If I thought Alex's change in texting habits was strange, nothing could have prepared me for seeing him in person again.

After picking me up for dinner the next night, he and I were sharing the most awkward silence in his car. We'd just pulled off my street, so it's not as though we had time to start a full-on conversation yet. But we also hadn't exchanged more than a hi, hello, how are you since I sat down in his passenger seat.

He stared intently out the windshield, eyes on the road. It might've looked like extra careful driving, if not for the distraction on his face or the fact that he kept checking his phone.

Something was off.

Thanks to Dante and Spencer, the car was already filled to the brim with my suspicions of Alex, so it didn't help at all that he was acting out of character.

Always the more vocal one of us, after all, his silence was telling a story I didn't want to read.

I looked out the window and watched the town swish by on our way to Brighton, my fingers fiddling with the strap of my purse. It wasn't until we were driving along Main Street that Alex finally cleared his throat and said something.

"So, how long have you lived in Fairhaven?"

"Uhm..." I turned to face him, caught off guard by the question. "Forever, I guess. As long as I've been alive anyway."

He glanced out his window, nodding as we passed by the library. "It's a cute little place."

"Yeah, it is."

If you didn't take a closer look...

After another beat of silence, Alex's next question caught me even more off guard than the last one.

"Do your parents still live nearby?"

A breath hitched in my throat. It had been so long since anyone referred to my parents as a plural unit. Since Dad got put away—and for a while before then, if I was being honest—my only parent was Mom. Always Mom.

I spared a glance at Alex, hesitating to answer. I didn't even know how to answer. Or if I should?

It was humiliating enough to admit that my father was in federal prison. But considering the current situation, it didn't feel exactly safe to admit such a thing either.

Dante had convinced himself that Alex was one of Amato's guys from Chicago, that he could somehow be connected to Dalton's death. And Spence, well...being a liar was enough to shake his radar, whether he was being dishonest about his identity or partaking in something as small as a white lie.

As for me, I wanted to believe Alex was who he said he was, but the doubt had been planted. I had to be careful.

"Yeah," I finally muttered. "My parents are close by."

Alex hummed a half response, distracted again as his eyes drifted down to his phone, resting in the little tray between us with the spare change and a USB port.

When he noticed it wasn't lit up with whatever call or notification he was waiting for, his gaze traveled over to me again.

"And, uh..." He exhaled a heavy breath, hesitation clear in his body language as he blinked a couple times and then turned forward to watch the road. "Any other siblings?"

My stomach dropped. At the question itself and the unspoken part of it. The part where he didn't say, besides the one you told me about who died, but that's exactly what he was asking.

I stared forward, the leather strap of my purse now working overtime against my pulling grip on it.

Alex was just full of questions tonight, wasn't he? And this one was another I wasn't sure I should answer honestly. I mean, how much of my identity was safe to disclose before I was certain of his?

I didn't like lying more, but what difference would it make? We were done getting to know each other, of that I was sure. My only reason for being in that car was to get answers.

"No," I sighed. "It's just me."

"Oh." Alex swallowed hard and nodded, his shoulders going stiff as be stared forward.

The body language, once again, had me pausing. What the hell was his deal?

That did remind me though...

"How's your brother, by the way?" I asked, turning to him and tossing some fake confidence into my voice. "How's his restaurant doing?"

Alex slowed at a stop sign outside of town. "It's, uh, it's good," he answered, brushing a hand over his face. "The construction is coming along."

As soon as the words came out, I felt like I'd been slapped in the face. Since when was his brother's restaurant under construction?

My mind started running a mile a minute. At first, I wondered if that was the reason he'd never taken me there before, and I felt really dumb for making assumptions.

Until I remembered what he told me when we met: that his brother was having a hard time getting the restaurant off its feet.

Not getting it built...

Did I miss something?

"Construction, right." I took a deep breath. "I bet he's looking forward to that being done. Then he can start looking at more suppliers and hiring staff and all that fun stuff."

Alex laughed softly. "He won't be getting into any of those things for a while."

Oh really, I wanted to blurt. Because when we first went out, he suggested drinks in the city since he'd be nearby looking at a new produce supplier.

Oh, fuck.

Who are you, Alex?

My next words came out without thinking. "I thought you said he met with a new produce supplier recently?"

His eyes flashed over to me and then back to the road. "Did I?"

"Yeah."

He shifted around in the driver's seat. "No, it was the equipment warehouse he went to a few weeks ago. He picked out some big fancy stove for the kitchen."

"Oh, okay." I nodded.

