"Genni's dad–" Derrick started.
"Danny," Evelyn finished. The smell of coffee was strong. The clinking of glasses ringed in the coffee shop. It wasn't busy, but there were a few scattered friend groups under the fancy decorations. Evelyn and Derrick were sitting on the lime green couch in the corner.
"Yeah, Danny. He didn't just lose Genni."
Evelyn's eyebrows rose. "Oh, no."
"I know. Danny lost his daughter and his brother."
"His brother? When?"
"Years ago... it was a murder or something," Derrick took his baseball cap off and sat it on the end table next to his coffee.
"That's RED..." Evelyn's eyes scanned the floor as she tried to piece things together. "Danny is RED."
"I think so..."
"But, wait. That doesn't make sense. He wouldn't kill his own daughter..."
"Maybe he went crazy? Danny is involved somehow," Derrick was trying his best to put everything together.
"What do we do?" she asked.
"I don't know. An anonymous tip to the sheriff?" Derrick suggested.
"Yeah, you can't bop in there and tell them anything. They hate you," she chuckled.
Derrick rolled his eyes and took a sip of his steaming coffee. "On another note, how are you feeling? You look good."
"Thank you! I feel it," she smiled and placed a hand on her gunshot wound. "I'm healing and I don't think it'll be a problem. Yeah, it hurts but that's what pain pills are for. I'm good," she smiled again.
"Have you heard from Zach?" Derrick changed the subject.
"Yeah, of course. I live with him."
"Well, I didn't know. He's obsessed with Kathrine. I don't know who he talks to." Derrick's voice was getting snippy.
"He's ignoring you?"
"Yeah, but it's okay. It's whatever," he took another sip of his coffee. "I mean, I don't think he means to, I just want him to be the same with me. I apologized to him and he seemed fine. Now that he has Kathrine it's like I don't matter anymore."
"That's not true, Derrick."
"It's okay. I'm cool with it..."
"Well, you don't seem like it..."
"What are we going to do about Danny?" he changed the subject again.
-----
"It's getting late, Zach," Kathrine said in Zach's car. The windows were getting foggy and the heat in the car was doing the best it could. She kept reaching over from the passenger seat and turning the windshield wipers on so she could see through the foggy glass.
"I know, but I don't really care," Zach kept looking at her lips.
"Oh, my gosh. Why don't you just write some poetry already," Kathrine popped her knuckles.
"What do you mean?" he laughed.
"You're just sweet, Zach." She turned from looking out the windshield to him. She flashed her pretty white teeth with a grin. She looked down from Zach's eyes to his lips.
She leaned forward slowly, and he took the lead. He closed his eyes and planted his lips on hers. Like a magnet, their chemistry was finally getting on the same field. The poles were spinning in unison.
He reached his hand down and unclipped his seatbelt. He reached forward and put his hand behind her smooth hair. He pulled her closer and made the butterflies in her stomach hit another level.
Zach's beard was tickling her face as he kissed her, and she liked it. She reached for his shoulders, not knowing what to do. She had never felt this nervous... this warm. She wanted to keep this moment forever, so she opened her eyes.
When she did, she saw more than just Zach. The windshield was fogging back up, but it wasn't fogged enough to hide the view. Through the misty glass was a red figure, just out of the shining of the headlights.
***Will Derrick and Zach's relationship fall apart? Will Evelyn work with Derrick and turn Danny in? Is Danny RED? Was that RED that Kathrine saw?
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