Excerpt of Aaro by Dana Pratola

“So he drugged me. With what?” “Probably Rufinol, I’m not sure.” Darcy clapped a hand to her throat. The realization that she might not be here at this moment if not for the man sitting before her was almost more than her mind could comprehend. She could be anywhere right now, tossed like trash in a dumpster, or bricked up behind a basement wall. And before she died, what would she have suffered? “I can never thank you enough.” The words tripped from trembling lips. “You saved my life.” He didn’t dispute it, there was no other way to see it. She paused, knowing she needed to ask the next question. “Will I have to testify or something?” Aaro cleared his throat and rose to pour himself coffee. “No. The police weren’t called.” “What? Why not?” Shocked was too tame a word. She felt betrayed. “You just let him go?” “He won’t be bothering you again.” “I can’t believe it.” She stood, too quickly, and felt the room spin. Aaro was at her side immediately, sending coffee splashing over the side of the mug when he set it down too quickly. “Easy, sit down,” he ordered, pulling her back into the chair. “No, I have to do something. I have to file a report. He can’t be out there to abduct and violate—” Aaro gave her a shake. “He’s not going to bother anyone again. The best thing for you—” “I know what could have happened to me,” she interrupted. “I could have been raped, murdered, God knows! I can’t just forget it and knowing he’s out there…” She was suddenly so very cold inside and out. She pulled away from him and hugged her arms to herself trying to rub the chill away. “He’s not out there.” Aaro lifted her chin, held it when she would have moved away. “He’s dead.” Silence hung in the air like a heavy cloud. And then it poured. “He’s dead. And if you call the police, there’s a chance I’ll go to prison for the rest of my life.”