Darkness Follows by J.L. Drake Page A

didn’t speak much to me when we were alone. Sometimes I thought she might be afraid I’d ask questions about Dad. She never talked about him. I guessed it was too painful for her. I ran my hands over my red dress and tried to calm my nerves.
    When we arrived, the normal gang was there—most of them, anyway.
    “Mom, this is Campbell and his girlfriend Vanessa.” She shook their hands.
    Vanessa hugged me. “I was so worried,” she whispered. “I tried to call, but Campbell said to give you space.”
    “I know. Seth is pretty good at shutting the world out for me. Now he shut me out again.” I shook my head. “Can we talk later?”
    “Of course.” She pecked my cheek.
    I turned to my mother. “And this is Riggs and Detective Michaels.”
    She extended her hand. “Nice to meet you both.” She turned and batted her eyelashes. “Johnnie,” she cooed.
    Johnnie stood and gave us both a big hug.
    I pulled a chair out next to him, and my mother quickly took it. I cleared my throat. “Please take a seat,” I muttered and shifted to the next chair over.
    Vanessa smiled at me. “Where’s Seth?”
    I shrugged. “Not sure. I haven’t heard from him.”
    “Doesn’t he text you, like, fifty times a day?” Riggs joked.
    I forced a smile and shrugged again. His eyes softened as he realized something might be up. “I’m sure he’s on his way.”
    “Yeah,” I whispered and wished that were true.
    “Oh, honey.” My mom turned and touched my arm. “Don’t forget that Marc is coming at 9:30 Sunday morning to get you ready for the gala.”
    “So I’ve heard.” I leaned back in my chair. I had no interest in going. The thought of meeting a bunch of stuffy people made me miss my father. He’d been so good at getting me through these events.
    I glanced around the bar and tried to settle in. After being isolated from the public for roughly a month, I found it nerve-wracking being around a huge group of people again. I made small talk, but it took effort. I hated that I took note of everyone’s face who came into the bar. I was sure Lasko wouldn’t try and make a move here, but it scared the hell out of me that he was still out there somewhere. Plus, my mother being here didn’t help me relax in the slightest.
    Garrett touched my shoulders. I quickly turned to face him, and he gave me a half smile. I knew something was up with Seth.
    “Garrett?” I slipped to the verge of panic.
    He rubbed his hands down my arms. “You need a drink?”
    “Do I need one?” My eyes narrowed on his, desperately trying to read him. “Garrett?” My tone came out harsh.
    Seth came through the door at that moment, so I backed off.
    “Connors!” Johnnie yelled out and raised his beer to him. Seth smiled and patted his back. Garrett backed away from me.
    “Hi, Jenny, trust you had a nice day.” Seth smiled in her direction. She waved and granted him her million-dollar smile. He turned and went over to the bar to order a drink. Vanessa glanced at me with sad eyes. I forced a pleasant expression, but I knew she saw right through it.
    “So, Jenny, what’s this gala you mentioned?” Riggs asked.
    “Well.” She shifted in her seat. She loved that everyone was interested. “Doctors Without Borders has been chosen as the main recipient for the annual fundraiser this year. Since I’ve been an active community member over the past twenty years, they asked me to be a guest speaker. I was thrilled. How could I refuse?” She glanced at me. “Plus, I get to see how Emily is doing with her school work, though I’m sure she’s doing fine. It shouldn’t be much of a challenge to get a teaching degree. I had hoped she would go into medicine.” She looked pointedly at me.
    My grip tightened on my glass and my eyes started to water. I knew I had disappointed her in so many ways, starting with being born. She had made that very clear to me as I grew up. At least I knew my father loved me, no matter what.
    “I enjoy the idea of