As we pulled up to a red light, he laughed and looked over at me again. "There's been so much going on with that damn restaurant. I must've been confused."

I bet...

As he stared back at me, the icy blue in his eyes caught a glint of light from the setting sun. It made him look so innocent somehow, despite the misinformation fleeing his mouth.

I twisted around in my own seat, immediately uncomfortable and about ready to hop out of the car, regardless of the fact that we were in some in-between town outside of Fairhaven with only a gas station and a Dollar General in sight.

Alex looked down at his phone again. And this time, as though activated by his death stare, it lit up with a text notification.

He grabbed it like his life depended on whatever that text said. Then he checked the traffic light, making sure it was still red before he unlocked the screen and read the text.

The silence, once again, was painful.

"Is everything okay?" I asked for no other reason than to make some noise, to give myself something to focus on as my skin crawled with unease.

"No, actually." With a frown, his eyes scanned the area around us. "I'm sorry, but I need to make a phone call."

"Okay, sure," I said, thinking he meant he was going to make the call right then, in the car.

But instead, he clicked his turn signal on and started changing lanes, heading toward the gas station.

What the hell?

He pulled in and parked haphazardly beside one of the pumps. "I'll be right back."

And then he hopped out without another word.

"What. The. Fuck," I muttered to myself as I watched him wander a few yards away from where he'd parked the car and left me in it.

From the moment he got that text, his whole energy had shifted into something even more strange than the night had started with, and now I was alone in his car while he took a phone call?

He needed immediate privacy that badly?

In my purse, my own phone went off, two texts simultaneously. I rolled my eyes. The dream team must've been reaching out.

Dante: find anything out?

Spence: are you safe?

No and no.

My eyes drifted back up to Alex outside, noting his tight posture as he stood by the curb and seemed to be listening intently to whoever was on the line.

This whole situation had taken such a strange turn so quickly, I definitely didn't feel safe. But I was in the guy's car...alone.

I could definitely try to find some of those answers I was after.

Taking another glance outside, to make sure Alex was still distracted with his call, my hands were already reaching for the glove box, my heart picking up an anxious beat as I clicked it open.

Calm down, Davina. It's just a little creep session.

Leaning forward a little, I kept my neck straight and my head as upright as possible, so he wouldn't see me hunched over and searching if he were to glance in my direction.

My eyes beamed down into the glove box. I did a quick once over and pulled out a small stack of papers that resided inside.

Back up to Alex...

He was still distracted with his call and had turned his back to me. Perfect.

I skimmed the papers, finding the exact documentation one would come across in a fucking rental car. Not helpful at all. There wasn't even a name on any of it.

"Shit." I slammed the glove box shut and my eyes went to Alex again. He was still on the phone but had taken a couple steps back in the direction of the car.

I was running out of time.

Turning, I glanced into the backseat. It was empty except for a pair of boots on the floor.

Back to the front.

Alex was still on the phone.

Carefully and extra slow, I opened the center console, but only found a phone charger and a pack of gum.

Come on. There had to be something in here.

Then I reached under the passenger seat, once again keeping my head up so it didn't look obvious that I was ransacking his damn car. It wasn't the best way to perform a search, but it would have to do.

My hand explored blindly, quickly as I could. Shifting this way and that, desperate to find something.

And that's exactly when I found two somethings.

The first one sent a shiver up my spine as I held my breath, feeling cold steel against my fingertips and clocking the unmistakable shape of a gun.

Swallowing hard, I carefully nudged it aside and grabbed the paper I could feel beneath it.

My eyes went up to see Alex taking slow steps toward the car, but the phone was still plastered to his ear and he was looking down at the pavement as he walked.

I had just enough time to look down at the paper, which turned out to be an envelope. And when I did, my blood ran cold.

I couldn't process what I was reading or seeing.

My brain completely stopped working.

The envelope was addressed to someone named Allesandro Leone. And there was a small pack of Bluejay inside.

***

Author Note: 

This doesn't feel like my finest work, you guys. I apologize for that, haha. I'm still figuring out how to properly capture moments of suspense, as it's not my usual genre, and I mostly just needed to get this chapter out to keep the story flowing. It'll get fleshed out in editing, but I have to constantly remind myself that this is a first draft, and it doesn't have to be perfect.

Either way, I'd love some feedback! Does this big reveal feel cohesive to the story? I know some of you saw it coming and others were holding out hope for Alex. But does this moment feel like it came at the right time? Was it too sudden or did it drag to get here? I want to know everything. I'd love to know what's working for the story and what could be improved. You won't hurt my feelings. 😅💖

As always, thanks for being here!