A Shot in the Dark

BlackMail

Time seemed to freeze as I lay with my back pressed to the hard floor. I had passed out for an unknown amount of time before my sight returned to reveal Lindsey standing over me. Blinking several times was useless to stop the world from spinning around in circles. My head pounded against my skull, threatening to break out before Lindsey's voice called my attention away.

"O-oh! My goodness, Gabriella. I didn't see you there...are you okay? You look deathly pale."

My fingers went to my hairline, where the skin was raw and swelling. Lindsey grabbed my hand to pull me from the floor, grunting with the effort to keep me upright. Feet faltering for a second, I reached out to balance myself, eyes swimming and not able to focus on anything. I rubbed both eyes and blinked hard. After a moment, everything was back to normal. It was only then that I noticed what I had grabbed to balance.

Felix stared at me with wide eyes. My hand was around his torso in a death grip. Flustered, I let go as fast as lightning and cleared my throat. "Uh, sorry. I didn't mean to do that." My eyes went between Felix, Lindsey, and the door attempting to piece together what had happened. Lindsey must have been walking out the door just as I stepped through. Without seeing me, she shoved the door straight into my face, knocking me to the ground.

"I saw you fall," Felix explained, perfect blue eyes still fixed on me with concern. "Wanted to help and see if you were okay. It seemed like you hit your head pretty hard."

Oh great. So now I have to worry about embarrassment and clumsiness as well as a possible concussion. "I'm f-fine," I lied. The bump on my head was starting to swell, but I could deal with the pain.

"I'll go get Sarah."

I grabbed Lindsey's arm in a flash. Panic filled my voice with my plea, "No, please don't. She has enough on her plate right now, and I don't want to add to her stress. I'm fine, I swear. Just needed to catch my breath. Don't mention a word about this to anyone, I beg you." I did not need to have more people giving me concerned glances and asking if I needed help every second. I could deal with this on my own without getting Sarah involved.

Lindsey was quiet for a moment, debating. After an agonizing minute, she nodded sternly. A sigh of relief escaped my mouth. "But," she added with sternness, "I'm only keeping it quiet because I owe you." The confusion must have been evident on my face, so she explained. "Don't act like I don't know how many times you've saved me from getting fired. Just please, no more running into doors around me." She winked. "And I'm extremely sorry. I'll check on you later to make sure you're feeling well."

"Don't worry about it," I told her, pulling her into a quick embrace before gently shoving her away. "Now, get back to your job before Sarah sees you slacking, Snow White." Lindsey let out a laugh before turning and walking away into the throng of tables crowded with customers.

"Are you sure you're really okay?"

I jumped, forgetting that Felix had been standing there the whole time. I could see a faint scar above his brow from this close—one tiny imperfection on what seemed like a flawless surface. His eyes held concern with a hint of something else I could not pinpoint.

"I'm fine, I promise," I lied. Felix tilted his head as though suspecting the lie but never questioning further. "I should get back to work." Turning to leave, my feet made it to the kitchen window before turning around and seeing him standing in the same spot. "T-thanks for checking on me. You didn't have to do that."

He nodded, the side of his mouth lifting in a grin. "Anything to help out my favorite waitress." Without another word, he turned and walked back to the table where his father waited, head still buried in his phone.

The events after seemed to fly by in a haze. Work, host, waitress, deliver, repeat. I saw Lindsey scrambling by with arms full of plates, both full of food and in need of washing. Whenever she would glance my way, I would paste on my best smile, but the worry never left the crease above her brows.

Later on, I waited in the kitchen, listening to the ladies chatter away in Italian, soaking in the smells of delicious foods and resting my aching feet. It had been a long night for sure. A bag of ice lay at my feet, which I snatched for my head when no one was watching. Adrenaline shocked me awake when the meals for Felix and his father were ready. I took them out, setting them down in front of the two men, even sharing a smile with Felix as I caught his eyes. Not wanting to walk away but needing to complete my other rounds, the smile never left my face.

"Table six!" A lady screamed from the window, placing a plate stacked with pasta in my view. All the happiness from before was wretched out of me and replaced with terror. I felt the color drain from my face as I took the plate to the customer with slow, deliberate steps.

The man in the fedora sat so motionlessly I questioned whether he was still breathing. Hands clasped together on the table, face still cast in dark shadows, and cane still set against the table, he held an unmistakable air of dominance. I approached, setting his food down as carefully as my shaking hands would allow. It did not take him very long to eat, and a half-hour later, I went to clear his table and retrieve the check.

I stopped in my tracks when the absence of the man greeted me. Nearly thrilled, I started collecting his dishes with ease, stacking each plate on top of one another with one arm and his cup in the other hand. The movement of something falling to the ground caught my eye. The man in the fedora so carefully hid the slip of paper between the plate and the table so that it would have been impossible to see if the plate were not moved.

Eyes tracing over each word, my breath raced out of my lungs, mouth going parched in milliseconds. Tucking the paper into my apron with haste, I ran back to dispose of the dishes in the sink and placed the check at the register, then moved to the farthest corner where no prying eyes could see. With my hands trembling, I reopened the letter and read the words over and over until my vision seemed to go cross-eyed. They were simple words but threatening nevertheless.

"Come to this address at exactly midnight, or an anonymous call will be made to the police with incriminating details about a robbery on the 17th of December last year." The address was listed below in the same handwriting style—slow, deliberate lines stealing all happiness away.

Author's Note

This is where things truly start to get interesting. I never wanted such a drawn-out story, but the pay-off was amazing to me. Not only do you learn more about how Gabriella views situations, but you learn more about the other characters as well.