Page 21 of Montana Falls
“Shit.” I bit my lower lip, brain running with ideas, sadness and a little touch of guilt that was still running rampant in my brain. “How bad was he? He was super mad at me on the phone, but was it worse in person?”
“Not as bad as I expected.” Kody grabbed my hand from the seat next to me, holding onto it as though he could hear my thoughts and knew I needed him. “He was crying and angry, but like Mish said, it was also like he knew it was coming, and all he seemed to care about was speaking to you again when things had calmed down.” Kody paused. “I also threatened him a little, so he might not be calling you for a while.”
I gasped. “You threatened him?”
“He was being nasty to you.” Kody frowned, and I was instantly enamored by him even more for. “I refused to let it slide, and neither did the guys. So it was me using my words, or Price would have caved his head in, and Mish would have probably ruined his life or something fun and techy.”
Price grabbed some of the bottles of beer in the complementary fridge for everyone, handing them out before he took a seat on my other side, and yanked me onto his lap. I kept hold of Kody’s hand and dragged him closer, which made it a little difficult to do much else. It was a good thing Price didn’thand me a bottle. He just poured his into my mouth in a way that shouldn’t have been hot but was.
“Thank you for defending me,papi. I appreciate it.” I swallowed and frowned harder. “And I guess I will speak to him again soon, but I wonder what he wants with me that he did not already yell at me for on the phone.”
People wanting me wasn’t a new thing, but I was extra cautious now about it. Especially seeing as I had allegedly allowed a little snake into my home to play his jester games and then betray me somehow.
The jury was out on what Widow had done and if it would be truly bad enough to warrant me making him another unsolved crime in Diamond Grove. The only reason I hadn’t so far was because I had a far better way to get to him if he had indeed betrayed me.
One that would make me a villain but be the easiest way to get him to come back to me willingly to meet his fate.
“No idea. But I think we can worry about it when we speak to him. Right now, all I care about is getting a shower and something to eat. I’m starving.” Price wriggled deeper into the couch, wrapping his big arm around Misha’s shoulders too and sighing as he held us both. “Any news on Widow and Delilah?”
We’d texted Kody to tell him what had happened since we’d contacted Beau and got back to the hotel, but even then it hadn’t been much of an update. We knew nothing about where Widow and Delilah had gone, nor about what his crimes towards me were other than him saying he had told Cassie where we were. The only thing I knew that hadn’t been shared yet was what Beau had texted me barely five minutes prior.
“Beau says Darius and Kellan have vanished, too. They left when we were on the plane, and we do not know where they are.” The urge to keep gnawing on my lips as a distraction from my frustration was strong. “He says that he plans on takingeveryone to Diamond Grove for safety immediately; my Vegas house is not good enough anymore. Not with people getting in, and now with the Jester boys. Though he says Henley is her usual self and insisting we don’t ‘act like dumb bitches and have a conversation’,so I am more confused now about things.”
I was sure she knew nothing, but if she did, that was fine. I would find out whatever it was easy enough. She was a Montana now, after all. And rule one of being a Montana was unwavering loyalty and honesty to those we shared a name with.
Sure, there had been exceptions – like my daddy’s real identity – but other than that, there were no secrets. No lies.
Henley would talk. I was sure of it.
If not… then she was very good leverage against her cousin and despite how nice I could be, if she was part of the group that had betrayed me, I would forget all about how much I liked her and the fact she was practically a kid.
That was another Montana rule.
We did what we had to do to survive, no matter what.
“Is mom okay?” Misha asked the same question Lincoln had earlier on, except he didn’t pull a face at the same time, as though trying to work out if he truly cared to ask or not.
I nodded. “Beausays she was out looking for the boys when he got to my house, and now she is making her way to Diamond Grove, to a hotel… not her home.” Price poured a little more beer into my mouth between his sips and my words. “Plus, Retta called me like thirty minutes ago too, to ask if we could meet and try to sort plans for things when I am home. She is very worried about everyone and all the bad things happening, and I think I need to give her a job again to keep her occupied away from her stress. But other than that, she seems okay.”
The poor woman had just lost her husband, her sons were at risk all the time, and she had been forced into playing doctor and house mom for a bunch of wayward gangsters. Who were eithermissing, running away, or doing something utterly dangerous or ridiculous. Not to mention she clearly didn’t want to go home, if she was already booking a hotel. I wouldn’t have been shocked if she started smoking weed or something just to take some of the stress away.
Lincoln had confided in me that he had seen a bunch of pills in her motel room, and it hadn’t shocked me. I would have needed pills too, had my husband lost his head like that.
I’d had been close to breaking myself when my daddy had been killed almost the same way, so she would only get sympathy and empathy from me.
Then vengeance when I could offer it.
“Do we have pictures of people to send to Hades? And how do we do it? Like everyone we’ve ever met who is a woman, or what?” Price finished his beer as he carried on a conversation that Misha had started during my internal planning.
As fun as it would be to get drunk, I wanted to be sensible with it. So I leaned over, grabbing Kody’s attention for two seconds to whisper and beg him to order some food from a place he found decent enough not to break his heart or kill him.
Misha had his phone out, already compiling a message filled with photos to send later.
“I’m sending pictures of everyone who works for the Red Diamonds entire company, gang and whatever else. I’ll make a list of anyone who fits into the right bracket for ages and stuff, and get it sent over to her. But not yet – I want to give her a couple of days.” He said.
“Of course.” I bobbed my head. “Hades’ mama is dead. She cannot be pressured now. We will leave it a little before we ask her, even if we cannot leave it too long.”
The poor girl. Her poor brother. Father. Maddox and his sister, too. Fuck, there were so many people whose lives were now changed for the worse and I couldn’t help but feel like it wasmy fault. As though Shannon wouldn’t have done what she had if I hadn’t found her and come crashing into her life…
