Dawn to Dark

by Halston James

  Jay quirks a challenging brow, like he’d love nothing more than to prove her wrong. Whether it be against her will or not.

  “So you want the Genie?” I spit, trying to distract him and I can tell it works when he addresses me.

  “Obviously, or you’d already be dead by now.”

  Licking my lips in hopes of stalling, I ask, “Well, what do you need to know?”

  “Is he in the States?”

  Silently, I nod my head and his reaction takes me by surprise.

  “Fuck!” he screams, slamming his fist into the wall. Chunks of white powdery drywall rain down on the marble floors as he slowly removes his hand from the hole he created.

  Meticulously, he stretches his fingers out before pulling them back into a fist, testing to see if he’s broken one of his knuckles. He must be satisfied with his findings because he unclenches his hand and drops it to his side, then turns back to me.

  “That’s a problem, Aladdin. You see, I need him here, or I won’t be able to control him like the pawn he is.” His jaw tightens. “Now the question is... how do we bring him here?”

  My cell buzzes, again, in my pocket and my eyes dart to the electronic humming away as it vibrates against the surface of the hard wooden chair I’m currently strapped to. It must have fallen to the side of my thigh while I was fumbling with the handcuffs. The thin material of my slacks act as a barrier but does little to muffle the sound.

  “And what is this?” Jay reaches into my pocket and takes my mobile out. When he sees the name Genie flash across the screen, his eyes flash right along with it. Grinning mischievously, his beady eyes pin me in place as he lifts my cell to his ear.

  “Why hello, Genie.”

  My arms flex against the handcuffs, trying to find an angle where I can pick the lock. I’m so close. Trying to be silent, my fingers start fumbling with the cool metal for what feels like the millionth time.

  Ronny isn’t an idiot. He’s always ten steps ahead of everyone. Now I just need to pray that his psychic abilities were able to see Jay’s plan, too.

  If not, Allah help us.

  With straining ears, I try to hear Ronny on the other end, but his voice is muffled so I settle for watching Jay. Looking for any clue he’s willing to reveal. A flinch. A twitch. A grimace. Anything.

  “I apologize for the inconvenience, but Aladdin is all tied up right now.” He smirks as his voice bleeds sarcasm. “I’d be happy to pass along a message.”

  More silence. Jay lifts his chin an inch before his knuckles tighten against my phone.

  “I don’t think that would be very wise,” he grits out.

  A muffled voice echoes through the speaker in response. I watch Jay’s nostrils flare while he struggles to keep his composure.

  “And you’d be willing to risk your… friend?” Jay spits.

  The cufflink finally hits the latch I’ve been looking for, giving me an almost silent, but satisfying click. Slowly, so that I don’t alert Jay or any of his goons of my released wrists, I open one of the handcuffs while holding the hooked metal in my other hand as a makeshift claw.

  “He’s more of an acquaintance,” I mumble under my breath, trying to contain my smile. Apparently, Ronny’s sarcasm has rubbed off on me.

  I’m humming with excitement that I can take Jay down… I just need to wait for the right moment to strike.

  As Jay’s shoulders tense up, he looks like a snake about to strike when there’s a loud knock on the front door. Everyone in the room turns to the unexpected banging.

  “That’s impossible.” His eyes flash in disbelief, burning a hole in the door.

  More knocking.

  One of Jay’s thugs quietly murmurs, “Uh… do you want me to get that, boss?”

  Before Jay can respond, a gunshot sounds and the door splinters at the lock.

  Chaos ensues.

  Jasmine screams in terror at the sound while Saamir whimpers his protests quietly.

  I, however, watch the scene unveiling in front of me in slow motion.

  Thug stumbles to the door before drawing the gun from the back of his jeans and pointing it at the intruder. One shot to the head makes him drop to the ground like a bag of bricks. His mouth wide open in shock, Jay’s head whips to the sound of the gunshot and gives me the perfect opportunity to make my move. With a loud roar, I jump from my seated position before sticking the end of the handcuff into Jay’s neck. He lets go of my phone and it cracks against the marble tile in a loud smack. I watch in shock as blood pours from the wound I inflicted as Jay falls to his knees, grappling at the metal sticking from his throat. The wet gurgling sound will haunt me for the rest of my days as he chokes on his own blood.

  Hastily, I reach for my cell then place it against my ear.

  “Please tell me you’re in control of the gunshots attacking Jasmine’s house right about now.”

  9

  Ronny’s sarcastic voice greets me. “Nah, it’s Santa Claus. Now get the hell out of there so they can clean up your mess. You’re welcome, by the way. Consider this your third wish, and don’t go dying on me, okay? I want to go to Disneyland without stressing over my acquaintances.” I chuckle at his mention of the happiest place on earth while searching Jay’s dead body for the keys to Jasmine’s and Saamir’s handcuffs. Thankfully, I find them with ease in his jacket pocket.

  “Disneyland?” I laugh before unlocking the handcuffs on Saamir’s wrists.

