately.”

  I shake my head in disbelief. She just lied to my father on the phone. What the hell did she mean she wasn’t a liar?

  “Let’s go,” Derrick says, placing his arm on my shoulder.

  “No!” I shout and step away from him. “My dad’s a cop. He wouldn’t…” I meant that to come out with more confidence than it did.

  She scoffs. “Think about it. Why do you think he doesn’t want you hanging around here, much less date customers like…” She flicks her gaze over to the boys.

  “Derrick?” I gasp as I turn to him.

  “Well, no,” she corrects herself as Derrick’s shaking his head. “Mostly Max, and only the occasional pills to keep him going.”

  My heart sinks into my gut, beating wildly. As wave after wave of emotion threatens to tear me down, I cling on to what I know about my father. There has to be a reason. “My mom died because of an investigation gone wrong. He would never voluntarily agree to this.”

  She purses her lips together. “She got caught in the wrong place. Your mother wasn’t supposed to die.”

  “What do you know about that?”

  She swallows and checks the time on her phone. “Your dad will be here soon. Maybe he can explain it better?”

  “You said…”

  “I’m his partner,” she says triumphantly. “I meant, he had business to handle with me. We ventured into something a little bigger than just the diner. I’m getting old, sweetie. I can’t be waitressing my whole life.”

  “Then why would you pretend you needed me to keep a secret?”

  She shrugs and waves her hand flippantly. “I didn’t want to implicate your dad, but I really don’t care anymore. He’s served his purpose. In a few hours, I’ll be out of here and living in the lap of luxury.”

  7

  Trigger

  Derrick Prince

  “Ari?” A well-built man walks into the room. He turns to the three of us and glares at Vanessa, who doesn’t seem concerned. “What are the three of you doing back here?”

  I’m not sure exactly which three he’s referring to, but I answer, “I wanted to talk to you, sir, about prom.” And return the notebook in my back pocket.

  “About what?” he growls but dismisses me when he notices the tears in Ariana’s eyes. “What is this, Vanessa?” I notice the slight tremor in his tone.

  “Your daughter caught me selling tonight.” She steps closer to Ari. “So, I told her about our little arrangement.”

  His eyes widen, and he steels his back. “The three of you, get out.”

  This time, I know he’s referring to us. I grab hold of Ariana’s shaking hand and tug her closer to me. I glance at Max, who reaches behind him. I note a light coming from his back pocket.

  He steps farther away from me and nonchalantly asks, “Vanessa seems to think you’re a dirty cop, Mr. Merchant.”

  Shit, Max. What are you doing?

  Vanessa laughs and takes a seat on the bench. “Did you speak to the guys at Trailway Mountains? They were supposed to have a huge shipment come in today.”

  “Shut up, Vanessa.” Mr. Merchant runs his hands over his graying hair and turns toward me. “Why are you still here?”

  Vanessa laughs. “Probably because I told her that you aren’t as perfect as she thinks you are. Have you told them how we met?” Mr. Merchant’s jaw clenches shut, causing Vanessa’s grin to widen. “Well, I was Smethers’ and your father’s confidential informant.”

  Ari’s grip tightens around my fingers and she asks, “You’re the one who told them about the guys cooking the drugs?”

  Vanessa points to herself. “That’s me. My sister was dating one of them, and he liked to take his frustrations out on her, so I wanted revenge. I didn’t think the dickhead would blow himself up.” She pauses and glances at my father. “The explosion took out two of the three main guys running the Mountains. The younger brother, Stanley, was injured in the explosion, but no one knew that. When he disappeared, we assumed he died… which left me with a business opportunity I couldn’t resist.”

  “You took over the ring,” Max surmises.

  She holds her finger in the air, pointing at him. “Almost. Stanley came back a few months later, and he almost killed me… I had already quit stripping at the Grotto, and your mom hired me here. She gave me an opportunity even when things were failing.”

  Mr. Merchant takes over. “Your mom knew nothing about this.”

  “Right. She was actually kind of sweet. Anyway, Robbie Smethers kept poking around the case looking for Stanley, and Stanley’s presence back at the park undermined me. I saw an opportunity; I couldn’t have either of them breathing down my neck when I was trying to establish my business, so I gave Stanley a way to get his revenge.”

  She needed the road clear for her power play.

  “The night Stanley decided he was going to kill the Smethers family, I called Robbie with a tip. It kept him away from the house long enough for Stanley to do his business.”

  “He murdered a whole family!” Ariana shouts and glances at her father, who has his fists clenched at his sides. Lowering her voice, she says, “And destroyed another one.”

  Vanessa’s pitch elevates. “Your mother wasn’t supposed to die. I already told you that.”

  “You knew Jetham was planning on killing the family?” Ari’s father asks.

  She shrugs.

  “You helped him?” he confirms.

  “Well, I placed a call. I didn’t murder anyone.”

  Ari turns on her father. “Did you know she was dealing drugs from Mom’s diner, or were you too busy trying to move on that you didn’t care?”

  “I did,” he confesses and comes to
stand next to Vanessa, who rubs his thigh suggestively.

  Ariana picks up on it immediately. She huffs out a breath, and her face twists in pain as she watches Vanessa glance up at her father with a huge smile on her face.

  “Ari,” I warn and tug her back when she rushes for them.

  “Your dad and I have an arrangement,” Vanessa says as he puts his hand on her shoulder.

  Max scoffs, refusing to stay back. “So, you’re screwing?”

  “I don’t want to hear this…” Ari leans against me. “She’s responsible for Mom’s murder.”

  Vanessa rolls her eyes. “I already…”

  I stop listening to Vanessa when I catch the grimace in Mr. Merchant’s face. He quickly clears it and flicks his gaze over at me before he looks at the door. What is he doing?

  “To be fair your Dad had no clue what my connection was with the Smethers murder. Now that I told you though, it complicates things, doesn’t it?” She glances up at Mr. Merchant. “If you tell any of this to anyone, I’ll make sure the police know how shitty of a cop you really are.” She points to Ari. “And I’ll make sure she, and her friends, never talk again.”

  “I think she just threatened us,” Max announces.

  I glance over my shoulder at him and mouth, ‘Shut up.’

  She chuckles at the three of us.

  Mr. Merchant reaches behind him and takes the handcuffs from his back pocket. “Vanessa Sloan, you have the right to remain silent…”

  As quick as a snake, Vanessa crouches down, lifting the hem of his pant leg and grabbing the side arm from the holster around his ankle.

  Ariana shouts for her dad, warning him…

  But it’s too late.

  “Vanessa,” he says, trying to talk her down. “What is your plan here?”

  She jams the barrel into his stomach, pushing him back a smidge, and stands up. “You aren’t taking me anywhere. We made a deal.”

  “There’s no deal. The D.E.A. confiscated the drugs, and they’re outside the diner waiting for you.”

  She shuffles to her feet, and her smile slips. She breathes out, minutely shaking her head, and says, “It’s been three years…”