Page 44 of Taking Root

Danny curled her hands into fists on his chest as she leaned up to meet his gaze. “We’re in this together,” she said, her tone weighted with intent. “I promise.”

“Let’s go back to bed,” he said, wrapping his hand over one of her fists. She relaxed her hand to slip into his and let him lead her to the bedroom. She might not get any more sleep tonight, but her newfound resolve gave her enough impetus to fight her fear.

***

The sun streamed in through the windows, birds chirped, and the sky was the brazen blue that brought dreams to life. Perfect day for a confrontation.

Adrian drove, turning the volume of whatever classical music blared from his speakers along the way, since they both brimmed with unspoken tension.

“I can’t believe my final battle music is Beethoven,” Danny muttered.

Adrian shot her a sidelong glance. “It’s Bach. And it’s classic for a reason.”

“Classic cause it’s stale as five-day old toast,” she fired back as she got comfortable in her seat.

Danny glanced to her phone for the thousandth time this morning to see the blank screen again. Ever since the call from the Feds yesterday she’d kept her phone shut off, not wanting to watch the calls from her handlers stack up or risk them tracking her. She skimmed her finger along her waistband on instinct, but her pistol wasn’t there. The plan consisted of getting her father to show up in close quarters, which was where Adrian came in. He’d be waiting in the corner of the building with her pistol aimed.

Her nerves buzzed like a live chainsaw, and she’d been tapping on the side of the car from the moment they took off toward Cambria Creamery. The buildings of Eastside cropped into view, more rowhomes and small ranchers filtering along the wide streets. Black tupelos stretched to the horizon, their leaves out in full on this sunny spring day. Magenta blooms sprouted off azaleas clustering around the front yards of half the houses on this stretch.

Her heart twisted like a sopping rag. She loved this calm and easy city with its gorgeous blooms, the crash of the sea in the near distance, and the charming sideways houses lining the main sprawl. She loved Adrian Dukas with an intensity that threatened to burn her alive.

Danny had been running ever since she stumbled upon the secret room, but here and today, she would fight.

She would confront the demon wearing her father’s face.

At the end of the block stood the faded sign for Cambria Creamery, the once-crimson shade turned to a pale pink and the letters barely visible. The sight once filled her with sugar-sweet memories, ones that crumbled like sand in the wake of today’s task.

After over a decade of running, this was where their story would end. Either her father would get locked up and she’d be free, or she’d end up in an early grave like his other victims.

Adrian slowed, his grip on the steering wheel tensing. “When we met in the Gin Mill, I can say I never anticipated we’d end up staking out a serial killer who happens to be your father.”

“What can I say?” she responded, gliding her thumb over the canister of pepper spray in her pocket. “I like to live on the edge. Also, I lost hardcore in the genetics department.”

Adrian shrugged as he pulled to a stop along the sidewalk. “Family isn’t just about blood. It’s about who you can count on. Who stands by your side at your weakest points and helps you back up.”

She leaned forward and pressed her mouth to his. He tasted like coffee and mint, his full lips offering a caress that for a moment allowed her to forget why they were here and what they faced. She surrendered to the sweetness of the kiss, the way it sparked her synapses to life. Adrian blazed with warmth like the sun, and her petals unfurled around him every time. Her chest ached. If she could stay in this moment, she would. Here with him in the car, gasping breaths as they surfaced for air while his shitty classical music blared in the background.

Except with ten minutes until eleven, they’d run out of time.

“Let’s do this,” she murmured, pulling away from him. The serious look in his eyes seared right through her, but even still, Adrian remained steady. He was like a lighthouse in the midst of a storm, offering hope for salvation if she could only reach the coast.

Danny turned her phone on at last as she scanned the streets, searching for any sign of her father. A rental car’s plates, shadows around a corner, or anyone along the sidewalks she recognized. Apart from a mom and her kid taking a stroll and a senior toddling along, no one else wandered nearby. Her phone powered on, and the barrage of texts, missed calls, and voicemails caused it to ping over and over again. Most of the texts were from Camilla while her handlers chose to call.

Danny fired the address off to Eve Jensen in a text. Her handler had worked with her for so long Eve should be able to take the information and roll with it. She hoped the Feds trusted her enough to follow this lead, because without backup, she and Adrian wouldn’t stand a chance.

“Time to fight for your future,” was all Adrian said before he got out of his car, the slam of the door reverberating through the frame. She grabbed the door handle and exited.

Even with the mid-morning sun beating down on them, Danny’s skin was cold, cold, cold. The salt scent in the air grew sharper than normal, and the tension that descended was pure, unfiltered gunpowder. Her neck prickled, but when she looked around, no one even glanced in their direction. Not like she could quell the paranoia that had risen to a marching beat inside her chest.

Big panes of glass formed the entrance of the parlor, making it clear as day what lay inside, even with the couple of boards patching up holes in the exterior. At the sight of it, the phantom scent of cherry vanilla ice cream lingered. Most of the time Mom alone took her here because as she was often reminded, her father worked long hours. Her birthday party had been the first time he’d joined them on the trip. Not like it ended well.

Her throat tightened. If she succeeded here today, not only would she be free, but Mom as well. Far too much rode on their confrontation, but she had over a decade to prepare for this fight. Her pepper spray, taser, and the couple of knives she’d packed in her pocket and boot weighed her down. There were so many ways this plan could sour—her father already waiting inside, him never showing and the Feds finding them instead, her father pulling a trigger the moment she stepped in…and one option to win.

The odds weren’t in their favor, but Danny had no other way.

She wanted to live. She wanted to stay.

They approached the glass panes, their reflections gleaming back at them. Inside lay the abandoned parlor, the ice cream bar and stools still in place, even though the fixtures had taken a beating after years of neglect. Despite the shadows smothering this place, Danny didn’t catch any sign of movement from within. She tugged out her lockpick and went to work on the door.

---