Light of Day
Page 21
“Ahhh!” Maria jumped to her feet, waving her hands.
I stood up. “What’s wrong?”
“A c-cold hand touched my back! It slid up and down. . . .” She hugged herself, hyperventilating.
Alistair got up and put the lights on.
“Holy shattering eardrums,” Rory said, hands over his ears. “That was my hand, okay? No need to freak out about a friendly pat on the back.”
“That was more than a friendly pat on the back!” Maria said.
I had to laugh. Trust Rory to use a séance as a chance to make his move.
“How about we see if there’s a movie on?” I suggested. “Maybe a comedy?” I figured we’d let the spirits rest tonight.
Everybody agreed. We grabbed the duvets and pillows off the beds to snuggle with, then settled down and turned on the TV. Looking around at my friends, I couldn’t help smiling.
Happy birthday to me.
Saturday night. My too-high heels were squeezing my toes. I didn’t know where Jackson was taking me, or why he’d parked several blocks from our destination.
“Are we almost there? My shoes are pinching.”
“Two more blocks.” He slowed his pace, his mouth curving up at one corner. “Want a piggyback?”
“Nah, I’ll manage.”
I wondered where we could possibly be going. Since this was a quiet, residential part of Kendall, I didn’t expect to see any restaurants or cafés. The narrow streets were lined with small, tidy houses, their yards decorated with garden gnomes, American flags, and bird feeders.
“Can I find out where we’re going?”
“Sorry, it’s a surprise.”
Another birthday surprise. Not that I was complaining, although I was still tired from last night. We’d stayed up late watching movies, and Maria had slept restlessly beside me. I didn’t know if it was our contact with a ghost or Rory’s creepy-crawly hands that had bothered her—both were equally terrifying.
“So I went out for coffee today with an older woman,” Jackson said, sliding me a look. “She’s a dead ringer for that Kardashian lady, can’t remember her name.”
My jaw could’ve hit the sidewalk. “You took Sergeant Monchetta up on her offer?”
“I figured I should get a sense of what I was up against.”
“Up against?” I’d hoped Monchetta could be an ally for the Destinos. With her background in sex crimes, she seemed to have a unique respect for what they did.
He looked at me. “Monchetta knows what really happened that night. She knows it was Destinos who busted in there, that it was Destino bullets that killed Milo and his guys.”
My eyes widened. “Did she say that?”
“She didn’t have to. I just wanted to get a sense of whether she planned to do anything about it.”
“And?” I bit my lip. Was Monchetta holding a trump card against the Destinos, to play whenever she wished?
“She made it clear that she’s not interested in locking me up. Reading between the lines, I’d say that another unsolved gang murder isn’t her top priority. Bree’s back home, and the heat is off. Going forward, Monchetta’s goal is to help as many girls out there as possible.”
“Sounds like the same goal as the Destinos.”
He nodded. “I get the feeling Sergeant Monchetta’s a realist. She knows that playing by the book doesn’t work when the system itself is screwed up. She’s more about the endgame than policies and paperwork.” He slanted me a look. “That’s the kind of cop I could see working with.”
I smiled. This was good news for the Destinos, and mostly for the girls who needed them.
A few minutes later, we arrived at the surprise destination: a tiny blue stucco house. It sat farther back from the street than the other houses, fronted by an overgrown lawn and a chipped white picket fence.
We went through the gate and approached the door. Jackson did a rhythmic knock. Manny answered, beer in hand. “Hey hey! C’mon in!”
As we walked inside, Jackson said, “Since I met your people, I thought it was time you met mine.”
There had to be ten or twelve guys there. The Destinos unmasked, I thought. They all appeared strong and tough, like an elite sports team. Some had tattoos from gangs they used to be in; others looked clean-cut. I recognized Matador, the scarred guy who’d steered me to safety during the shootout.
These were Jackson’s people. And now they were my people too.
He introduced me, one by one. Several of them must’ve come to my rescue that night, but they’d worn black bandannas over their faces. I shook their hands, resisting the urge to hug them all.
“Good to see you again,” I said to Matador. “Thanks for . . . that night.”
He waved a hand, like it wasn’t a big deal that he’d shielded me from bullets, or that Bree had shot at him. Like it was an everyday sort of thing.
The Destinos were watching a basketball game. As I’d suspected, guy-only gatherings centered more around sports-watching than conversation. Two of them moved to the floor so we could sit on the love seat. While the guys concentrated on the game, I looked at them, wondering what drew each of them to the Destinos.
“Who owns this place?” I asked Jackson.
