Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
dani
“The usual?” the girl behind the counter asked once I walked inside the café.
I nodded, pulling off my scarf and giving her a smile. “Please.”
After paying, I set my purse down on the same table near the window where I’d been sitting every morning this week.
Even if I only had a couple hundred dollars to my name, it was more than I’d had in my account in years.
Enough to eat and splurge on a coffee before work.
I hadn’t touched Kole’s coffee maker again after the first morning since I didn’t feel like dealing with his crankiness.
I’d been avoiding him at all costs. Especially after I flashed him my ass a few nights ago.
“Here you go.” The employee set my coffee in front of me, and I lifted my head to meet her gaze.
“Thanks,” I said, wrapping my hands around the warm cup. “I’m Dani, by the way. Thought I’d introduce myself since I plan to be here every morning.”
She flashed a cheery smile. “I’m Hallie.”
“How long have you worked here?” I asked.
“Six months,” she replied. “It’s an easy job, and more fun since you interns showed up.”
I let out a small laugh. “Some of the people in this town aren’t as happy as you that we’re here.”
My new roommate was one of them, but I didn’t mention that.
I wasn’t sure how other people thought of us interns.
I hadn’t made any friends yet, so whatever gossip was spreading through this town, I didn’t know about it.
Having no friends was nothing new; I didn’t have any before I moved to Winterlake.
“You’re always my first customer of the day,” she informed me, leaning against the window ledge. “Much better than how my mornings used to start.”
Her grim tone piqued my curiosity, and my eyes trailed down her features, catching a quick frown before her usual perky smile reappeared.
“How’d they used to start?” I asked.
She cleared her throat, messing with her small apron around her waist. “With my ex coming in to bother me every morning. One downside of living in such a small town is I can’t get away from him. We didn’t end on the best of terms.”
Before I could ask another question, the door chimed when someone walked in. Hallie’s attention went to the man who was striding toward the counter. I stiffened slightly, recognizing him. It was the old man who sold me the knives at the hardware store.
“Mornin’ Hallie,” he greeted her, his voice deep and scratchy.
He had a cigarette tucked behind his ear, and his gray hair was a curly mess.
I guessed he was about sixty-five, and he was using the same cane he had the other week when I was at his store.
He had a leather vest over his shirt, reminding me of what motorcycle riders wore.
“Hi, Buck. How are you?” Hallie was already preparing his order, and as they continued their conversation, it was clear that they were friendly. Clearly, the man had an issue with interns but not all women. It seemed that everyone knew each other here, which made sense with how tiny this town was.
Once Buck got his donut and coffee, he barely gave me a glance before he exited the café. Hallie wiped down the counter, and I hesitated for a moment before speaking up now that we were alone again.
“Your ex,” I said slowly, “does he still bother you?”
She sighed. “Yes. He still comes in every day. He works nights at the factory and comes in here before he even goes home.”
“The factory?”
“Yeah.” Her back was to me as she kept cleaning. “It’s north of town right near the mountains. Half of the town works there. Other than the stores on main street, that’s the only other job option. If it wasn’t for the factory, this town wouldn’t even exist. It’s a box factory for car parts.”
I frowned, setting my coffee down. “How do the boxes get shipped out? I heard nothing can travel here in the winter because of the snow.”
“They have a huge warehouse where they keep the boxes stored until the roads open up again.” She faced me and shrugged. “I don’t know the logistics, but I do know that they make boxes.”
“Is your ex going to come in today?”
“I’m sure he is.” She rolled her eyes. “He never misses a day.”
“You should talk to the sheriff. It sounds like he’s harassing you.”
She scoffed. “My ex is friends with Tristin, a guy who works at the police station. I’ve tried getting help before, and it did nothing.”
She had no idea I worked there too and knew exactly who she was talking about. Tristin was the one who worked in the front and took most of the calls. If he was covering for a friend who was breaking the law, that was a problem.
“It’s fine,” she attempted to assure me. “I can handle him. He never stays long.”
I watched as she scurried away, disappearing behind an employee door.
The lie in her words echoed through my head.
It wasn’t fine. I’d learned to read people years ago, and from her mannerisms and body language, I was positive that she feared her ex.
Tapping my fingers on the table, I glanced at the clock.
If I wanted to make it to work on time, I needed to leave in two minutes. Yet, I stayed rooted in my seat.
“It’s none of my business,” I muttered under my breath. “Just walk away.”
Talking to myself didn’t help. I made a promise years ago to only look out for myself.
Getting caught up in drama bit me in the ass in the past, and I wanted to make sure that didn’t happen again.
But I still didn’t move. Cursing under my breath, I took a sip of coffee, already forming the excuse I was going to give my boss for being late.
The employee door swung back open, and Hallie’s eyes widened in surprise. “What are you still doing here?”
“I haven’t finished my coffee yet.”
She glanced at her watch. “You’re always gone by now.”
“I’m starting work late today,” I lied smoothly.
She didn’t believe me but made no comment when the door opened again.
It was two women who were wearing medical scrubs, making me think they worked at the clinic.
They looked familiar and I guessed they were interns like me.
Leaning back in my chair, I slowly drank my coffee as I watched the sun rise in the sky.
The town was waking up, and the sidewalks were getting busy.
I wondered how many of these people worked at the factory that Hallie told me about. I somehow missed it when I explored.
A couple people glanced at me through the window as they passed the café, and as I watched, a thought began nagging at me.
“You don’t need to worry about me,” Hallie said once the women left. “You don’t even know me.”
