The Final Note (DJ Series Book 1) (13 page)

“Hey, Regina. Can I have a drink? VK Blue?” I grin and she gives me a huge smile, nodding before producing a bottle of the tasty blue vodka mix and offering it to me.

“Just for you, sweets.” She offers me the drink which Dayton intercepts and slams down on the table.

“Regina, I just told you she has been spiked. What the hell are you playing at? Don’t you think you should be questioning your bar staff?” He looks livid and Regina looks hurt.

“How can I prove it was one of them, babe? I’ll check the video footage from the bar but it could have happened at any time she has been here. I’m sorry. You know she wouldn’t be the first person to get high and blame a spike.”

“Fuck you, Regina. You know for a damn fact she never consciously took a damn thing except for the pink shit you and your staff served her.” Corrine grins out through teeth that are clenched tighter than mine.

I look around me in amazement as all hell seems to break loose. Corrine jumps up and Greg tries to make her sit back down. Dayton stands and places his hand on Regina’s shoulder as she shouts back at Corrine. Macy shouts something and Ross snaps at her to stay out of it. Corrine screeches and I duck my head, sneaking the bottle of water off the table and downing the whole thing. It does nothing to quench my thirst and I tug at Regina’s arm from my seat but she pulls away, too busy shouting at Dayton who is shaking his head and pointing a finger accusingly in her face. I frown. Why won’t they listen? I tug her hand again and this time she looks down at me.

“Can I get a bottle of water, please, babe?” I ask and offer her my empty bottle, this makes her smirk at me. I smile back, glad someone else is happy, she does have an incredibly pretty smile. The smile slides from her face and she morphs before my eyes, her lip curling and she seems to snarl as a security guard comes to stand beside her.

“This tramp is off her face and he,” she points to Luke, “Is in possession of drugs, get them out.”

She spits on the floor at my feet and I frown. What the hell did I do? I didn’t even shout. I feel someone take me by the arm and start to pull me towards the dance floor but we don’t stop and dance, we head outside.

When we get to Dayton’s place, Luke, Gemma, Greg and Corrine come in with Dayton and me. I instantly flip the radio on but the tunes aren’t as hard as they were in Lexis. Deadmau 5 – I Remember seeps out into the room, making a subdued, chilled atmosphere. “Why did we come home so early?” I ask and they all stare at me blankly.

“Alannah, it was just before closing. It’s almost 4am,” Dayton tells me and I feel the buzz and tingling start to ebb away and fade into a lull. I’m given a glass of water and everyone else gets bottles of Budweiser. “How do you feel now, babe?” he asks and I shrug.

I’m fine, gutted we aren’t having the fun I was having in Lexis. “I’m bored.”

“I can help with that,” Luke pipes up as he passes me a rolled smoke.

“I don’t smoke.” I wrinkle my nose at the smell. My eyes widen when I see Dayton take the joint and have a drag. “I didn’t know you smoked?”

He exhales the smoke and passes the joint to Corrine who has a puff. “I don’t smoke, baby, but if it encourages you to take some then I’ll do it.”

“You want me to smoke that?” I watch Greg drag on the joint, the end burning bright before he pulls it from his lips and passes the joint to Gemma.

“It will help, Lana. You might even sleep,” Luke explains and a second joint is thrust into my hand. I wrinkle my nose at the smell again but this time I take a puff, inhaling the smoke. It’s smoother than I thought and the taste is better than the smell. I pass it to Dayton who has a drag then passes it back to me.

For the next hour we sit around, going up in smoke and listening to a chill out album that Dayton puts on. “I gotta admit, when I came out tonight I never for one minute thought I would end up sitting around getting stoned with you guys.” Gemma giggles and it makes me laugh. Gemma’s eyes are heavy and Luke has his arm draped around her, he is almost asleep on her shoulder but he is laughing, too.

“I haven’t done this in years. I don’t know why, because I love the taste of it,” Greg says sleepily and just looking at everyone’s eyes half closed and their words so slow make me feel tired, too. I don’t think I’ve ever been this relaxed. I’m totally chilled and struggling to keep my own eyes open.

“Can we crash on your sofa tonight, Dayton?” Corrine asks, her head leant back against the back of the sofa, her eyes closed and Greg has his head in her lap.

“Did you really think I was going to turf you all out?” Dayton smirks and I giggle, looking at his hooded eyes and lazy, sweet smile.

“You’re so bloody gorgeous. I love you, Dayton.” I yawn before I kiss him softly on the lips. He kisses me back, tasting me and running his fingers through my hair.

“I love you, too, baby girl.”

I rest my forehead against his and give in to my eyes, letting them fall closed and a peaceful contentment swamps me, delving me into sleep. I vaguely feel Dayton lift me and tell me he loves me again.

When I rouse from an incredibly deep slumber the next morning I’m alone in Dayton’s bed. I feel like I’ve slept for twelve solid hours and feel surprisingly refreshed. The whereabouts of Dayton pull me from the bed and I go off in search of him. The living room is empty but in the kitchen I spy a bin bag full of empty bottles and the contents of an ashtray that has been cleared away to go in the outside bin.

