From Darkness (Hearts & Arrows Book 3)(8)

Jon hitched his thumb at Chester, and a smile crept across his lips. “See?”

Josie’s eyes were on the road, but she found herself smiling despite herself. She snuck a glance over at him just as he looked away. The windows were cracked, and the wind whipped his hair out from behind his ear and across his face. His hand moved to tuck it back in place, and his fingers grazed the bridge of his nose.

She snapped her eyes forward and took a breath that was achingly full of Jon as Johnny sang about the fire that consumed hearts when they were stupid enough to fall in love.

Josie cleared her throat and turned the radio down, though Chester kept singing. They were otherwise silent through the short distance to the station, the quiet accompanied by the occasional glance from Jon, who was clearly entertained by Chester’s enthusiasm.

After they turned the flasher in, they made their way out of the station, neither knowing what to say as they descended the cement stairs.

They stopped for a moment when they reached the sidewalk.

Josie stuck her hands in her jacket pockets, suddenly feeling guilty for her refusal to take him back to his car and for being an ass to him. It wasn’t like he’d planned on crashing her job. She didn’t think so at least.

“Listen,” she started, “I can take you back to your car if you want.”

Jon waved her off. “Don’t worry about it, Jo. Really.” He walked backward with a smile on his face. “I’ll see you around, okay?” he said with a wink before he turned and walked away, whistling his beloved Johnny Cash all the way.

She watched Jon for a little too long before finding her senses and turning for her car, trying to talk herself down, like she did every time she saw him.

He hurt you, she told herself.

He left you, she pleaded with her heart.

He chose her, was the only thought that made a dent, and she found her resolve as she drove away.



It was near dusk as Josie walked to her parents’ house in Hell’s Kitchen.

After she’d collected her check from Jerry J’s Bonds for turning in Chester, she had run errands and had even gone for a jog, though she figured she should put jog in quotations since it’d ended up being more of a sprint than anything.

But, despite it all, Jon was still on her mind as she climbed the stairs to the Campbell residence.

Seeing him always did that to her, and it never ceased to infuriate her. Because she didn’t want to think about him. She didn’t want to feel anything for him. She just wanted him to disappear like he had before.

Things would just be so much easier if he went away and left her alone.

Sunday dinner at the Campbell house was a loud and loving affair and one that no member of the family was exempt from. Josie simultaneously looked forward to the comfort and dreaded the pressure she knew would rest on her shoulders the second she opened the door.

The smell of pot roast hit her so hard, her mouth watered. Her mother’s cooking was about the only decent eating Josie was acquainted with, as most of Josie’s meals were more in the neighborhood of ramen than rib eye.

Josie’s little sister, Liz, sat on the couch with her chestnut hair in a messy bun and earbuds in, her fingers banging out a text on her phone. At fifteen, she cared about very little that fell outside of the realm of boys and whatever her friends were into at the moment.

“Hey, Liz.” Josie closed the door behind her.

Liz didn’t look up.

Josie waved a hand in front of her, and she popped out an earbud.

“Huh?” Her eyebrows were up, her eyes big and brown, just like Josie’s.

“Just saying hello. Doing okay?”

“Sure, if okay is code for complete disaster.”

“Wow, Liz. Sounds serious.”

“Only if you consider Jamie kissing Ellie’s boyfriend at Ellie’s birthday party serious, which Ellie does.” Liz rolled her eyes. “I don’t, particularly because everyone knows Ellie’s boyfriend is an asshole, but it’s been nonstop drama.”

“Ah, the life of a teenage girl,” Josie said with mock nostalgia. “Where’s Mom?”

“Kitchen. Watch out. The boys are in there arguing over cop movies.”

“What’s new? I don’t know why they even bring it up.”

“Because arguing is the number one event in the Campbell Family Olympics. Duh.” Liz laughed and turned back to her phone.

Josie walked into the dining room and leaned over her father’s wide shoulder to give him a kiss on the cheek. “Hey, Daddy.”

He patted her hand and jerked his chin at her brothers where they were angled over the table, so deep in their discussion that neither saw her.

Paul, her older brother, shook his blond head, his meaty forearms resting on the surface. “Mikey, there’s no way you’ll ever convince me. You can’t even put Beverly Hills Cop and Die Hard in the same category.”

Mike, her younger but not smaller brother, narrowed his eyes. “You know I’m right. Look, I’m not saying that McClane isn’t a badass. I’m just saying that Axel Foley is a better cop.”

Paul waved his hand. “Foley’s smart, but he can’t stay in line.”

“And McClane does? Come on, Paul, you’re gonna have to do better than that.”

“You’re both wrong,” her father chimed in. “It’s Riggs and Murtaugh. Every cop is better with a good partner.”