Dana didn’t know what to do with herself.
The house felt eerily silent because everyone had gone with her father to get her sister back.
She hated that it was her fault, and as much as she wanted to deny it or convince herself otherwise there was no escaping the truth, it was no one’s fault but hers. She’d fallen for Lebna, she’d taken her to the apartment, she’d fucked up. And even at the last, if she’d let her sister out of the window first, she would have gotten away. Dana could have taken care of herself. She should have looked out for Lori; she was the older sister. None of this would have happened without her.
And yet she still found herself worrying about what Lebna had done, and where he had gone, because she was sure he hadn’t cheated on her. That wasn’t him. He loved her. She was his world.
A glance out of the window caught her by surprise; it was late.
She had no idea how much longer she’d have to wait for word from her father.
Her eyes felt tired and gritty, but there was no point in going to bed. There was no way she was going to sleep. Not until she knew what was happening. Part of her wished he’d never told her, so that she could have gone on in not-so blissful ignorance. But she knew, and because of that she worried about every tiny thing that might have gone wrong already, all the other tiny things that could still go wrong, and including that she could lose her father as well as her sister. Her spiraling thoughts were interrupted by the sound of something banging upstairs.
She’d forgotten about the American locked in the guest suite.
She had no idea if he’d been given anything to eat or drink since lunchtime, so she went up to check on him.
“You okay in there?” Dana asked as she tapped on the bedroom door.
The noise stopped, but he didn’t answer her.
“What’s the matter?” she asked, but without waiting for a response unlocked the door to find the man pacing the room like a caged tiger.
“What’s going on?” He asked. “Where’s Danjuma? I need to see him.”
“He isn’t here.”
“Then where is he? I need to see him, or that other guy, Rakeem.”
“Rakeem’s not here either.”
“I can’t do this anymore. If he won’t help me, I’d rather take my own chances.”
“They’ve gone to get my sister back,” she said, and as he stared at her, confused, the whole story started to pour out.
She told him about Lori being snatched, about the old army base, and the drug dealer that was going to help them get in there.
“I wanted to be there when they brought her out,” she said. “I wanted to make sure she was okay,” and then quieter, “because it’s all my fault.”
“Do you have a car?”
She nodded. “Dad bought it for me. Why…?” Eventually the penny dropped. “You think I should go? But I can’t leave you here.”
“I was thinking I could come with you. Moral support. That, and make sure you don’t do anything stupid. Your dad trusts me. I’m a friend.”
She didn’t believe that, otherwise why the lock on the door? “I shouldn’t even let you out of the room…”
“You’re the one who said you wanted to be there, not me. I didn’t put the idea in your head. It’s all your idea. So, do you want to be there or not?”
“Of course I do,” she said.
“Then let’s go. I’ll drive.”