Since we hit nearly 50 reads in under 24 hours of me posting this book, here's another chapter! 

Also, go follow my cowriter, Carissa Jade! @TheJadeWarrior I wouldn't be able to do this without her!! And as always, constructive criticism is always appreciated!

-I.J.

"You look like someone is after you, Ares," Brayden told his cousin. Ares was tense, especially after Kace had gotten him riled, but mostly because of the detective. That stupid, idiotic man who probably knew nothing about his life or anything past the face he'd obviously been checking out Darcy.

"I'm a little tense, yeah, but that's not because someone might kill me," Ares said.

"Is it that detective that called? What was that about?" Brayden asked.

"Remember when I was seventeen and I went to that hellhole of a camp for delinquents?" Ares muttered.

"Of course I do, you got in trouble for being involved in that fight with, what was his name?" Brayden questioned.

"It was a gang, Bray. There was more than one guy."

"Oh, right. Anyhow, why did the detective want to know about the camp?"

"One of our friends went missing one night, and they just found her body," Ares muttered, nearly inaudible.

"What? Like murder or suicide?"

"She was found dead recently."

"Recently dead or recently found?"

"No, Brayden. She was found buried in the dirt where a new playground was going to be built." Ares snapped. "Sorry," He rubbed his temples. "I'm really high strung."

"How did you know where it was found, Ares?" Brayden inquired.

"Because I asked the Chief of Police and he has a bit of a loose tongue." Ares sighed.

"Oh." Brayden paused. "I was thinking we could go to that diner once again, I haven't properly apologized to Miss Quinn."

"No!" Ares exclaimed, before coughing, "I mean, is it really necessary?"

"Yes," Brayden said and opened the car door. "We're here."

"Can't I stay in the car?" Ares whined, slumping in the leather seat.

"You sound like a teenager going through puberty at the moment, Ares. Also, you must apologize too, you were acting inappropriately. I mean asking her for her number? Horrible flirting? I expect a sincere apology, Ares."

"You're not my mother, Brayden."

"But I am your ride home unless you want to walk in the rain."

A pause. "Have I told you how much I hate your reasoning lately?"

"Just enough for me to know it's working. Come on." Brayden smiled, that million-dollar, in front of a magazine cover smile.

Ares groaned before reluctantly getting out of the car. He noticed Darcy cleaning some tabletops. "See, she's closing up! We wouldn't want to bother her, would we? That's pretty rude, keeping her at work longer than she has to."

"Stop stalling and walk."

"It says closed, Brayden." It didn't, but Brayden didn't have the best vision, so he didn't need to know that. "Maybe they're closing early today."

"Just walk, you liar," Brayden said, his hand firmly gripping Ares's shoulder.

"Do you see anyone eating? No? Yeah, I know. That means they're closed."

"Ares..." Brayden said in a warning tone.

"What? She's closing up, it would be rude if we interrupted her cleaning!"

"No stalling, Ares. I know when you're lying."

"Do you not have eyes, Brayden? She clearly looks busy."

"She's laughing with a friend, you idiot."

"Are you going to interrupt her conversation for something as stupid as this?" Ares questioned.

Brayden knocked on the door. "Okay, yes you are," Ares muttered. Tori was with Darcy, her laugh echoing through the empty diner.

"Hello, Miss Quinn," Brayden said as Darcy opened the door. The redhead looked so unimpressed, it was a miracle Brayden didn't walk away right there. Well, he had been engaged to her stepsister.

"Mr. King, how can I help you?" Darcy said politely with a small smile.

"By accepting Ares' and my apology for the other day."

"It's honestly fine, you two just caught me off guard that day," Darcy said.

Tori snorted. "More like Ares did."

"I'm sorry, why?" Brayden asked. Ares groaned. This wasn't going to end well.

"Oh come on, Ceresio! You didn't tell your rich ass cousin about our history? I mean, it's like seeing you come back from the dead." Tori announced, her words carefully chosen, keeping eye contact with Ares.

"That joke was already used by Mariella. It's old now, Tori." Ares reported.

Darcy looked as if she had no clue what to do, standing at the door, acting as some sort of barrier between Ares and Tori.

"But it's such a good fact." Tori leered at the dark-haired man.

"I'm sorry, but would you care to elaborate?" Brayden asked, and Ares gave Darcy a pleading look, asking her to tell Tori to shut up, with his eyes.

"No, I wouldn't like to. I want to go back to my place because I've had a long day and I don't have the energy to deal with this shit right now." Ares snapped.

"You had a long day, Ceresio? You're not the one who saw someone who you thought was dead for a decade!" Tori shouted, causing Darcy to flinch.