“It’s rented. We keep a place for a few months, then we move on to another one. We use it as a safehouse for girls when we need to. No one’s here now, though. We also use it for meetings.”
“Thanks for bringing me here.”
Our hands locked together.
“We won’t stay long. I made a dinner reservation for us. A nice little bistro. You’ll see.”
There was a knock at the door, the same beat of knocks that Jackson had used. He stood up immediately, looking around.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
“Hope not. Thing is, everybody’s already here.” He headed for the door. Manny butted in front of him, peering through the peephole.
“No worries, X. I invited some old friends.” Before Jackson could ask who, Manny swung open the door.
It was a good-looking, dark-haired couple about our age. Manny grabbed the girl into a bear hug. “Diaz! I missed you!” Without releasing her, he turned to the guy. “You better be taking good care of her.”
“He is,” the girl assured him. “You’re looking great, Manny. Been working out, huh?” She curled a hand around his bicep.
“Eat your heart out, Diaz. I’m beating them off with a stick these days.”
The Destinos got off the couches and came over to greet the couple with fist bumps and hugs. Jackson hung back.
“Who are they?” I whispered.
“Lobo and his girlfriend. He’s our former leader.” Jackson shuffled his feet, as if debating what to do. I knew he was pissed off at Lobo for leaving the group. But it didn’t seem to me like Lobo had done anything wrong. It was his life, his choice.
When the last of the Destinos had greeted them, Jackson walked over. “Hey, Lobo, Maddie.”
Lobo’s handsome face broke into a smile. “Wasn’t sure you’d let us in the door. It’s really good to see you, bro.”
“Same here,” Jackson said. “This is my girlfriend, Gabby.”
“I heard about her.” Lobo’s eyes settled on me. “So you’re the one.”
“Guess I am.” I felt Jackson’s arm slide around my waist.
“This is Maddie,” Lobo said.
I shook Maddie’s hand. “Nice to meet you,” we both said at once.
“How about I entertain the lovely ladies while you two hug it out?” Manny put his arms around us, then steered us into the kitchen, where several cases of beer sat on the counter.
“Thanks for setting that up,” Maddie said, looking relieved. “That went better than we expected.”
“Well, it had to be done sooner or later. X is the most stubborn sonofabitch I’ve ever met.” Manny looked at me. “But I think fiery Gabby here’s meltin’ our boy down.”
I wasn’t sure if Jackson’s change of heart had anything t
o do with me, but I was glad for it.
“I’ve missed you,” Maddie said to him.
“Of course you have.” Manny gave that crooked grin, but I could tell there was an undercurrent behind it. They obviously had a soft spot for each other. “Now that I’m a Destino, I’ve got the whole sexy-dangerous thing going on. Your boyfriends are going to have to keep a close eye on you with this much sexy around.”
We laughed.
“Help yourselves to some beer or . . .” He looked around. “Or water. I’m going out to get pizza. What kind do you like?”
Maddie shrugged. “Anything.”
“We’re going out for dinner later,” I said, feeling a little awkward.
“Cool. I’m gonna go ask the others.” He left the kitchen.
Maddie turned to me. “You’ll have to tell me how you and X got together. He’s a tough nut to crack, that guy.”
“You’re telling me. I want to hear how you met Lobo, too.” I paused, thinking. “Hang on just one sec, will you?”
Returning to the living room, I found Jackson sitting on the floor, talking to Lobo and the guys. I tapped him on the shoulder. “Why don’t we stay and have pizza? You could cancel the reservation.”
He frowned. “But it’s your birthday. Are you sure that’s what you want?”
I nodded. “Let’s spend it with your people.”
“All right.” He took out his phone.
I kissed his cheek, then went back to Maddie. I had a feeling we were going to get along really well, me and her. “You first.”
“I’m glad you made peace with Lobo,” I said later that night as we walked back to the car. “I wasn’t sure what you’d do when he showed up.”
“Me neither. I’ve spent the past few months mad as hell.”
“So what changed?”
“Maybe I changed.” His hand tightened on mine. “I could never accept that Lobo had walked away. The way I saw it, he’d built us up, then abandoned us. But I think I was just scared.”
“Scared?” That was a surprise. Jackson seemed so fearless to me. “Of what?”
“Scared that I couldn’t lead the Destinos. That I wouldn’t be good at it.” He glanced at me. “Lobo was an awesome leader. He controlled every situation as much as humanly possible, anticipated every outcome. The guy was a machine, on day and night. I sometimes wondered if he even slept.”
I could see what he was getting at. “A tough act to follow?”
“Yeah. I needed to show the guys I could do it. Show myself I could do it.”
