Page 72 of Puck Blocked
“I remember. I just don’t want you to feel like you have to be stuck with all… this.”
“I’m not stuck. I love you, and I will put an end to this cult bullshit. Before the week is up. I promise.” I will do whatever it takes to make sure Kristy Baker isn’t a threat to my wife’s life.
I can’t imagine how Montana must feel. I know it’s weighing on her more than she’s letting on. I remember when Mrs. Baker left. Both Sean and Montana took it really hard. But it was Montana who cried for two weeks straight. Until one day, she just started acting like nothing happened.
“We’re going to go there. To the farm. I’m going to put a stop to it all, Tanna,” I tell her.
Montana shakes her head. “We should just call the police. Let them deal with it,” she says.
“We can’t do that.” I cup her face in my hands and press my lips to the center of her forehead.
“Why not?”
“How do we explain the fact that I killed Adam?” I whisper.
Montana’s eyes widen. “I didn’t think about that… So, no police then,” she agrees. “I don’t think I can see her, Luke.”
“You won’t have to. I’ll go and see her.” I leave out the part that when I do see her, I’m going to ensure she can never hurt Montana again. I don’t care what I have to do to make certain of that.
“Do you think my dad knew? Where she went?” Montana asks. “I don’t understand why someone would leave their family and start a new one somewhere else, obviously a fucked-up one, but still.”
“I don’t know if your dad knows. I think that your mom is mentally unstable, Tanna. Normal people don’t go around agreeing to sacrifice their children.” I clear my throat and force a weak smile. “Let’s pack a bag. Gray will be here soon.”
We’re leaving now. I didn’t want to sleep on this. As soon as we found out where her mother was, I wanted to leave. I need to put an end to this shit. If Sean had come to me with all this instead of heading out on his own, I could have stopped it. I could have stopped him from killing himself. Thinking that would save his sister. Unfortunately, time machines don’t exist, and I can’t go back and change history.
“What do you pack for the I’m going on a road trip with two mafia families adventure?” Montana laughs. It sounds off. I can tell she’s nervous.
“They’re not bad people, Tanna. They’re our friends,” I remind her. I’ve had longer to get used to Gray’s world, and what that entails. Not that his family ever really bothered me. They seem pretty normal when you get to know them.
“I know. But seriously, Luke, what do I pack?” she asks, staring into the closet that’s slowly filling up with her clothes. New clothes.
“Whatever you want to pack,” I say. “It doesn’t matter what you wear, Tanna.”
She huffs. “How long do you think we’ll be gone?”
“Plan for two days, max.”
“Okay.” Montana walks into the closet, coming back out five minutes later with her arms full of hangers.
I raise an eyebrow at her. “That’s how you pack for two days?”
“I didn’t know what I’d need.” She dumps the pile onto the bed.
Without saying anything, I grab an overnight bag that matches the one I’ve already packed for myself and set it next to her pile. “You won’t need this much, Tanna. It’s just two days.”
“What if it takes longer?”
“Then we’ll buy more clothes,” I say, lifting a shoulder.
“That’s just wasting money. We already have so many clothes.”
I watch as she folds her stuff, filling the bag with as much as possible before zipping it shut. She couldn’t fit the entire pile inside but, surprisingly, she managed to get a lot of it in that little bag.
“When we get there, I don’t want you going anywhere alone. I want you to always have someone with you. If it’s not me, then preferably someone from Gray’s team or one of Liliana’s cousins,” I tell her.
“I won’t go anywhere alone. I’m not reckless, Luke. I want the dream, remember? Our dream. If my mother wants to drain me of my blood, I’m not going to make it easy for her by handing myself over on a silver platter.”
“Thank you.” I take both bags and walk downstairs just as Gray pushes through the front door.