"It wasn't a decade, asshole. It was nine years."

"Wow, cue in the highschool insults." Tori clapped.

"You were dead?" Brayden asked his cousin, incredulously.

"No, that's the whole point of 'faking' it, Brayden." Ares snapped, twisting out of his cousin's grip and walking back to the car.

Tori shrugged, not giving a damn. "Drama Queen." She directed her attention to Brayden, "Now, arrogant bastard, are you going to leave?"

"Tori! Don't re so rude! Honestly, it's fine, I don't really care about people being rude to me. I work at a diner, that's all that ever happens here." Darcy scolded, finally deciding to open her mouth.

"Something like that should never be expected," Brayden said stoically.

"Look, dude, I have bigger things to worry about. I have more on my plate. I don't have time to spare for some guy I knew. That's just a fact." Darcy sighed. "So, don't come in here, trying to be Prince Charming, 'cause underneath that million-dollar smile, I bet you have secrets too. Just, consider yourselves forgiven." 

***

"This is a really good pie, Darce!" Kace said, digging his fork into the blueberry filling.

"Yeah... I'll send your compliments to the chef. What are you doing here, Kace?"

"Tori said that you have one of the most popular diners in the city! I had to try it." He gave a sheepish grin that was only accentuated by his blue teeth.

"Kace, you look like an idiot," Kyana said, wiping her mouth delicately. "Darcy, I see you lost the accent. Shame, I liked it."

"New York City does that to you. When are you two going back to Massachusetts?" Massachusetts was the twins stomping ground, still their home after all these years.

"Can't. Gotta stay in town until this case closes because right now, all of us are the suspects."

"Damn, did you get the whole don't leave town speel too?" Ares's voice materialized from behind Darcy's left shoulder, and she spun around. "Darce, I didn't know you made a pie."

Darcy shrugged. "You don't know a lot about me."

"Yes, Ares," Kyana replied, her voice cold. "We did get the dumbass talk and I'm pissed." She did look pissed off. Her honey-blonde brows were furrowed and eyes were a stormy blue.

"Darce!" Sel's voice called from behind, "Code DSFIH!"

"DSDI- oh, DSDIH." A scowl made its way onto Darcy's face.

"I want to have Darcy Quinn fired! I want to see the owner!" Jackson screamed, his face turning redder and redder. To his credit, Kai didn't flinch.

Darcy mentally facepalmed at how idiotic her stepfather was acting.

"I'm sorry sir, but you can't act like this in here," Darcy informed him sweetly.

"You slu-" Jackson tried to say, but was cut off.

"Sir, unless you want to be escorted off the premises, I would recommend that you keep your mouth shut," Selena said.

"I am going to have words with your boss, Darcy! You'll be out of there faster than you can blink!" Jackson howled, spittle flying everywhere, and she flinched slightly.

Darcy heard some of the regulars snicker at her stepfather.

"What are you whores laughing at?"

"Sir, unless you want us to call law enforcement, I would recommend you be quiet, we do not tolerate this kind of language here. This is a family-friendly diner." Darcy said calmly.

"I want to talk with the owner of this establishment! He has not been answering my phone calls and I've become increasingly annoyed." Jackson spat.

"For starters, the owner is a woman." Darcy interrupted. "Two, you're contaminating our workspace, and disrupting the enjoyment of our customers."

"You don't get to be a part of this conversation, you little slut. Your sister is in tears over how you slept with her fianceé!" Jackson hissed, close to Darcy's face.

"You mean how she slept with mine?" Darcy spat back, getting mad.

"Oh! Is that why my cousin called off the engagement? I thought it was just because she's hideous, but she cheated on him! No one's done that before." Ares said his finger on his chin in fake realization.

Darcy gave Selena a look, signaling her to call the cops. This was escalating, and too many people were getting involved.

"The owner, Darcy!"

"I am the owner, you bastard! I am so sick of this! You don't even try to hear me out, you just yell about how Amelia is heartbroken and how Amelia is so special, and Amelia, Amelia, Amelia!" Darcy yelled, finally snapping. "So I'm gonna tell you one more time, get the hell out of my dinner."

"You don't have to guts for business, child." Jackson hissed.

"Well, your opinion doesn't matter. So, out of my diner. The cops will have a blast looking at the security camera footage, and not to mention the witnesses."

That's when Jackson punched her. Damn, it hurt. He was strong and mad, and it made him dangerous. Oh, how she wanted to make sure he never had children again.

But she wasn't going to do anything. Whatever he did, he would have his consequences, she wasn't going to stoop down to his level.

"Sirens!" Selena called, as she stood by the door. Darcy noticed that she had her phone out, as did a few other members of the diner.

