Page 9 of The Midnight Delivery

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“WE’LL BE IN TOUCH MISSMunoz,” Detective Rivers concluded, and handed me her card.

Greeted by the noonday sun and its unforgiving heat, I walked out the front door. There were Orias Police Department cars parked at various angles in front of the gym, and off to the side were bystanders holding up phones to capture footage and holding various conversations. These random people might have been speculating about what was taking place inside, but I met the eyes of one who had intimate knowledge of the night before. I nodded at Derek and push my way through the crowd till I stood at his side. He pivoted and we made our way down the street towards the café at the end of the block.

“AJ’s dead, isn’t he?” Derek asked, his head lowered and eyes on the ground as we walked.

“Yes,” I answered, matching his low tone and body language. “OPD questioned me about it this morning.”

Derek pushed open the door to the café for me. I entered first, and selected a booth in the back corner with a large window on the wall which allowed me to have a clear view of the street. Subtle music played in the background and the entire café was full of a sweet, yet heavy fragrance from the various coffees, teas, and desserts they sold. It was mid-morning, so there were a few lingering patrons from the breakfast rush, but not enough to consider the place crowded. Derek went to the counter and placed an order for two of their beverages. About five minutes passed before he settled into the seat opposite me, and awaited whatever name he gave the woman at the counter for our order to be called.

“Did you do it?” He asked me straight-faced.

My heart quickened in my chest, as I scrunched my face. “No. Why would you ask me that?”

“Yeah, I didn’t think so,” he responded and pulled a napkin from the black metal dispenser on the lightly stained wood table that separated us. “So, what do we do now?”

“We?” My eyes opened wide, and I cupped my hair behind my left ear.

“Well, the way I see it, we’re both screwed,” he said as he fiddled with the napkin. “AJ was like a father to me, and gave me free use of the gym.”

“I fail to see what that has to do with me.”

A slight smirk formed on his face. “Ariana, let’s just cut the games.”

I folded my hands on the table and leaned forward. Let’s see where this goes. “Okay, Derek. No more games.”

“You show up out of nowhere to your uncle’s gym, asking me about local fighters in general and one particular fighter.”

“Go on.”

“There also happens to be a major fight happening very soon. A fight that not too many outsides of certain circles know about.”

“I thought we said, ‘no more games,’ Derek.”

“You want to know about Damian Wolf, because you want to know about The Midnight Prize fight. Your boy is fighting in it. You’re the manager for the Vampire.”

I stilled myself and gave him nothing to work with. I needed more from him first.

Derek leaned back and continued to play with the napkin. “And I know this, because I manage Damian.”

“You deduced all that before morning coffee? Impressive.”

“I’m a smart guy,” he quipped and chuckled. “I’ve seen bits and pieces of footage of your boy. He’s good.”

“Damian’s not too bad either,” I said with a nod. I shifted a bit in my chair as images of the Hunter ravaging my body filled my mind. The way he moved on the film warmed me to my core. I’d never met the man, and couldn’t engage with fighters even if I wanted to because of how Dustin would respond.Damn this ongoing fantasy.

Derek stopped fiddling with the napkin and tilted his head as he stared at me. “Huh,” was all he grunted before he heard the fake name he gave called over the loud speaker. Our drinks were ready. Derek moved to the counter to retrieve our order, but by the time he’d returned, I was gone.

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