“Where are the kids?” I blurted out, changing the subject. She didn’t respond, and I turned to look at her. My stomach dipped at the uneasy look on her face. “I haven’t seen any kids since I’ve been here.”
She forced out a laugh. “There aren’t any kids here.”
My lips parted in shock. “Excuse me?”
“No kids,” she repeated.
“Why?”
“There aren’t any schools in Winterlake.” She crossed her arms, her demeanor stiff. “No playgrounds. It’s not a place to raise a family.”
She was standoffish and curt, nothing like her bubbly self. Was she lying to me? My pulse thrummed faster. How was it possible that there were no children here?
“And what happens if a woman gets pregnant?” I questioned.
“They move.”
That made absolutely no sense to me. I liked Hallie, but I couldn’t stop the pestering feeling that she was hiding something from me.
I nearly missed someone walking in until the door clicked shut.
Hallie’s sharp intake of breath had me straightening my spine.
The guy strolled in, his cocky swagger already putting me on edge.
His blond hair was long, and he had it pulled behind his head.
He focused right on Hallie, his black work boots tracking in dirt.
His jeans were torn in one knee, and he was wearing a hoodie that swallowed him. Everything about him screamed trouble.
“Go away, Lucas,” Hallie snapped irritably. “I’m not in the mood.”
“In the mood for what?” he asked as she hurried behind the counter where he didn’t follow. “I just wanted to say good morning to my girl.”
“I’m not yours anymore. Leave me alone. You’re going to bother my customers.”
Lucas’s attention turned my way, annoyance flashing in his blue eyes when he realized someone else was in here. I held his stare, keeping my face expressionless.
“An intern,” he drawled with a sneer. “I need a moment with my girl, so you can leave.”
“I’m fine here,” I said, not hiding my dislike of him. “It doesn’t sound like she wants to talk to you anyway. Why don’t you leave?”
He scowled as he spun toward Hallie. “Take a break and come outside with me.”
Fear flashed in her eyes. “No.”
He stalked around the counter, catching her arm when she tried getting away. I flew to my feet, leaving my bag on the table. He was already dragging her toward the door as she screamed and struggled. My shock that he was so brazen to do this in front of me faded as I concentrated on stopping him.
I lunged forward, blocking the door, and he slammed into me before I shoved him back. Hallie had tears in her eyes, her lip trembling as Lucas’s fingers dug into her arm.
“Let her go, and leave,” I demanded, my voice cold. “Right now.”
“Get the fuck out of my way,” he snarled. “Before you regret it.”
A rush shot through me, and I welcomed it with open arms. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, the danger of this situation only increasing my excitement.
This man didn’t scare me. I told myself years ago that fear would never control me again.
I was nearly killed by monsters, and ever since then I’d worked hard to never be prey again.
A lethal laugh escaped my lips, and I tilted my head. “I won’t regret anything. But you will, if you don’t let her go.”
Hallie’s eyes flicked to me in surprise at the change in my voice. I bit my tongue, reminding myself to tread carefully. This town was supposed to be a new start for me. I couldn’t fall back into old habits that would get me in trouble.
“I work at the sheriff’s office,” I murmured. “I can make your life difficult.”
Lucas stared at me for a moment before snickering. “I have friends there. You can’t do anything.”
His free hand landed on my shoulder to push me out of the way, and I snatched his wrist, twisting it away from me before bending it backward. He let out a pained grunt, releasing Hallie so he could try to free his arm from my grasp.
“I’m a forensic psychologist,” I stated applying more pressure to his wrist. “Do you know what that means?”
“I’ll fucking kill you,” he groaned through clenched teeth. “Who the hell do you think you are?”
I let him shove me away, and I stood between him and Hallie. “It means I was hired to analyze the behavior of those who break the law. If I believe someone is a threat to society, I can report that, and that person’s freedom could be taken away. What a shame it would be if that happened to you.”
Even though that was the truth of my job, I was bluffing. I had no idea how much freedom I had when it came to decisions like that when I worked under Natalie. She made the rules, not me. But Lucas didn’t know that.
“I have friends in that office too,” he replied, rage deep in his voice. “You have no idea how this town works. Stay the fuck out of my way.”
He stormed past me, leaving the café. I sagged against the wall, my heart pounding in my ears. That was the last thing I should have done here. Keeping quiet and my head down was how I planned to spend this year.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Hallie said quietly. “He doesn’t forget things. He might come after you now.”
“Let him. He won’t touch me.” My eyes cut to the red marks on her arm where Lucas had grabbed her. “Has he hurt you before?”
“Yes. That’s why I left him,” she muttered. “Once he burned me, I knew that was it—”
“Burned you?” I cut her off, the back of my neck tingling where my scars were.
“He was drunk.” She lifted her shirt, revealing her lower stomach. “He did it once before I could get away. I moved out that night.”
I stared at the small, circular scar on her skin.
It was a cigarette burn just like the three on the back of my neck.
Anger scorched my veins, loathing for the man who’d hurt her exploding through me.
If I’d known what he did while he was still in here, I probably wouldn’t have just let him walk away.
He was a monster just like the men who tried killing me.
“Thank you for trying to help” she whispered. “But be careful. This town…it’s not as safe as it looks.”
With those words, she spun around and went back behind the counter as the door opened, and a few people trickled in.
I hastily grabbed my purse and my now-cold coffee before stepping outside into the chilly air.
Hallie’s words repeated in my head. What did she mean this town wasn’t safe?
I’d been at the sheriff’s office for over a week, and there hadn’t been one crime. No break ins or fights. Nothing.
But if what she said was true, then what was I missing?