From Darkness (Hearts & Arrows Book 3)(64)

“Daddy, I know.”

Hank sighed, and the sound weighed a million pounds. “I trust you. I know you’ll be smart. I don’t think he’s hanging around, but you need to assume he’s around every corner. I wish more than anything that you had a partner.”

“I’ll be fine. I’ll be careful,” she promised.

“Come here.” He opened his arms, and she found herself curled up against his chest. “I love you, honey.”

“I love you, too.”

Hank left Josie standing in her living room, and she stared at the wall for seconds or minutes—she wasn’t sure. She turned and grabbed her gun holster and keys. And when she walked out of her apartment to her car, it was with her gun swaying by her calf as the holster hung loose in her hand.

Think, Josie. Wake up.

Rhodes was gone—fucking gone—and she had to find him. It was the only thing to do, but she couldn’t comprehend how as she sped toward the shooting range. It was the one place she knew she could think.

Josie showed the attendant her membership card and signed in. The indoor range was completely empty, so she walked straight to a booth and set down her gun, extra magazines, and a box of ammo. The second she took aim, she fired in succession until the bullets were gone, immediately discarding the empty magazine to slide another in. As she fired again, the force of each shot reverberated up her arms, to her shoulders, up her neck, and into her brain. The feeling of control wound its way through her, pumping with every jolt as her heart slammed against her ribs.

She tallied the things she’d need to do as her mind ground into motion. She’d need to go to his house, talk to his neighbors. Call in some favors and see if she could find out if he’d pulled out any money. It wasn’t much, but it was a start.

But first, I need to calm the fuck down.

So she emptied the magazine again, hitting the mark dead center every time.



Jon climbed the stairs of Josie’s apartment with his eyes on his boots, running through his speech in his head, wondering how much of a fight he was in for.

He stopped when a low, rough voice said, “Landreaux?”

Jon stopped dead at the sound, smelling roses as he looked up to the landing, confused when his eyes met Hank Campbell’s.

“Mr. Campbell?”

Hank slipped his hands into his pockets and descended a couple of steps. “If you came for Josie, she’s not here.”

“Oh.” He couldn’t hide his disappointment.

Hank glanced back over his shoulder. “We must have just missed her. Her phone is in there, too. Damn her. I can hear it ringing.”

“She left her phone?” Jon was shocked at the thought.

“Yeah. She was a little upset when I left a bit ago, but I have a feeling I know where she is.”

Jon’s brows dropped. “What happened?”

“I shouldn’t tell you anything, you know.”

“I get that a lot from the Campbells.”

“Can you blame us?” Hank asked.

“No, I don’t suppose I can.”

Hank looked Jon over and folded his arms. “I know what happened between you and my daughter, and I’ll tell you that from my end—and off the record—I think she’s in the wrong. I know how much she cares about you. She needs a friend, and she needs someone to watch her back. Can I trust you to do that?”

“Yes, sir, I can try. It really all depends on Josie.”

He shifted, and his face was tight with worry. “How much do you know about Anne’s death?”

“I know they were looking for a missing girl, and I know that Jo suspects that a man by the name of Corey Rhodes killed Anne, Hannah, and a number of other girls, mostly prostitutes.”

“She tell you all that?” Hank didn’t look like he believed it.

Jon smirked. “In a way.”

“Josie found Anne’s necklace two days ago stuck in her window rail, and it had his fingerprint on it. She lifted it and got a match off of a can in Rhodes’s garbage.”

“Holy shit.” Jon reached for the handrail and gripped it tight.

Hank nodded. “Except after we brought him in yesterday, he lawyered up, left the station, and disappeared.”

“Son of a bitch,” Jon whispered.

“I came back since I couldn’t shake the feeling that I shouldn’t have left her alone after dropping that kind of news, but she was already gone. I can’t really go looking for her right now. I’ve got to get back to the station, but I have an idea where she is.”

“All right. What can I do?”

“First, I need to know something. Why didn’t you say goodbye to her?”

Jon swallowed, his throat dry and eyes pleading. “I tried. I told her everything in a letter, but she never got it. I couldn’t say it out loud, and I know what that makes me, but if I could do it over again…”

Hank’s hard face softened by a degree. “You hurt her again, and I’ll gut you.”

“Understood,” Jon said, relieved and surprised at the feeling that he’d just gotten Hank Campbell’s blessing in Josie’s stairwell. “We’ll see if I’ve got a chance.”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure you do, if you can make it past the firing squad,” Hank answered, amused. “Josie always shoots when she’s upset, and she’s a member at the Westside Range. If I was a betting man, I’d put my money on her being there.”