Sleeping in for a baker was relatively rare, but with Mad Batter temporarily closed, Casey stayed in bed later than usual. He tended to wake when the sun rose and the birds greeted the day with their chirping symphonies. Even Wyatt slept later, and Casey didn't mind that at all.

Nightmares haunted Casey in his dreams. When he closed his eyes, he saw his mom's sullen face and frightened eyes glaring up at him from inside their bakery's dumpster. Sometimes he woke up sporadically through the night, drenched in sweat and heart pounding a mile a minute.

The rustling wind outside his window made him want to snuggle back under the covers, but he found himself dragging his bare feet across the carpeted floor. Wyatt must've already woken up, probably down in the living room with his dad or Lani, as he no longer slept in his bed. With a yawn, Casey trudged over to his closet and donned warm clothes.

Casey decided to take Wyatt and Lani out for lunch, trying to take his mind off the murderous madness these past few days. They settled on a retro diner out near Hell's Hollow called The Wallflower. As they crossed the black and white checkered floor, a jukebox in the back corner of the restaurant played an old rock song, something that sounded like his dad would listen to.

The Wallflower served the best milkshakes in town and Casey loved their waffle fries there. They chose a booth in the front section near a window, where he could watch the traffic drone on. A male waiter came over to them shortly, donned in their standard uniform: a lime green button up and black apron. His name tag had Emmett printed on it.

"What can I get you guys to drink?" Emmett asked, retrieving a little notepad for their orders.

"We'll take a coke and apple juice," Casey replied.

"And I'll have a sweet tea," Lani said.

"Sure thing. You need time to go over the menu or would you like to order now?"

"Now's fine," Casey said. "I'll have a butter steak burger with a side of waffle fries and Wyatt will have some chicken fingers with a side of waffle fries."

"And, for you, mam." Emmett turned his attention to Lani.

"I'll have the same thing as Casey, but with no onions."

Emmett nodded, jotting down their order. "I'll bring your drinks out here in just a sec."

"Alright, thank you."

Casey sighed, turning his attention back outside to the traffic. The weather had warmed up, but only slightly, and not enough to melt much of the snow. Most of it clung to the sides of the roads, covered in filth. Wyatt quietly doodled on a kid's color menu, seeming a world away from him.

"Has Dad told you anything else about the person who threatened us?" Lani asked.

"No, he's been reserved ever since we went to the police station." Casey fiddled with a napkin dispenser. "I've been worried about him. I think he blames himself for what happened to Mom."

"What do you think he did for those gang members?" Lani leaned closer, lowering her. "He said he gave them money and did everything they asked of him. What could he have possibly meant by that?"

Casey bit down on his inner cheek, wondering how much he should tell her. His dad didn't seem to want anyone knowing what he did, especially not after he learned how Mom had been killed.

"I don't know." Casey shrugged.

Soon enough, their waiter came back to the table with their drinks. Emmett paused at their booth for a moment, then turned around and headed back into the kitchen.

"Hey, after we're done here, let's stop by the bakery," Lani suggested.

Casey frowned. "Why? The police have it cordoned off as a crime scene, although she wasn't killed inside."

"I want to have a look around, that's all." Lani sipped her tea.

"But why?"

"I asked Dad if I could see the security footage from that night. He told me no because the police need it for their investigation," Lani explained. "But I didn't listen to him and checked his computer while he showered this morning. All the footage from that day is missing."

"Well, he probably had to turn it over to the police," Casey pointed out.

"You don't understand. The footage wasn't shared with anyone because he must've deleted it," Lani said. "Otherwise, I would have found it. But that wasn't the only thing missing. Your run-in with that August guy is no longer there. There's no evidence of him ever stepping foot inside the bakery."

Casey gulped. "You don't think that guy might've had something to do with Mom's murder, do you?"

"I'm not sure." Lani rested her hands on the table. "That's why I want to check out the bakery. Maybe there's something the cops overlooked or... I don't know."

"We can go. But we won't tell Dad about it, okay?" Casey said. "I still have the key."

Lani smirked. "You hear that, Wyatt? It'll be our little secret visit to the bakery, okay?"

"Okay, Aunt Lani. Our little secret." Wyatt grinned.

"I don't like how suspicious you both seem right now," Casey joked. "You wouldn't ever keep a secret from me, would you, Wyatt?"

"Maybe." Wyatt resumed coloring.

"Sometimes Mom and I let him have dessert before supper," Lani said. "We tell him it's our little secret and not to tell you because you're always on him to eat all his food before snacks."

Casey ruffled up his boy's hair, smiling. "It's okay to have sweets before supper sometimes. But we won't make a habit out of it, okay?"

"Okay."

"And keeping secrets from the family won't be something we do either," Casey said. "Just this once, we will."

Wyatt nodded. "Okay."

It wasn't long before the waiter brought their order out. As Casey munched on his waffle fries, he couldn't help wondering about what happened to that missing video surveillance footage. Was it possible that the person who threatened their dad make him delete it and he just didn't want to tell them? His dad was already riddled with enough guilt, perhaps he didn't want to shoulder more blame.

