Page 143 of When Darkness Calls

It meant something to us…

I grab the pencil and pick up my mask, making light, scratchy marks against the pristine acrylic, shading in some shapes to note the areas for black paint and what will remain white.

Large circles around the eyes, with shaky, messy shading beneath.

Spindled, spiderwebbed lines clustering around a jagged star-like center.

Wide, thin half-moon stretching beyond the outline of the molded bumps of the mask's lips.

Cay and Grayson lean closer. From the corner of my eye, I can see Cay’s cheesy grin.

“A doll?” Grays asks, head tilting, lips pursed in thought. “It’s cool. I’m not judging, but why a doll?”

“Because…” I lift it in front of me, staring at the potential so many people said I could have, and yet surrounded by the only ones who ever saw it not as what I could be, but who I will become.

“It means something to me,” I smile, laying it back down. “And it came from all of you.”

forty-two

Dani

The energy inside the old building is fucking crazy tonight. Hundreds of people crowd around the makeshift ring in the center of the room. Patrons are yelling, laughing, cheering as the two guys in the middle of the room are wailing on each other. Blood flies across the stone floor painting a mosaic in crimson.

Grayson stands beside me, bouncing on the balls of his feet. I’ve never seen him this amped up before. It’s…kind of weirdly adorable. He’s wearing a gray zipped up hoodie and basketball shorts with a manic sort of light in his eyes.

“Okay, killer. So, the plan. You’re going to make it a good fucking fight. Alright?” Alex lifts his brow. “Not like last time. We need you to stay in that ring as long as humanly possible for this to go right. That, and I may or may not have bet two hundred bucks on this going to the last round. So…” He shrugs.

I bark out a laugh, shaking my head. “That’s funny.” But Alex just gives me a dead stare.

“You aren’t serious right now. Two hundred dollars?! How do you know it’ll even last that long,” I grimace, “Sorry, Grays, not to be rude, but you could get your ass kicked.”

He smirks at me, and Alex laughs. “Just you wait, Dee. Grays, locker room.” Alex ushers Grayson through the crowd toward the back where the hallway lined with doors, one I assume is the locker room.

I stand among the sea of people, bodies crashing into me as they move around getting drinks, meeting up with friends, and surging closer to the ring to have a better view.

Nick sidles up to me. He leans in close so I can hear over the outrageous noise. “What’re you thinking?”

“I think this is fucking insane.”

A satisfied, smug expression crosses his face. “That’s the point.” He walks off, disappearing through the hazy lights.

Behind me, Cade and Keegan are huddled together. Keeg’s leg is healing pretty well. The stitches he gave himself have a few more days until they’re ready to be taken out, but he’s still limping pretty badly. When I asked him earlier, he swore he would be okay, but I caught him taking a few over-the-counter painkillers before we left Grayson’s house.

“Okay, what are we doing?” My question catches them off guard, both turning to me.

“The guy we questioned a few weeks back—”

“Marcus,” Keegan supplies.

“Marcus said that the next pick-up point was here, tonight. He’s here somewhere, waiting to meet with whoever it is he’s getting the drugs from. He said that when it happens, he’d text us so we can follow, and then we’re gonna stick around a bit once he leaves it at the drop off place, see who comes around, maybe dispose of it and have someone new to question,” Cade finishes, eyes scanning the crowd.

“So, essentially we're waiting for a text, and then we’re just staking out?” I ask.

“Pretty much,” Keegan exhales.

“Nice, so I can go get a drink…” I trail off, starting to move toward the bar on the left of the ring, but Cay’s hand stops me.

“Not so fast, missy.” He gives me a scathing look.