A vague memory of sitting around and smoking weed surfaces from the back of my mind and I remember giggling, giggling
a lot.
Dayton kept giving me sips of water and force feeding me chewing gum. I remember an argument between Corrine and Regina. Luke being turfed out of Lexis for having the bag of weed on him.

The pieces of the puzzle are starting to slot together and I recall being absolutely hyped on the dance floor and everyone looking at me in judgement. Did I get spiked? I’m sure I can recall Regina accusing me of getting high. I didn’t take anything though, well, apart from smoking a couple of blunts for the first time once we came home. I’m trying to recall as much as I can about the night when Dayton walks into the kitchen with just a towel around his waist. I can smell the soapy scent of him and for a few seconds I say nothing. I simply admire the way water drips from his hair to his chest before running in rivulets down over his bare upper body.

“Afternoon, sleepy head. How do you feel?” Dayton looks a little unsure of his question and I shrug.

“I feel great. I don’t even have a hangover. I didn’t drink much, did I?” He shakes his head but looks saddened. My phone ringing interrupts us and I swipe it up from the kitchen island, noting it’s a withheld number – again. I roll my eyes and swipe to answer.

“Hello.” I’m greeted with silence and I press the phone harder to my ear, desperate to hear something. “What the hell is your problem, dumbass?”

To this I swear I hear a smile and a very quiet sigh before the line goes dead. “I swear, these crank calls are really starting to piss me off now. I think I’m going to have to change my number.”

“It’s probably for the best. Are you hungry?” I nod and without a word he starts toasting bread and putting the kettle on.

“So, am I right in thinking I was spiked last night?” I enquire whilst taking a seat at the kitchen island. Anger starts to pool low in my stomach and burns. Dayton turns slowly and looks defeated.

“The answer to that would be yes, Alannah. I’m sorry. Corrine is adamant it was Regina, but Regina is certain she wasn’t the one that served you.”

“She did. Well, she refused to serve me VK Blue, but then I gave Corrine the money to get my drink, I said any fruit alcopop.” I remember this as clear as day. It was definitely Regina who took my order.

“You’re positive?” I nod that I am. “Because Corrine said it was the new young brunette that works there that brought the drinks to the bar. Regina left through the staff door.”

“Really? All I know is that I came from the ladies’ and there was that foul pink thing on the table. I was so stupid, I should have seen this coming.”

“How could you have predicted this, sugar? None of us knew the new waitress would enjoy drugging up the clubbers. Don’t worry, I’ve already been on the phone to Barros and Regina agreed with me, the girl had to go. She was handed her P45 this morning with a stern warning that you could press charges.”

“What?! You really believe Regina? She was the one who laced that drink, I’m certain.”

“How can you be when you weren’t even at the bar? Alannah, I know you and Regina don’t get along but she would never do something like that. I know you don’t know her, but I do, it’s more than her life is worth if her dad thought she was pumping drugs around his club.”

My mouth falls open and I don’t know if he is totally blinded by her bullshit or if he is really just thick. I know he’s a very smart guy who is more than capable of putting two and two together, but this time he’s equated that to five.

“Are you for real? Dayton, you only
think
you know her. You see what she wants you to see. She straight out told me to my face that she isn’t done fighting for you and isn’t willing to let you go. She is banking on you running to her when this kind of shit comes between us.” I push away the breakfast he has laid on the table.

“Letting me go? Alannah, only this morning she has called me and told me that after how I accused her last night she never wants to see me outside of work again. If she was fighting to keep me as a friend then I think we can pretty much be assured she has given up the fight.” He pushes the plate back towards me.

“She did? It’s just her way of trying to play the wounded party to make you feel guilty for accusing her of lacing my drink. Oh, she’s a cunning bitch.”

“Look, without any proof it was Regina I can do nothing. As far as Barros is concerned the culprit has been dealt with. What more can I do?”

“Believe me!”

“I do. I just can’t do any more.”

Our voices are getting louder and my words are getting whiney and I feel this is the start of our first argument, or at least it would be, but the phone rings again and I stab the screen to reject the call before turning it off.

“I want you to take me home, please,” I state quietly into the room and I see disappointment in his eyes. He starts to speak before thinking better of it and I go through to the bedroom to dress. When I come out into the hallway he goes in and I sit in the silence of the living room. He quickly dresses and I stand to follow him but he stops me before I open the front door.

His hand on my shoulder makes me look up into his eyes and they’re full of apology. “Alannah, I hate this. I am really sorry about last night. Seeing you like that, your eyes weren’t your own and... well, drugs can be dangerous. Not the weed but the MDMA, it can be lethal. I didn’t have a clue what you’d taken or how you would handle it and I was powerless. I couldn’t stop it or take it away. I just desperately wanted to get it out of your system and I couldn’t. I’ve never felt so helpless.”