  “Yeah! Have you ever had one of their churros? They’re to-die-for, Al. Seriously.”

  With a roll of my eyes, I head to Jasmine. Her gaze is glued to me, watching every tiny movement like I’m the only thing keeping her from floating away into oblivion.

  My fingers brush gently against the raw skin on her wrists before inserting the key into her cuffs. Her breath catches in her throat, and the sound hits me square in the chest.

  “Thanks, Ronny. I owe you one, okay?”

  “Nah, man. Consider us even. You saved my ass, it was only fair that I return the favor. By the way, your VP was in on it. Eyago.”

  “Yeah… I heard about that,” I admit bitterly.

  “No worries man. He just got arrested for assisting in the murder of a street rat named Aladdin, along with the murder of your friend, Jay. You won’t be seeing him again, ever.”

  My hands pause in their task of releasing Jasmine as I let Ronny’s words sink in.

  “Nah, Ronny. Eyago’s getting arrested for the death of Ali Ababwa and Jay. Aladdin is alive and well.”

  The call goes quiet while Ronny chews over my words and I know he’s wondering if I understand the gravity of my choice.

  I do.

  “You sure you wanna do that? Everything you have would be gone.”

  Jazzy peers up at me with those mocha eyes, sucking me in and holding me hostage. But I know that I can’t, in good conscience, let an innocent man who was murdered disappear, never to be remembered. It was different when I thought his life choices led him down a dark path. Now that I know he just wanted to escape his fortune, but was murdered anyway… I can’t take his identity. He deserves a proper burial. People to mourn him. People to know the truth of his demise. And if I have to sacrifice a fortune that was never mine to begin with, then so be it.

  “Yeah.” I breathe before shaking myself out of my stupor and twisting the key to Jasmine’s handcuffs. “I’m sure.”

  “Alright. I’ll get it done. Is Jazzy okay?”

  Inspecting the gorgeous girl in front of me from head to toe, I find her to be shockingly calm when she should be shaken to her core.

  “She will be,” I promise Ronny. Jasmine smiles softly at the conviction in my voice.

  “Good. Be sure to invite me to the wedding!” Ronny adds before hanging up the phone and leaving me to the girl of my dreams.

  If there is a wedding, I think to myself. I’m not sure Saamir will hold up his end of the deal now that he knows my true identity. He seems like a loving father. Why would he allow me, a nobody, to m
arry his only daughter?

  Jasmine’s dainty fingers grasp my wrist and gain my attention.

  “You okay, princess?” I ask sincerely, my gaze straining to look past the blossoming bruise beneath her left eye.

  “I am now,” she confirms. Releasing my wrist, she starts rubbing her own. I offer my hand to help her up and she takes it gratefully, bringing us chest to chest.

  Carefully, I lean forward and place a gentle kiss on her ruby lips. With a soft sigh of contentment, she nearly collapses into my arms. It’s obvious the adrenaline that was keeping her going has slowly seeped from her pores, leaving her exhausted and in need of some much needed rest.

  I almost lost her to the selfishness of a man. One who didn’t understand the preciousness of human life. The importance of relationships. And the insignificance of money when you’re utterly alone in life.

  The thought is sobering.

  Jasmine leans her head against my chest then releases a deep breath and melts against me. Holding her close, I wrap my arms around her tiny waist.

  “Let’s get you out of here.” My husky whisper causes her dark ebony hair to rustle slightly.

  Her head nods up and down in silent agreement and I go to lead her to the magic carpet in the driveway that has miraculously been untouched during the raid. The courtyard is eerily silent as the men who saved us have evaporated into thin air, leaving the harsh scent of bleach in their wake.

  Slowly, Saamir trails behind us. The guilt for trusting such a vile snake like Jay hangs heavily on his shoulders, making him slump forward. It isn’t his fault, though, and I hope that he can one day learn to live with himself. I pray that we’ll all be able to move on from Jay’s venomous treachery.

  It’s a tight fit in the back of my tiny sports car, but somehow, Saamir squeezes in. We rush to my mansion where I plan to pack my things and find Saamir and Jasmine a safe place to stay until Ronny has time to weed out Jay’s goons from within the organization. If Eyago was planted in another corporation, I can only assume Saamir’s will have a few more as well.

  Once we arrive, I open Jasmine’s door and place my hand on her back to guide her to the entrance. Saamir’s voice stops me in my tracks.

  “May I have a moment with you, Aladdin?” Hearing his voice utter my true name is enough to make me pause. With a look over my shoulder, I find Saamir hesitantly shifting from foot to foot by my car.

  I nod in return before whispering to Jazzy, “Hey, princess. Why don’t you go inside and make some tea? It might help calm your nerves. I’ll be in, in a minute.” She peeks up at me before standing on her tippy toes and placing a gentle kiss against the scruff on my cheek.

