Page 55 of King of Ruin

“Maddie. The cat is a demon. The interior of this car will never be the same.”

“I think treating Maddie right involves taking in a lot of stray demons.”

Jack nods. “You’ve got the chops for it, though kid. You’re damned good at it.”

“Should I be?” I never talk to anyone about this shit. But having Maddie around has brought up a lot of old feelings.

Jack shrugs. “Both your parents were seriously fucked up. I get it. You want to use what they taught you about the cruelty of the world to make yourself bigger, or to make the world better?”

I blink twice, staring over at the crusty old gangster who has been around for as long as I can remember. We’ve never talked like this. Never.

And I don’t answer him now because it’s a big fucking question. And exactly the right one, if I’m honest.

He seems to understand why I’ve gone silent as he zips through Vegas traffic, crossing the city in record time.

But when I get out of the car, Jack gets out too and follows me to the elevator.

“What are you doing?”

“I want to see the cat give birth. That shit’s beautiful.” And then he pulls a phone out of his pocket. “And, I’ve got Maddie’s phone.”

“I just gave her a burner.” That I put a tracer and a recorder in. Another deception I’m not really proud to have completed.

“You can eat the cost. You’re good for it.”

“Where are you going to tell her it was found?”

“Vigo’s car.” He steps into the elevator with me.

My stomach clenches. “Maybe I should put it in the closet or something. She says she knows that she had it in the bathroom at my place.”

Jack nods and hands me the phone. “Kate’s phone did show a last location, by the way. She was at the Vendetti property.”

“What does that mean?”

“On the run or dead,” Jack replies.

I hope not. Maddie would be crushed. I pocket the phone in my jacket just before the elevator doors open and I step into the apartment.

“Thank goodness,” Maddie calls. “I’ve been using the flashlight feature on the phone to do the best I can. She’s already had two babies.”

Washing my hands, I join Maddie on the floor. Looking under the table, next to the couch, I see two tiny, close-eyed, mucous-covered baby kittens.

And fuck me, Thomasina is giving birth to a third. “Holy shit.”

Jack peaks out over the top of our heads. “Wow. It’s like the nature channel in your living room.”

I know he’s rubbing salt into my wound. Crusty a-hole. But I ignore him, too involved in what’s happening. Thomasina seems to be handling it very well, so I reach for Maddie’s hand instead, wrapping my fingers around hers.

It’s beautiful watching Thomasina. This doesn’t feel like a burden at all. Which has me thinking about Jack’s comments in the car.

What do I want to be? I’ve been so angry at my mother for the way she forced responsibility on me at such a young age, I haven’t asked myself, what do I want to do with the skills that are now deeply imbedded?

Maddie’s cheek comes to my shoulder. “We might be here a while. We want to make sure she’s done giving birth before we leave her be with her kittens.”

“Need a box or something?” Jack asks. “I can go to the pet store.”

“That would be great, Jack, thank you,” Maddie answers. “You’ve done this before.”

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