"Sir! Please come out with your hands up! Step away from the young lady!" A deep voice said. Well, what do you know? The Chief of Police himself was here.

Darcy let out a humorless laugh. "Oh, you're so screwed."

***

"Nice to see you, Detective," Darcy said, holding the ice pack she had been given against her jaw. She was in the precinct, waiting for someone to take her statement. She had her security footage and Sel's phone as well.

"I would have hoped it was under different circumstances." The Detective said. "So you claim that your stepfather hit you?"

"I don't claim, I have proof and witnesses and uncorrupted evidence," Darcy said.

"You aspiring to be a lawyer or something?"

"My dad was a detective like you, and I always aspired to be like him. Until I got a fake rap sheet and a new, powerful stepfather. But I did minor in criminal justice." Darcy said.

"Very impressive. I was wondering why you were a diner owner if you had a rich family." Detective Carter said.

"Family doesn't always work out. Can I give my statement and go home? I'd rather not talk about my personal life."

"That personal life is at stake right now. I wanted to talk to you about Ethel Moore anyway."

"Seriously dude? I've been here for three hours, waiting to give a statement."

"Please don't call me 'dude' Miss Quinn."

"Whatever you say, dude," Darcy said, hands up in a gesture of appeasement. Detective Carter sighed. "You got me on one of my bad days."

"Carter would be just fine, Miss Quinn."

"Can I give my statement now?" Darcy asked, crossing her legs.

She glanced up when she noticed a very angry Jackson being escorted to a jail cell by an officer. She jumped back when he tried to lunge at her, relaxing when two officers started to restrain him. 

Carter sighed and looked at the officers. "Get him to the holding cell quickly, please."

Darcy looked back to the Detective. "Okay, so now can I give an officer my statement?" 

"Of course, once I ask if you knew," Carter took something out of his pocket. "That Ethel was being sent cryptic and threatening notes?"

Darcy stiffened for a moment. She thought it had just been her.

"No, I didn't." Her voice wavered, and she cleared her throat, running a hand through her fiery mane.

"Please don't lie to me." The Detective said.

"I'm not lying. I didn't know that she was being sent notes."

"Do you know what a tell is, Miss Quinn?" He asked, his tone annoyed like he was done with her shit.

"No, I can't say I do, Carter," Darcy replied. Which was a lie. She obviously did, seeing as she had minored in criminal justice.

"A tell is an involuntary signal that someone makes when they are lying, or more commonly, bluffing in poker. I'm very good at noticing what people's tells are."

Darcy didn't break eye contact, but in her lap, she was picking at her nails once again. "I didn't know that Ethel was being sent notes."

"The truth."

"I didn't! I thought it was just me!"

She did not mean for that to slip.

"So, it wasn't just her. Do you know if anyone else got them?" Carter asked.

"No." Darcy sighed. "Can I give my statement of what happened today, not something that happened nearly a decade ago? It's a cold case, detective. We've all moved on, and we've grieved for her. Don't bring up bad memories of that place."

"The notes made it seem like someone was threatening her life."

"We were a handful of delinquents in a camp full of people worse than us. I thought it was a prank."

"There's also the fact that you didn't quite tell me the truth when you were here yesterday."

"You asked for details on what happened that night. I said what happened. Plus, I just thought it was another camper pranking us, so I wouldn't think much of it, detective."

"Your friends all have rap sheets. You do as well. Drug charges, violent assault, obstruction of justice on a case, vandalism, breaking and entering." Carter listed off.

"We all had rap sheets. Ethel was a sister to all of us, none of us would have hurt her if that's what you're suggesting."

"Two years ago, you were charged with assault on a girl named Amelia Williams. Ring a bell?"

"The judge expunged that."

"You also have many charges of verbal assault on different teenagers in high school. Fifteen cases. That's a lot."

"Yes, when I was younger, but I've changed, detective. And once again, the judge expunged that, meaning, I have a clean record."

"You have a definite profile for the prime suspect, Darcy, may I call you Darcy?" Carter asked.

"Yes, I was rude to people, so? And yes, you can call me Darcy."

"But the assault charge is what makes you suspect number one."

"Those were expunged. And shouldn't we be focusing on how I got assaulted, like a couple of hours ago?"

"Miss Moore was beaten to death with a lead pipe. You're strong enough and have a past of violence."

"I'm five-two, and skinny as a stick. Ethel was five-seven and more muscular."

"You took tae-kwon-do for six years and have a gym membership." Carter countered.

"Is there a problem for wanting to stay in shape?" She questioned. She furrowed her eyebrows. Speaking of the gym, she did have to hit the gym again. She was getting out of shape.

