Chapter One: Why Do I Have To Go Alone?

Hello. Want to hear about my day? Too bad. I'm telling you anyway.

It was cloudy. The gray clouds looked about ready to burst and I didn't have a rain jacket or an umbrella with me. I stood under the bridge, kicking at small stones and scuffing the dirt with my worn out sneakers, one of which had a thinner sole than the other. The backpack I had on my shoulders weighed a little heavier today. I had a number of customers due. Today was supposed to be a good business day.

"You Deidre?" a guy with aviators asked as he slinked up to me. Judging by his posture and voice, I guessed he was the first of many.

"Yeah." I retrieved a zip-lock bag, which contained several smaller baggies, from my backpack and stretched my other hand out. The guy placed several bills into my hand and I handed him a few little baggies in return. "Pleasure doing business with you."

The guy considered the drugs in his hand for a moment then stared at me with a funny look before walking away. I shrugged off his rude manners; my naturally colourful attitude sort of grated on them customers, sort of like James Franco in Pineapple Express. The next three hours were spent with me kicking pebbles, creating patterns in the dirt and waiting for my appointed customers to show up. Dealing had been my life for more years than I would like to admit. Not saying I'm in love with what I do but who was I to complain?

"Good day today," I sighed, fanning the money in front of my face then crinkling my nose at the smell. The amount I held in my hand now would cover for six months' rent, with more to spare. Maybe I could nip a few hundred and . . .

No. Bad girl, Deidre.

My back pack was empty so I decided to head back, making sure no one saw me when I left. People would label me "shady".

To get to my place from the bridge, I had to cross another bridge that stretched over a river and cut through a small grove of trees before walking down two blocks. It was an alternative shortcut I didn't normally use but the mood struck me today. I usually held on to a batch for a few days. Delegating, you know. Customers would come looking for me at a steady pace and the money my boss gave me as my cut was enough for me to pay my share of the rent.

Most times.

As I walked, someone appeared behind me. I ignored the impromptu, unwanted presence because there were dodgy people everywhere. In this part of town, anyway. In fact, I got jumped once. The guy who did it let me go when he recognized me as a dealer, probably thinking he'd lose his drugs if he stabbed me and left me bleeding out in the alley. I considered relocating before but finding a new place would be too much of a hassle and crashing with people I deemed as no more than acquaintances made me uncomfortable.

"Deidre. Hey, Deidre."

I turned around, my fists up despite my inability to fight. "I swear, I will punch your teeth in if you so much as move another step closer."

The guy behind me, another dealer working under Danny and my college friend, put his hands up. "Whoa, there, girl."

"Oh, it's you." I lowered my fists and pushed my hair out of my eyes. "What's up, Harry?"

Harry was a tall, lanky guy whose trademark look was the constant stubble on his jaw and chin. I often wondered how he managed to maintain that appearance without ever growing a beard though I never bothered to ask him about it. Probably because we weren't close. In fact, 'friends' barely cut it. 'Acquaintance' was more appropriate.

"Danny wants you back at base. He sounded pretty serious."

I scratched my head, frown creasing my brow. "Doesn't he always sound serious?"

"No. He deadpans but this time, there actually was a rise in his tone. I think he's excited about something." Harry adjusted the straps of his own backpack, glancing up at the ominous sky nervously, like it would open up and swallow him whole if he didn't look for shelter soon.

I regarded my 'friend' with a puzzled look. "How can you even tell?" I've lived with the guy yet I've never so much as heard a chuckle out of him, not even when he looks at funny cat videos. Not even a snort.

He shrugged, gaze returning to me. "If you pay attention, you can even see his lips twitch once in a while."

The corners of my own lips quirked up. Danny? Smiling? That was about as rare as a supernova blood moon. Probably even rarer than that. Most likely as rare as finding someone who possesses the same earth-shattering, stadium-blowing voice as Axl Rose.

Thunder rumbled in the distance, signaling the rain's approach. I sighed again, tendrils of exhaustion reaching for me despite the full eight hours of sleep I'd gotten the night before.

"Alright, I'll go." I gestured towards his bag. "You done yet?"

"Half. I'm doing the other half tomorrow."

I nodded and rubbed my weary eyes. After bidding Harry adieu, I headed the other way, to the outskirts of town. Danny liked dark places so he had established his base at an abandoned underground parking lot where he could be a vampire. The first time I went down there, I tripped on my own feet and ended up giving the wall a high five with my face. My schnoz broke in two places that day and I made a vow to never go into the dark without a light ever again.

"Oh, I don't wanna sit still and look pretty," I sang off-key, trying to keep my spirits up. Honestly, I didn't really like that song. It was too bouncy, but it was one of those songs that get inexplicably stuck in one's head and since it was annoyingly stuck in my noggin, I decided to just go along with it.