“You seem like a natural leader to me.” It was true. He had the smarts, the confidence, and the dedication. He must’ve known it himself, or he wouldn’t have stepped up to the plate.
“I don’t know how much of it comes naturally, but I learned on the job. I proved that I can handle being in charge. That I like being in charge.”
“I bet you do. As long as you don’t expect to be in charge of me, we’ll get along nicely.”
He laughed. “I’d be crazy to try to boss you around, Gabby Perez. You’d roast me on your radio show.”
I gave him a sly look. “Yeah, I would. And don’t you forget it.”
He stopped walking and turned to me. “Well, you make me happy, Gabby. Don’t you forget it.” He wrapped his arms around me. “I’m glad that I’m the first person to tell you happy birthday on your birthday. It’s twelve-oh-three.”
I grinned. “And I’m glad that my parents finally changed my curfew to twelve thirty.”
He smiled, but his eyes were intense. “I love you, Gabby.”
I closed my eyes, feeling his words wash over me. It was the first time he’d said it, but I’d already known that he loved me. I thought about the old woman who’d called my radio show, about how she knew her husband loved her long before he said it.
“I love you too.”
He cupped my face, kissed my cheeks, then my forehead. “Because I love you, I’ll always be honest with you, Gabby. Being a Destino is what I do. That’s why I brought you to meet the guys tonight. It’s what I’m destined to do. I hope you can live with that, because I can’t be without you.” He searched my face. “Can you live with that?”
“I can,” I said softly, then raised my lips for his next kiss.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Many thanks to Kari Sutherland, Jen Klonsky, Alice Jerman, Emilia Rhodes, and John Rudolph. To the entire wonderful team at Harper. To the Firkin writers for friendship and encouragement over the years—Cynthia Boyko, Opal Carew, Christine Enta, Lucy Farago, Rowan Keats, Vanessa Kelly, Debbie Mason, Teresa Morgan, Sharon Page, Joyce Sullivan, and Randy Sykes. To the Swan Valley writers for their warmth and willingness to share ghost stories—Jay Asher, Linda Gerber, Kristin Harmel, Alyson Noël, Aprilynne Pike, Wendy Toliver, and Emily Wing-Smith.
Thanks to Alison Halsall, Jennifer Cruz, Carol Ann Dillon, Charles de Lint, Melanie Donald, Chantelle Lajoie, Anne-Marie McEvoy, and Simone Elkeles. Shout-outs to my colleagues here in Ottawa and back in Brooklyn who keep on getting it done for kids. To Kelly Blake for doing what she does best. To my super supportive family—Mom and Pop, Sarah and Jeff, my in-loves Lorraine and Evert, Justin and Julie, Jon and Candace, Char and Frank, Phil and Mary, Jeremy and my two sweeties.
Most of all, to you, my readers. Many of you have told me that my books have made a difference in your lives. I wish I could wrap my arms around all of you. It’s always been for you.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
PHOTO CREDIT ALAN DEAN PHOTOGRAPHY
ALLISON VAN DIEPEN is the author of Street Pharm, Snitch, Takedown, On the Edge, and other novels for teens. Her books have been named ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers and NYPL Books for the Teen Age. She lives with her family in Ottawa, Canada, where she also teaches high school. Visit her at www.allisonvandiepen.com.
Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.
BOOKS BY ALLISON VAN DIEPEN
Street Pharm
Snitch
Takedown
On the Edge
Light of Day
CREDITS
COVER PHOTOGRAPH © 2015 BY MICHAEL FROST
COVER DESIGN BY MICHELLE TAORMINA
COPYRIGHT
HarperTeen is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
LIGHT OF DAY. Copyright © 2015 by Allison van Diepen. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Van Diepen, Allison.
Light of day / by Allison van Diepen. — First edition.
pages cm
Summary: When high school senior Gabby learns that men are drugging girls and forcing them into prostitution, she fights back using the popular radio show she hosts and captures the attention of X, a mysterious gang member determined to get pimps off the streets of Miami, who, in turn, captures her heart.
ISBN 978-0-06-230347-9 (hardcover)
EPub Edition © October 2015 ISBN 9780062303493
[1. Prostitution—Fiction. 2. Gangs—Fiction. 3. Radio talk shows—Fiction. 4. Latin
Americans—Fiction. 5. High schools—Fiction. 6. Schools—Fiction. 7. Family life—Florida—Miami—Fiction. 8. Miami (Fla.)—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.V28526Lig 2015 2014042506
[Fic]—dc23 CIP
AC
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15 16 17 18 19 PC/RRDH 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
FIRST EDITION
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