"Why did you attack Miss Williams?"

"I didn't. And the charges were dropped because there wasn't substantial evidence. You're going to hit a dead end here."

"If you didn't start it, you fought back. We have a video from an outside source. Not, from the victim's relatives, mind you."

"I punched my stepsister, and I got in trouble with my dick of a stepfather. Now, I'm here because he hit me." Darcy snapped, waspishly. Carter blinked. He didn't know that Amelia was her stepsister.

"Now, are you gonna let me give my statement, or not, Detective Revon?"

"Yes. Of course." He replied. 

***

"Any reason you called us, Darce?" Kace complained, leaning on the door frame of her apartment. He still looked like Kace, lanky and significantly taller than her.

"Ethel was beaten to death."

"Shit," Kyana said. Her hair was wet and bedraggled, dripping on her shirt and the floor.

"You guys don't have any assault charges, so you guys are kinda off the hook. Lucky you. Kyana, why are you wet?" Darcy inquired, watching more waterfall onto her hardwood.

"Biological pathogen escaped in the lab. I had to wash up for three hours, then get disinfected, sanitized and washed again." She grumbled.

"Do you want a towel? Or a hairdryer?"

"Towel is fine, Darce." She replied.

"I still have assault charges, Darce. We're both under suspicion." Ares commented.

"In technicality, we should have assault charges," Mariella said. "Remember the fight at camp? I broke Charles's nose and Kyana stepped on some dude's arm in her heels."

"I mean recently, I doubt you guys just go around assaulting people." Darcy clarified, as she tossed a towel to Kyana, who wrapped it around her hair and put it in a turban.

"Assault charges are permanently on your rap sheet." Mariella said as she poured Darcy's good whiskey into a cut crystal glass.

Darcy's phone rang, and she muttered an apology before declining the call. "I got mine expunged, so..." she trailed off.

"They also found Ethel's body not far from here. In the suburbs of New York City." Ares said.

"And she was being sent threatening notes." Darcy finished up. Kyana sat down.

"What kind of threatening?" She asked, her face serious even though she had a bright pink towel wrapped around her head.

"I don't know. Just that it threatened her life." Darcy admitted.

"I got a note like that," Mariella said suddenly.

"I did too," Kace said. Kyana wrinkled her brow but nodded. They all looked at Ares and Tori.

"Nope. I didn't get anything." The dark-haired one said, and Tori shook her head.

"I got love confessions," Darcy said. Kace looked at her.

"What?"

"Like, love notes, but twisted. Telling me to stay away from Ethel, stay away from you, stop being nice to random people. It was creepy. It's like they knew where I was at all times." Darcy confessed.

"That's so strange," Tori said, her brows furrowed. "But it could have been anyone at camp. There were about fifty or sixty others in there with us."

"But that's what's scary. Some kids were diagnosed sociopaths, psychopaths, abuse victims, literally anyone." Darcy said.

"Guys, it was a girl. Or a really curvy guy." Ares said.

"Klinefelter's syndrome. And how do you know?" Kyana questioned the tall man. 

Darcy gulped, remembering. "They broke into my cabin that night."

"Yeah, and you came to me, screaming about it," Ares said.

"I did not, Ceresio!" Darcy yelped.

"Sure you didn't."

She threw a pen at him, successfully hitting him on the top of the head. "I didn't, but that's beside the point."

"Yes, but how do you know the person was a girl?" Kyana asked again. Mariella made an approving sound and pointed at the blonde.

"The person was wearing a crop top? It could be a guy, I guess? But most probably, it was a girl." Darcy explained.

"Then why didn't you say so? We could have protected you!" Kyana exclaimed. Tori frowned briefly but nodded.

"Yeah." Tori echoed. Ares went over the kitchen and grabbed a glass. He filled it with whiskey and drank the whole thing.

"Sure, just go help yourself," Darcy muttered under her breath.

"I'll give you a case of the best Jim Beam I have," Ares said, his voice muffled by the cut crystal glass.

"I don't want to face tonight sober," Kace said, and Kyana nodded.

Darcy shook her head. "I'm good, I don't drink."

"Sober driver," Kace said.

Darcy shook her head once again."Oh, I am not driving all of you. You guys are gonna call cabs."

Ares looked shocked. "Darcy Quinn, not drinking?" Ares asked incredulously.

"I'm not like that anymore." She said. Ares raised an eyebrow.

"You sure you're not an imposter?"

"Ares, if she doesn't want to drink, she doesn't have to drink," Tori said sharply, defending her, per usual.

Ares rolled his eyes at the woman, before downing his drink.

"Suit yourself."