A stroke of lightning appeared momentarily as a streak of pure white in the dark sky, making me quicken my pace and think about The Flash. I made a mental note in my head to go home and check if the next episode was out or not. I'd been waiting ages (in reality, only two days) for the next episode because the last one was a major cliffhanger and I hated cliffhangers. What was so nice about sitting with your knickers in a knot? Better to know what's going to happen next than die of suspense waiting.

The familiar dark tunnel greeted me as I approached base. Shuddering for some reason, I took out the small flashlight I always carried with me in case of emergencies or in case I was summoned back to base unexpectedly – like now. I couldn't fathom why Danny couldn't set up his base of operations in an abandoned warehouse like normal drug lords. There were several warehouses just like that dotting the entire city. There was even one down by the docks that was used as a rendezvous point for some of the smuggled drugs and other contraband that came in through shipments. Nobody in their right mind would go there. Perfectly suited to carry out illicit activities. Instead, he had to go underground where the sunlight would never ever penetrate through the inky darkness down there.

Ever.

Accustomed by now with the path down and with the aid of my trusty flashlight, my feet brought me straight to where Danny was sitting behind a battered wooden desk cluttered with paper, magazines, a landline, a radio and white powder. The bare light bulbs that hung from the ceiling asymmetrically cast dancing shadows across the floor and piles of drugs lying around. I wished they'd change to fluorescent bulbs and install light panels instead of these creepy lights. Bad lighting made everything seem even more sinister and illegal than they already were.

"What's up, Danny?" I said, as was my customary greeting for him. The 6"3 man merely grunted. He shifted his position behind his desk, his features made even scarier thanks to the lighting.

"I want you to do a transfer."

Danny said 'transfer' when he wanted to move copious amounts of drugs from our base here to another place or vice versa. I've accompanied someone on four transfers so far and I remembered how risky it was. Why, we got chased by cops on my first time! Good thing the guy I went with knew how to drive. And I mean Fast and Furious drive. Or Baby Driver drive. But it was his fault anyway. I'd specifically told him to take the second exit but he insisted on using the highway.

"Okaaaaay." I pulled the word for as long as I could. "Who, when and where?"

"Alone. Tomorrow. Parker will be waiting for you at the drop spot."

Pardon my wax-filed ears.

"What?" I spluttered.

Danny got up and sauntered over to a not-so-small pile of coke just begging to be consumed. I assumed that was the pile that was supposed to be transferred.

"A deal has been scored with one of our associates. The exchange is to be made at the North County, just beyond the border."

"Why am I going alone?"

You have to understand that doing a transfer on my own was something I never thought I'd be doing any time soon. Walking around town while carrying 2 kilos of coke contrasted greatly against transporting almost 100 kilos to the other side of town with a truck and no backup. At least, in town, I knew all the shortcuts and alleys that I could escape through if chased by unscrupulous people. Out of town? In a truck? Chances of escaping unscathed were slim, possibly nonexistent.

"You are my right hand, right?" Danny's voice was as flat as usual but somehow, I sensed the warning behind his vacant words. I realized then that I always knew the feelings behind his words; just never really paid much attention.

So that's what Harry meant.

I nodded glumly, suddenly wishing I'd never agreed to that promotion.

Danny turned his empty eyes away from me and patted the drugs. "Be here at nine, tomorrow, for the briefing."

I saluted my boss half-heartedly then turned to leave for home. Halfway there, my phone buzzed in my pocket, indicating a text had come in.

R we still on 4 2nite

Totes. I spent hours deciding on this.

A picture came into the group chat, from Brittany. It took a minute for the damned thing to load and come into focus. When it did though, I cringed. Standing in front of her full length mirror stood the tall, voluptuous brunette in a tight fiery red dress that hugged her curves. The hem ended mid-thigh and there was a strap over her left shoulder, probably to hold the dress up if not to draw attention to her shoulders and chest. She posed with her hip jutting out, head cocked to the side.

Omg brit! U look smoking in that dress

Planning on picking sum1 up 2nite?

I plan on looking fabulous n my gurls better look the same 2

I contemplated my options. The girls were going out to a club tonight, for no apparent reason. They'd been talking about it for days and I was worn out with anxiety about it. Social settings that involved too many people, alcohol and bad music was pretty much a thing with us but I'd much rather prefer staying home and binge Netflix. On the other hand, I'd be lost for the next few days when they started to gossip about what went on during the party and if I couldn't catch up then they'd leave me out of their circle.

I sighed, for the umpteenth time today, stomach already churning thinking about where I had to go tonight.

Does it hav 2 b a dress

D! ofcourse it has 2 b a dress! We have an image to preserve

U might get lucky d. ;)

I don own one

COME OVER 2 MINE ASAP

The clouds were done rolling now. They were still and full, their shadow shrouding the earth below in a gloomy darkness. The first drops of rain finally fell, bursting in tiny splashes as they hit the ground. I wanted nothing more than to wander aimlessly in the rain but I had a party to get ready for.