Without Villains: Chapter 6

The high Dannika had discovered earlier continued, the aroma of sweat, sugary drinks, and something woodsy swelling through her to maintain it. Jamal sat on the other side the of small, round table,

Remember that these chapters are being posted as they’re written, so they haven’t been fully edited. If you happen to notice a continuation detail I missed in Draft Suck, please let me know.

Series blurb:

In the dystopian ruins of America, ravaged by the Para Wars, four lives converge in a desperate bid to salvage their city. Victoria Armstrong, betrayed by her boss and fighting for her dying wife, resolves to overthrow the corrupt status quo. Dannika Love seizes a new mission under Victoria, proposing radical solutions that could restore order or ignite further chaos.

As Vance Young, a disillusioned detective, seeks justice outside the law, Pearl champions a sanctuary for the persecuted paras. Together, they discover that their city doesn't just need heroes—it needs villains to force the change that desperation demands. "Without Villains" is a gripping urban fantasy exploring the thin lines between heroism and villainy in a society teetering on the edge of collapse.

The high Dannika had discovered earlier continued, the aroma of sweat, sugary drinks, and something woodsy swelling through her to maintain it. Jamal sat on the other side the of small, round table, sipping his coffee and laughing at something Electra Fierce said. The standard room lights were on, the music was turned way low, and two people in white shirts and black pants were picking up the major trash and empty glasses.

Electra tugged on her neon pink wig and glanced at Dannika. “Well, I’m off to bed.” She narrowed her long lashes and turned to Jamal. “Until next weekend.”

Jamal nodded at her and waited until she was out of earshot before turning to Dannika. “All right, little queen. Why are you still here?”

Because she didn’t want the evening to end.

Jamal waved his hand, dismissively. “All kinds of people stay after for that reason and I kick them out all the time. On time.” He leaned forward. “Why are you here?”

Fascination rammed through Dannika, adding light to the dim room. “How do you know things I haven’t told you?”

Sitting back in his chair, Jamal looked toward the ceiling and then smiled slightly, playing with his damp blue paper napkin. “I’m one in a long line of voudon witches, baby girl. I’m not going to share all my secrets with you.”

Witchcraft. Sitting in this room, Dannika felt like it was real, or it could be. She knew there were shifters and other paranormals. She’d seen her friend turn into a wolf months ago right before she’d turned him in. Paras were new and were bad, but witches? They were just women—people, she guessed, and had been around for centuries. “I’m looking for information about a poison.” Though Dannika wasn’t sure she cared to stop it. If paras were bad—and she’d been told they were by people she trusted.

She had trusted. Those same people had thrown her away, so that left a door open for doubt. What if paras weren’t evil? What if her friend had been good? The military had kicked her out when they needed her the most. It made sense that they could be wrong about this as well.

It was an interesting argument. She wasn’t certain what she herself felt about paras. She wasn’t certain what she would do with the information she got when she found it, either. Victoria cared about this issue. But Dannika had fought for the military that was against paras. Her friends were dying because paras wanted to come into this world, terrorize it, split the world, be okay in the aftermath they’d wrought.

But then another thought hit her. What if she could use whatever information she found to get back into the military she so deeply loved?

A spark of hope lit like a flare inside her as the mission suddenly connected and made sense, her world righting itself once more.

“You’ve got a lot on your mind,” Jamal said.

Dannika nodded, not willing to share it all with him, though the words were pushing to be shouted for all the world to hear. “I need your help.” This would be easy, turning him to help her gain information she needed, and the relief swelling through her after deciding to give the information to the military instead of Victoria was overwhelming, infusing her with new life and hope.

Jamal raised a hairless eyebrow. “I’m intrigued.”

To use him, she wouldn’t even have to lie or make the truth bigger than it was. “We believe that the water is being poisoned.”

The look on Jamal’s face didn’t move for a long moment, but then he blinked rapidly, his fake lashes creating a windstorm from his face as he looked away. “Oh, baby girl. What a story.”

“It’s not a story.” She smiled because the truth of this situation only made it easier to spin for him. “Someone was guided to your water treatment facility.”