Page 34 of As Darkness Fall
“What can I do for you, Dani?”
“Can I come in?” I asked.
Mr. A—his real name was Ron, but everyone just called him Mr. A—grew sad. Terse.
“Jo’s not here right now,” he said awkwardly.
“I know,” I said. “Lars took her. That’s why I’m here.”
“How do you know that?” Mr. A asked, stiffening in surprise. “I only guessed as much. You’re sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure,” I said.
“I see.” Mr. A gave me a long look, then opened the door. “You have changed, Danielle.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, entering the house. “Thanks.”
“What do you need from me?” he wanted to know once I was inside. “Do you want any hot chocolate?”
He glanced out the window, obviously wondering who was in the trucks.
“No,” I said gently. “Thank you, though. But I don’t have time for that.”
“Mmm,” Mr. A said, his eyes dark and thoughtful.
“What I need to know is whether or not he’s reached out to you. Ransom note. Threats. Demands. Anything like that about Jo?”
“No,” Jo’s dad said sadly. “Nothing. As I said, it’s only a rumor that Lars ordered her taken because she was friends with you.”
I snarled audibly. The fact that someone,anyone, would come to harm simply by being friends with me was despicable. But that someone would go after Jo was even worse. Her father was the sweetest, most giving man I knew, despite his faults earlier in life. He’d pulled himself together, and now he looked after both Jo and her mom with a tenderness any father and husband should work to emulate.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “This is all my fault.”
Mr. A smiled. “Jo would have supported you anyway,” he said. “Even if she knew this would come of it. She was like that, my Jo.”
“She still is like that, Mr. A,” I growled. “Do you have any other information?”
“No,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry. I’ve been trying, but much of my time is taken up here. Marie…She hasn’t been well. Jo’s disappearance hit her hard.”
“I see,” I said, knowing well of his wife’s drug problem. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Mr. A said. “My Jo, she knows the risks.”
“That’s just it,” I said stiffly. “You shouldn’t have had any risks. You should have turned me in. I should have turned myself in. So nobody else would suffer because of me. I wasn’t worth it.”
Mr. A’s growl filled the bottom floor, and he pulled me into a hug, using enough force to ensure I couldn’t squirm out of it.
“You’re wrong,” he said into my ear. “You are worth it. That’s what separates us, Dani. That’s what keeps us different from monsters like Lars. Compassion. Caring.”
I was silent. What else was I supposed to say to that?
“Why are you back?” Mr. A. asked as he let me go. “And who are your friends?”
I stared at Jo’s dad.
“I’m here for Jo,” I snarled with deadly promise. “We’re going to get your daughter back.”
Chapter Eighteen
