No, he didn’t. Ash took life by the horns, making his presence felt.
And Danny had felt it, like sun on his face after living in the dark for so long. Ash was his sun, and Danny was his honey bear.
Chapter Ten
A man of his word, Danny headed to his mom’s house, Isaac in tow. She hadn’t invited Isaac, but Danny didn’t care. If his mom didn’t like it, she could deal. Besides, bringing Isaac meant Danny had an exit strategy if things got uncomfortable.
“I can't believe you’re dragging me to a family lunch when I could be at home binging trash TV,” Isaac said, examining his nails like they held the secrets of the universe. “You owe me so big for this.”
“I’ll buy you those overpriced candles you keep eyeing at the store.” Danny turned onto his mom’s street, passing familiar houses that all looked the same. Cookie-cutter suburban perfection, right down to the matching mailboxes.
“The ones that smell like a sexy lumberjack just walked through a pine forest?” Isaac perked up. “Deal. But if your mom serves that dry chicken again, I’m staging a walkout.”
Danny snorted, pulling into the driveway. Laura’s beat-up Honda sat parked near the garage, sun glinting off the cracked windshield she’d been meaning to replace for months. Seeing it there loosened something in his ribs. At least his sister was here.
“Thank god,” he muttered, cutting the engine. “Laura’s my buffer.”
“I’m your buffer,” Isaac protested, unbuckling his seatbelt. “I’m the best buffer. I’ll start arguments about politics if things get weird.”
“Please don’t.”
“Fine, but I’m judging everyone’s outfit choices.”
Danny climbed out, keys jangling in his hand. Midday sun beat down on the concrete driveway, heat radiating up through the soles of his boots. Something ticked nearby, a rhythmic metallic sound that didn’t quite match the usual suburban soundtrack of distant lawnmowers and barking dogs.
“You’re blushing.” Isaac rounded the car, eyebrows raised. “Thinking dirty thoughts about your teddy bear?”
“Shut up.”
“You are! Oh my god, you’re like a tomato right now.”
Danny flipped him off, heading toward the house. Laura’s car engine ticked softly in the heat, metal contracting as it cooled. Strange. She must have just arrived. Usually Laura got to their mom’s place early, helping with food prep or setting the table.
Click. Tick. Click.
Danny paused, frowning. Something about that sound felt wrong, but he couldn’t place why. Engines made noise when they cooled down. Totally normal.
So why did his stomach clench?
“You coming or what?” Isaac called from the side door, already reaching for the handle.
Danny shook off the unease and followed. Probably nothing. Laura had just arrived, that was all. Everything was fine.
Isaac pulled open the door and stepped inside, Danny close behind. “Hello? We’re here and we’re fabulous!”
No answer.
“Your mom’s probably in the bathroom,” Isaac said, but his voice had lost some of its earlier humor. “Mrs. Chen? Laura?”
Silence pressed in from every corner. Danny’s pulse kicked up a notch. Inside, the house felt too still, like a held breath. Afternoon light filtered through sheer curtains, casting pale rectangles across the hardwood floor. Floral wallpaper climbed the entryway walls, faded and peeling at the corners. Family photos lined the narrow hallway in mismatched frames. Everything looked exactly as it always did.
It even smelled familiar. The faint scent of coffee clung to the air, along with something floral, probably from the diffuser his mom kept on the hall table.
Except something was deeply, fundamentally wrong.
“Do you smell food cooking?” Danny asked quietly.
Isaac sniffed the air. “No. Nothing.”