"How is everything? Would any of you like a refill on your drinks?" Emmett approached their table, standing at Casey's side.

"Everything is great, thank you," Casey replied.

Casey noticed a tick in the man's jaw as he gave him a crooked half-smile. Upon closer inspection, he realized Emmett had some faint bruising on neck. As if he'd caught Casey staring, he tugged at the collar of his uniform's white undershirt.

Something about the man seemed peculiar, but Casey didn't worry too much about it. Emmett didn't dawdle by their table any longer and went to check up on his other customers. Casey watched the odd man as he handed out food to other tables, wondering if he'd recently gotten into a fight and someone tried to choke him.

Before heading out, Lani went to use the restroom so Casey stepped outside with Wyatt. Icy wind stung his skin as Casey pulled his hood over his head, covering his ears. He made sure Wyatt wore his wool hat too and had him bundled up in a puffer coat.

In the corner of his eye, he noticed Emmett standing under the veranda, smoking a cigarette.

"You're a baker down at Mad Batter, right?" Emmett asked.

"Yeah, my dad owns the bakery," Casey replied.

Emmett nodded, blowing a puff of air to the wind. "I heard about your mom. Such a tragedy. You and your family have my sympathies."

"Thank you." Casey gazed back toward the door, hoping Lani hurried up. Something about that Emmett guy gave him a bad feeling, despite how kind he acted.

"You ought to be careful out there, Casey. Your family's got a hit put out on them." Emmett put his cigarette out in the handmade ashtray, turning to head back inside the diner. "Well, I gotta get back to work. Hope you drop by again soon."

"Wait." Casey instinctively reached out for the man's arm, almost yanking him back. He didn't expect him to be such a lightweight. "Shit, sorry. I just... What do you know? Who put a hit on my family?"

Emmett gazed behind them, as if he suspected someone listened in on their conversation, before leaning closer to Casey. He felt the other man's warm breath against his cheek. "The Black Vipers. I wanted to say something at the table, but we were being watch. I also didn't want to freak you out."

"Why? I don't understand. What did my family do? And why are you telling me this?" Casey asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" A smirk stretched across his porcelain face. "I want to help you. Those bastards have been a thorn in my ass forever now. They love wrecking havoc on the diner, and I just can't stand them."

Casey stepped back, eyeing the man suspiciously as he gripped his son's hand tightly. "What kind of help could you offer?"

"Anything you need. I'm sure expenses must be tight on you, having a kid that young." Emmett gestured to Wyatt, who peeked at Emmett curiously. "Look, you seem like a trustworthy guy so I don't mind letting this little bit of info slip out, but I work with the Voiceless Rebels. I got close ties to their leader, and if you need help getting those vipers off your back, then consider it done. We can get justice for your mother too."

"I appreciate the offer, I really do, but we don't need help from any gang. I'm sorry, but we need to get going. My sister will be out soon." Casey walked hastily across the snow-covered parking lot, tugging Wyatt close beside him to their truck. He unlocked the doors with hasten speed, getting Wyatt situated in his car seat before locking them up inside to wait for Lani.

Emmett gave them a little wave before stepping back inside the diner, leaving Casey more perplexed than ever. What the hell did the Voiceless Rebels want with his family? Why would that waiter offer help and protection? There had to be a ghastly price to pay and Casey wouldn't take any chance. He trusted none of the gangs.

By the time Lani climbed into the truck, Casey wanted nothing more than to leave. He sped out of the lot and got back onto the main road.

"Hey, are you alright?" Lani asked.

"That waiter we had works for the Voiceless Rebels," Casey replied.

"What? How do you know?"

"While you were in the restroom, he made a proposition to me, claiming he had ties to their leader and could get us help financially and with getting justice for our mom. It was unnerving. He even knew my name and about what happened to our mom," Casey explained.

"You think him and his gang had something to do with her murder?" Lani questioned.

"I don't know. I just find it awfully strange how he's offering his assistance," Casey replied. "Like, what's he getting out of helping us?"

"I remember something mom once mentioned," Lani said. "The Voiceless Rebels like using small businesses to launder their money. I'm thinking that he'd probably want us to use Mad Batter for that in return for helping us out with their rival. It's sketchy as hell for him to approach you and even daring, as I'm sure that's not something they announce to just anyone."

"That's why he waited until you went to the restroom," Casey pointed out. "He only wanted me to hear the offer, hoping I'd take it. But I'm not stupid enough to put our family or the business in jeopardy like that. We're in a tough spot, but we'll find a way out of it without using those gang members for help."

"All these gang members showing up now is weird. It makes me wonder if Veronica has any involvement," Lani said.

Casey gulped, gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles whitened. "I hope not."

Veronica wouldn't be cruel enough to put a hit out on his whole family, would she? Wyatt would end up in foster care, and Casey couldn't imagine her wanting to traumatize their son anymore than she already had.