  “I love you, Aladdin. I don’t care what he’s about to say to you. When I’m with you, I’m happy. I choose us. I choose love. I choose scraps of clothing and dumpster diving with you over opulent dresses and the finest cuisine the world has to offer. No matter what he says to you… I choose us.” Her eyes shine with sincerity, and I know she’d give up her entire world. For me.

  What she doesn’t understand is that I’ve lived that life, and I’ll do everything in my meager power to keep her away from it. She deserves so much more.

  But instead of feeding her anxiety, I wrap my arms around her slender waist and hold her close, breathing in her unique scent of lavender and jasmine, savoring her presence for a few short seconds. After, I kiss her forehead and gently push her toward the entrance.

  “I’ll be right there, princess. Make me a cup, too, okay?”

  With a soft smile, a hesitant Jasmine follows my orders and heads inside.

  Cautiously, I walk over to Saamir while mentally preparing my pathetic argument to be in her world. To stay where I belong, even if my pocketbook says otherwise.

  “Come here, my boy, and stop looking so damn nervous.”

  I snort at his casual tone, a weight being lifted from his offhandedness.

  “Alright then.” I lean against the side of my car before folding my arms protectively over my chest. “What did you want to speak with me about?”

  He looks me up and down. “I’m going to be honest with you, Aladdin. I don’t like liars. In fact, I loathe them. I had every intention of giving you my blessing to marry Jasmine this evening. We had already chosen a date, picked a venue, and spoken with designers for her dress. I had never seen my daughter so happy. So in love.” He smiles wistfully and my chest aches at what could have been.

  “But then Jay showed up. He went on and on about your lies, your deceit, your true identity. I didn’t care if he got away with his lies or if you did for the time being, but I promised myself that if I survived, I would bring you to your knees. That I would expose your true identity to the world. That I would take everything from you.”

  I swallow thickly with my stare glued to the ground, feeling like a child being scolded and deserving the verbal lashing more than my next breath.

  “But then you surprised me,” he continues. My eyes dart over to his, trying to gauge his sincerity and finding nothing but open honesty. “I heard what you said to your friend. I heard what you’re willing to give up to honor the real Ali’s death.” Saamir steps closer to me before placing his weathered hand on my shoulder. “Aladdin, I would be honored to have you marry my daughter. I would be honored to call you my son. I would be honored to have you by my side as I transition QUA Industries from me to you. If you’re still up for the job, of course.” He winks good-naturedly, and I laugh in return.

  “Are you serious?” I ask, praying for clarification.

  He nods his head knowingly. “Yes. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  We chat for a few more minutes about the logistics of everything before I rush inside and tell Jasmine the good news.

  Abu is busy sitting on the counter and peeling a banana when I practically shout the words to Jasmine, bursting with enthusiasm.

  With a squeal of delight, she throws her arms around my neck while Abu chatters loudly in the background. I swing her around excitedly in the open kitchen while laughing at our good fortune.

  A boy can change his future. A street rat can find his happily ever after. And a princess can have her freedom as long as the boy she loves is by her side.

  The End

  About the Author

  Kelsie prides herself on writing straight from her own heart, which is how she fell into sweet contemporary romance. She's a sucker for a love story with all the feels. When she's not chasing words for her next book, you will probably find her reading or, more likely, playing with her "monsters".

  She adores chocolate, photography, baking, chick flicks, and running. And now that she's actively pursuing her writing dreams, she's set her sights on someday finding the self-discipline to not eat an entire batch of cookies in one sitting.

  Also by Kelsie Rae

  Signature Sweethearts Series

  Liv

  Luke

  Breezy

  Jude

  Rhett

  Sophie

  Marcus

  Lover’s Landing Novella

  Fifty-Fifty

  Witching Woods

  Suzan Lee

  ABOUT WITCHING WOODS

  Everyone loves a fairy tale.

  We tell them to our kids over and over. I'm sure many of you recall your parents reading them to you, or your grandma whispering stories to you. But what if they were really true? What if those stories weren't really stories, but accounts of facts.

  Rose and Lily, twin sisters, take us on an adventure in the woods which will leave you wondering if this is true or a fairy tale. We'll let you decide. All I can assure you is you won’t want to stop reading until you read that very...last...word.

  Come join Lily and Rose and find out.

  Published by Vixen Publishing

  First Edition, 2019

  Copyright © 2019 by Suzan Lee

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Plea
se do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the work of Suzan Lee.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by Suzan Lee

  This one is dedicated to Lyndell Punshon.

  30 Years of friendship.

  Told ya I’d do it.

  1

  “Lily, come outside! What’s the point of coming to the cabin if you are going to stay inside all day with your nose in a book?”

  Lily sighed, it was going to be one of those days. “Rose, I came here to relax. That is the point.” Rose was energetic and adventurous, the ‘leap before you look’ kind of person. Lily, on the other hand, was quiet, thoughtful, and considerate. To Lily, there was nothing better than sitting quietly reading a good book. Their final year of school was done, and they had headed to the family’s cabin in the forest to relax. Of course, for Rose that meant exploring and bushwalking.