Shatter the Darkness. Ingrid Seymour

in the tired and resigned tone of his voice lets me know he’s telling the truth. I relax a little more, but don’t let down my defenses by any means.

      “All right, don’t move. I’m going to pick up the flashlight.” I take a sideways step and snatch it off the floor. I’m afraid it’s broken, but it’s only switched off. I flick the button and light pierces through the darkness, creating looming shadows too similar to my own specters for comfort. Better than the alternative, tough.

      I shine the light on Luke. He turns his face away and places a hand in front of his eyes. “Do you mind?”

      Taking advantage of the deer-and-the-headlights effect, I shine the light to the floor and quickly look for the gun. Nothing.

       Where the hell did it go?

      I bring the light back to Luke’s face, just out of meanness.

      “Seriously? Don’t be childish?” He places his hand over his eyes, blocking them completely. In this light, his features look strange, too sharp and savage.

      I ignore his comment and take several backward steps to the still-opened, front door. The evening outside has fallen into full night. I lean backward, stick my head out and look right, then left. No one is out on the porch, so I move outside to take a better look. The street is empty, and the only difference since I came in is the large car parked behind my bike.

      “Satisfied now?” Luke calls from inside.

      For a moment, I weigh my options. I could turn tail, hop on my bike and leave Luke’s ass sitting there in the dark. The thought is fleeting, though. I can’t run, not when there’s a chance to find answers to the questions that have plagued my mind since Kristen ran those DNA tests. Besides, there’s Dad’s box. I can’t leave without it and have it disappear like Xave’s.

      I crack my neck, square my shoulders and go back inside.

      “Glad to have gained some of your trust,” Luke says.

      I laugh, really laugh. “You have some nerve. Trust is a severed road between us. The kind that can never be rebuilt.”