I see the honesty in his milky blue eyes and I feel my irritation ebb away. Why am I taking this out on him? It wasn’t his fault. He did what he could to look after me and I stand here unharmed or injured for what Regina did. I just wish he would see that he doesn’t know her at all. She is a bunny boiler in the making if I ever met one. I put my palm to his unshaven face before going up on tiptoes and softly kissing his beautiful mouth.

“Dayton, I don’t blame you for last night but so much has happened since I met her that I can’t help but think Regina’s hate campaign knows no limits.”

“Like what? I want to hear it all. I can’t understand if you aren’t honest with me and tell me everything.” I pull him back towards the sofa and we sit. I take his hand into my lap and recall everything: the rumours, the threats, the tyre slash, complaints at work, crank calls.

“And I think this is just the beginning, babe. I swear, the woman is a fantasist and she has got some psychotic kind of obsession with you. I think if she doesn’t get her own way, we are both going to be in the firing line.” Dayton looks astounded and not all together convinced. “Dayton, I’m worried she is going to hit you where it hurts, your career.”

He shakes his head. “Baby girl, all I’m worried about is you. If you’re so convinced it is her doing this crazy stuff then we have to prove it. But how?”

“I don’t know. Corrine and I have been trying to set her up but she covers all her tracks, she isn’t a bimbo even if she is blond.” The look on his face tells me he has an idea. “What? What are you thinking?”

He shakes his head but I urge him to tell me. “Well, last night Barros called me to his office and he told me there’s been an opportunity for me to try out at another club. A big club. In London.”

I squeeze his hand, Regina forgotten before I pull him to me and hug him tightly. “My gosh, Dayton, why didn’t you say?”

“You were off your face on God only knows what, I’m sure you wouldn’t have remembered anyway.” He grins.

“Is it a proper deal? Like, your shot?”

“Probably the best one I’ll ever get. It’s not just in any old nightclub, it’s one of Clerkenwell’s biggest clubs, Sphinx. I’m talking twenty-four hour licensing, the club holds thousands, not hundreds. It makes Lexis look like child’s play and the best thing about it is, they don’t just want me to mix, they want to hear my production, too. The owner, Mark Hardy, is business partners with one of London’s biggest EDM record labels. Jimmy Rayner is one of the biggest in the industry and he’s heard my stuff online. He wants to meet me. It could be my chance to really propel my career.”

I bounce on the spot, clapping, and I launch myself at him, hugging him and kissing him. “Oh, god, I’m so damn pleased for you, baby. This is what you have always wanted. It’s the golden opportunity.” Dayton is laughing, kissing me back and looks beyond happy. The smile soon disappears and I frown. “What’s up?” I sit up and he gives me a worried glance.

“The golden opportunity, but for who?”

“Well, you, silly.”

“And Regina. If she wants to screw me over now is the time.”

All excitement is crushed and I realise just how badly this could turn out. Oh, shit.

“It could be the perfect opportunity though, when is the audition?”

“Two weeks as of yesterday. Why? What are you thinking?”

“Perfect. Come on, let’s go. We need to make a stop at Corrine’s,” I say, pulling him towards the door.

“Corrine’s? Why?” He is totally confused but I’m hatching a plan in my head and I don’t know if it will work but if it does it might just mean the end of all the shit with Regina. I open the gate and start to round the front of the Evo but stop dead in my tracks.

“What the fuck?!” Dayton yells, having spotted the state of his car bonnet. The beautiful diamond white paint is... gone. It’s obvious someone has thrown a can of paint stripper over it and the rivulets of stripper have drizzled down the paintwork, stripping it to the bare metal. I force myself to close my mouth, looking to Dayton then back to the car. It’s bad, really bad. The stripper has even run down the grills on the front of the car and down the wing panels to the wheels. I cannot believe she has done this. “The fucking spiteful bitch,” he grinds out through clenched teeth and he pulls his phone from his pocket before putting in a call to the police.

I go back onto the pavement, seeing the extent of the damage from the driver’s side. Sure enough the stripper has splashed and slid all down the wing panel on this side, too. Dayton has gone indoors and I can only imagine how angry he is right now. I’m angry but the overriding emotion right now is shock. I knew Regina hated me, this leaves me with no doubt it was her who hit my car, but I didn’t think she would do this to Dayton. I take out my phone and turn it on, quickly dialling Corrine and after a quick call she confirms the car wasn’t damaged this morning when they left. Gemma tells me the same. So this has happened sometime between them leaving at 9.30am and now, 2.45pm. She has done this in broad daylight, she must have brass balls. Dayton comes back out of the house and looks seriously pissed.

“The police can do nothing, there is no surveillance on the street. I have no security cameras recording from the house so it’s a lost cause. All they did was give me a crime number to claim on the insurance. My excess isn’t cheap either. The fucking bitch.”

“You believe me now? You see why I was worried. Drugging me and damaging your car is proof enough to me that the woman is fucking crazy.”

“Oh, I believe you alright. Now I’m left wanting to know exactly what you have planned to put a stop to it all?”

There is a look of determination in his eye and I’m pleased we are finally on the same page where Miss Perfection is concerned.