Page 45 of As Darkness Fall
“Urk,” Vir said, his knees jabbing into the back of Aaron’s seat. “Can you move your chair up?”
Aaron paused, looking in the rearview mirror. “No.”
I snickered.
“Dani,” Vir began, already ignoring Aaron.
“I stole the stupid Idol from Lars, Vir,” I snapped. “Did you miss that little bit? I took itfromLars.”
Vir shut up. I could see him mentally replaying the conversation, his eyes unfocused as he thought back to it all.
“I see,” he said slowly.
“Exactly. I didn’t take it from your precious city or her temple. He already had it, and I took it from him.”
“Well, that’s not that bad,” Vir said slowly. “I guess.”
“I’m so glad you approve,” I said, sarcasm dripping from my tone. Vir ignored it. So I turned to Aaron. “What did you do with it?”
Vir gasped from the backseat. “You stole it and gave it tohim?!”
“Oh, for—Shut. Up!”I snapped, turning to glare at Vir. “Seriously. Until a few days ago, you were nothing more than words in a dusty old textbook. Nobody was going to take that seriously.”
“But you gave it to him?”
“Yes,” I said. “I did steal it. I took it from Lars, and I gave it to Aaron to pay for his services so I had someone to help me look for Shuldar. There. Are you happy? You know the full story. Any more protests for how I defiled this or that and blasphemed everyone you know?”
Vir fell silent.
Thank. God.
Or Gods. Or whoever actually existed.
I focused my attention back on Aaron, who was staring straight ahead and leading the other truck as we made good on our escape of sorts from Aldridge Manor.
Normally calm, collected, and cool as ice, Aaron’s rock-hard features were twisted in something that I’d never seen on him before.
Discomfort.
I didn’t know what to make of that. I’d expected gloating and smugness as he lorded his payment over Vir’s head. Taunting him with it, or even just chuckling. Yet, he wasn’t taking the time to doanyof that.
“Where is it?” I asked him. “Let’s go get it.”
To my surprise, Aaron shook his head. “I’m not giving it back.”
I sighed. “Think about it, Aaron. It’s only money. Vir’s gonna pay you with more of his treasure. You get to take more of his money. That should make you happy, no?”
Aaron’s face still didn’t change. No surge of delight flickering through his bright eyes, no twitch of his pale cheeks. Nothing. He was like ice.
“What is it?” I asked quietly. “What’s wrong, Aaron?”
His throat bobbed as he swallowed. “I don’t have it.”
I blinked slowly. “You. Don’t. Have it?”
Aaron winced. “No. I had to give it up.”
That didn’t seem like Aaron at all. But then, I’d given him the Idol as his fee for the entire team. So, maybe he’d had to pay them.
