The pain on my father's face is tangible, and for the first time in my life, I bear witness to the cracks in his armor. So, I say, "Butyoudon't have to go."
It takes him a moment to fully comprehend what I've said, and then that first glimmer of pain is gone and suddenly he's frowning as he sputters, "Yes, I do. I wouldn't send you back there on your own."
I laugh and then reply, "Well, I definitely won't be alone."
He glances at Jessica and Issa who are still standing behind me. "Well, of course. But that’s not the same thing,” he turns his attention back to me and adds, "I won't let you go back to that place without me."
I nod, motioning for him to precede me up the stairs to the plane. “Then let's seek out the dark."
The flight isa lot shorter than I anticipated. Before too long, we’ve landed and we're walking back down the stairs onto a very windy and frigid tarmac.
A big SUV is waiting. No sooner have we hit the bottom of the stairs than the driver's side door opens. To my surprise, instead of the burly-looking man I expected, a woman steps out.
My father immediately steps forward. "Lilith Ferro, what are you doing here?"
Her face immediately transforms into a bright smile and then they're hugging like old friends. I find it to be very bizarre because I've never known my father to hug anyone other than me.
They break apart and he immediately turns back to me, his arm over her shoulders ushering her closer to me. "Cassidy. This is Lilith."
My eyes close. I lean forward slightly, inhaling deeply as I say, "You smell the same."
"You mean like death and bleach?" A new voice responds, and my eyes fly open, immediately clashing with the golden eyes of the big burly man I would've anticipated being the driver. I step back slightly, startled that I didn't notice someone else had exited the vehicle. Lilith gives him a punch hard enough in the gut that he bends over slightly, expelling the tiniest of breath as she says, "Cut it out, Darius."
My father chuckles, then sticks his hand out as he says, "I finally get to meet the notorious son-in-law."
Darius eyes my father's hand briefly, then his gaze flits back to Lilith, who elbows him in the side. With an obviously annoyed sigh, he grips my father's hand in his, gives it a small yet firm shake as he mutters, "Whatever you've heard, it's probably a lie."
"Don't listen to him," Lilith interrupts. "Whatever you've heard, it's probably true, and that's the least of it."
Darius rolls his eyes slightly, then he turns his attention to me as he says, "It's nice to meet you, Cassidy. If anyone tries to tell you that I have a nickname, they're definitely lying."
I find myself smiling in response, slightly confused, but also entertained by their obvious affection for each other. Darius smiles, and my eyes immediately drop, a strange shyness falling over me. Then Jessica is next to me with an elbow into my side. "Don't let that devastating smile fool you. He's mean and he smells bad."
I give a quick glance in his direction to find him now glaring at Jessica, and then he does a half-ass job hiding the middle finger he shoots at her.
Lilith sighs heavily as she says, "Oh, would you guys knock it off,” but the good-natured bickering continues as my father says, “A lot has changed, huh, Lilith?"
"You could say that again,” she responds as she turns back the SUV. "We may as well get this over with."
We all pile in, with me opting for the very backseat since I prefer to be able to see everyone. Darius gets behind the wheel with Lilith taking up the front passenger seat, my father diagonal from her making it easier for them to continue their conversation. "Have you been up here since?"
He doesn't have to say since when because we all know. To my surprise, Lilith nods. "Oh yeah. I still own that house."
My father frowns and says, "Why?"
She shrugs. "Why not?"
He gives her a funny look but then says, "How is it that other house remained empty?"
"Because it still belongs to Miranda's estate."
"That seems odd." My father replies. "Would've been easier to just sell it and put the funds in a trust."
"I did manage to get a peek at the trust documents a while back," Lilith responds. "There are actually quite a few properties involved, so I guess they thought it was easier just to turn off the power and the water and leave them be."
The vehicle falls silent, so, after a moment I say, "Hey, Darius?"
He peeks in the rearview mirror and I manage to catch his gaze. "Why are you here?"
