From Darkness (Hearts & Arrows Book 3)(52)

Lola hopped over to Tori, who smoothed the little girl’s curly dark hair.

“It’s nap time, monster. Go get in bed. I’ll be right there.”

She squealed and ran down the hallway.

“How’s it going?” Tori made her way over and knelt down to look at the big photos while Jon tried to put them back where they’d been before Babyzilla blew in.

“Slow. There’s so much here.” He looked over the dozens of photos that lay around him on the floor. “She’s been busy.”

“What’s your plan?”

“Right now? I’ve got to get this mess put together. Then, I’ve gotta start digging up the old articles and logging them, and then…I don’t know. I’ll probably do a lot of mad-dogging.”

“Stare the clues out?”

He shrugged. “It works. Things usually fall into place.”

Tori looked over the photos, pausing to touch a picture of a girl wrapped in plastic. “I don’t envy your job.”

“Yeah, well, being an accountant isn’t exactly my cup of tea either.”

“Don’t be jealous because I’m good at math.”

“Oh, I’m not.” He ran a hand over his mouth. “Yep. It’s gonna be a long couple of days. Sure you don’t want to help?”

“I don’t have the stomach for crime photos. You’re on your own, son.” She gave him a slap on the shoulder and stood. “Need anything?”

“An extra set of hands and a few more hours in the day couldn’t hurt.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

She laughed as she closed his door, leaving him with his thoughts, leaving him in silence.

So he turned on Willie Nelson, who sang about the girl who was always on his mind, and Jon got to work, comforted in the fact that, if nothing else, Willie knew how he felt.





The fog hung heavy outside Dita’s windows that afternoon, gray and dense. She watched it slowly roll by from where she lay molded into her mattress, nestled in her bedding.

She had stayed with Heff all night, too afraid to be alone. He’d brought her tea and a ham sandwich, which she’d inhaled, and they’d talked until the sun was up. She’d told him about her horrible dreams, and they’d talked about Adonis and Ares. Or she’d talked, and he’d listened and nodded, occasionally offering his thoughts. He hadn’t been happy that she’d held out on coming to him and had made her promise not to hesitate again.

They’d also talked about Perry.

As much as it had hurt for her to destroy the mirror and as much as everything Perry had said cut through her, Perry was right, and Dita needed to tell her so. It wasn’t an easy realization, but she’d come to the understanding all the same, thanks to Heff’s words and his warmth and his honesty.

She’d stayed up talking with him until he’d yawned so hard, his eyes watered. And then she’d said goodbye, slipping into her bed for a few hours, though sleep never found her. Instead, she’d listed all the things she needed to say to her friend.

Dita glanced over her shoulder to look at her clock, deciding it was time. She peeled herself out of bed, shuffled to the elevator, and pushed B4.

The doors opened up to the black marble hallway of the underworld, and she stepped out just as Perry appeared at the other end of the foyer.

“Hey,” Dita said lamely, her voice echoing against the polished stone.

Perry’s hazel eyes softened, and she gave Dita a small smile. “Hey. Come on in.”

Dita made her way through the foyer, her eyes lingering on the painting of Elysium. Adonis was somewhere in there. Desperation slipped over her as she scanned the painting for him. But she caught herself, biting her lip as she walked past, hugging the far wall to put as much distance as she could between her and the painting.

“Perry,” Dita said as she approached, “I…”

She found that she had no words, no way to explain, except for one.

“I’m sorry.” The words were rough; they burned her throat and stung her eyes.

Perry stepped toward her, reaching for her. “No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have destroyed the mirror, not like that. It was cruel. I should have let you have a say, but Dita…” Perry shook her head, her eyes big and sad. “You should have seen yourself. I was afraid for you, but that’s no excuse.”

“I shouldn’t have said what I said about you not caring, and I shouldn’t have lied to you about the mirror. I shouldn’t have hidden, but I knew it was wrong. I knew you’d tell me to stop, that you’d take it away, and I couldn’t…I didn’t…”

“Stop. It’s okay. You weren’t the only one who said things they need to apologize for. I was rash, and you were hysterical. I should have waited until you calmed down to talk about it, but I was so fucking upset. You would have been shocked at your behavior, if you’d realized what you were doing, and honestly, I just couldn’t find enough patience to let that version of you go on a second longer.”

“I know. But I’m not gonna lie and say I’m okay.”

“Honey, I’m sorry.” Perry wrapped her arms around Dita.

She sighed, hooking her chin on Perry’s shoulder. “It’s okay. I know getting rid of it was the right thing to do.”