by Rob Cornell
“Okay,” Lockman said. “It’s time you introduced me around so I can assemble a team.”
Lockman found Jessie in her room, lying on her bed with the ear buds to her IPod plugged in, while she flipped through a year-old issue of Entertainment Weekly. He thought he caught a glimpse of a photo of Kress as she turned a page.
A normal teen with ear buds in and blasting what sounded like the Violent Femmes would have never heard someone walk into the room—let alone a Mack truck taking a detour around the bed. A girl with vampire senses, on the other hand...
She flipped the magazine closed, pulled out the ear buds, and turned on her side to face Lockman. “What’s up?” she asked, trying to sound casual and failing miserably. The bored tension in her voice was unmistakable. She also looked like she’d been crying, though her vampiric complexion made it hard to tell for sure.
“We’ve got our first mission,” he said.
She faked a smile. “Great.”
“I’ve got a team assembled and ready to fly out in six hours.”
“Have a good time.”
“Jess, you’re going with us.”
The look on her face changed as quick as a blink. The whites of her eyes expanded, her lips parted, and she rose up on her elbow. “Say again.”
“You can’t sit around here all day reading old magazines and listening to bad music.”
“Whatev, dude. The Femmes rock.” She scrunched up her face, jiggled her head. “Hold up a sec. You want me to come on your mission with you?”
“I’ve talked Kress and he agrees you would be an asset to the Agency.” He realized how formal and stupid that sounded, so added quickly, “And, yeah, I want you fighting by my side. I need someone I know has my back no matter what.”
“After all that—”
Lockman held up a hand. “Don’t. We’re not going to rehash the past. We have all done things we regret. Some of us carry more blame than others. I don’t have the excuse of having been possessed by a malevolent spirit.”
She sat up, thumped a hand against her breastbone. “But I let him in. He was showing me things, giving me powers. If I hadn’t—”
Lockman raised his hand again. “Enough. Those days are behind us. We both have to let them go or we’ll never move forward.”
Jessie smirked. “That’s a little new agey for you. Should I start calling you Dr. Phil?”
“Shit.” He shook his head. A small but hearty laugh escaped him. “You do and I’ll decorate your bedroom with crucifixes.”
“Ouch. Harsh.”
Now they both laughed. Lockman went over and sat on the edge of her bed. She scooted in and nuzzled against his side, gave him a playful pat on the back. “You know, despite getting turned into a vampire and all that, I’m glad I found you. You’re a good dad.”
When he tried to laugh off the compliment, he found his throat too narrow to push it through. His vision blurred from the damned water in his eyes. “You’re crazy,” he said, voice hitching.
Jessie hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed back, hard. Her body didn’t give off heat like an average mortal’s did. Still, holding her made him feel warmer than he had in weeks. Months. Maybe even years.
“I miss Mom,” Jessie said against Lockman’s shirt.
“Me too.”
“I love you, Dad.”
“I love you, too.”
They held each other for a long while. Lockman couldn’t imagine ever letting go. Eventually, they did, though. Jessie leaned back, wiped her eyes, then gave Lockman an appraising look with her chin up. “So, should we get ready to go kick some supernatural ass?”
“Let’s do it.”
The Chronicles Continue…
Darkness Returns (The Lockman Chronicles #4)
Now available!
About the Author
An accidental nomad, Rob Cornell grew up in suburban Detroit, then spent five years living in Los Angeles before moving to Chicago to receive a BA in Fiction Writing from Columbia College. He has traveled full circle, now living in rural southeast Michigan with his wife, two kids, and dog, Kinsey—named after Sue Grafton’s famous detective. In between moving and writing, he’s worked all manner of odd jobs, including lead singer for an acoustic cover band and a three-day stint as assistant to a movie producer after which he quit because the producer was a nut job.
For more information and to contact the author, please visit rob-cornell.com.
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Books by Rob Cornell
The Lockman Chronicles
Darker Things (The Lockman Chronicles #1)
Dark Legion (The Lockman Chronicles #2)
Darkest Hour (The Lockman Chronicles #3)
Darkness Returns (The Lockman Chronicles #4)
Mysteries and Thrillers
Red Run
Last Call (A Ridley Brone Mystery)
The Hustle (A Ridley Brone Mystery)
Saving Sasha Brown (A Ridley Brone Mystery)
Acknowledgements
This book turned out to be more of a challenge than I imagined. After writing Dark Legion, I couldn’t wait to dive into the next story featuring these amazing characters in this strange world. But I came against obstacles both internally and externally that would delay the conclusion of this story for some time. I never would have finished it if not for my wife, Beth. Her support, encouragement, patience, and unwavering belief in my talent kept me going.
I would also like to thank copy editor extraordinaire, Julie Eklund, whose keen eye keeps me looking a lot more coherent than I really am. While there is no such thing as perfection, let me assure you that any mistakes you find in this book belong to me alone, and there would probably be more if not for Julie.
Finally, I’ll thank my mom, who never had a chance to see The Lockman Chronicles come to life, but who continues to inspire me as I look back and recognize the patience that woman exhibited raising a temperamental creative like myself.
Published by Paradox Publications
Copyright © 2012 Rob Cornell
All rights reserved.
Cover Design © LFD Designs For Authors
Darkest Hour is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Fi
ve
Chapter Forty-Six
The Chronicles Continue…
About the Author
Books by Rob Cornell
Acknowledgements