Page 44 of Montana Falls
“I think that perhaps the baby died. John’s first wife was killed, and she had no records of giving birth before then. She would have been seven or eight months pregnant at her death, so the child must have passed away when she did.”
“Were there records of anything else about the baby?” He asked. “Like if it was a boy or… or a girl.”
“No. None that I know of.”
He was silent for a moment before he twisted his body to face me.
“My sister doesn’t look like me.” He stared at me as he spoke, and I forced myself to stay calm. “She doesn’t look like our parents, either. And I always found it weird, but Hades toldme that sometimes genetics can skip generations or whatever. Some sort of science stuff that I honestly can’t remember. But it was enough to stop me from having questions.”
My head cocked. “This doesn’t mean anything. I think perhaps you see ghosts in places there should not be any.”
“She argued with dad last night. In Russian.” He pushed. “He went on a tangent about you, and she started yelling at him.”
I spotted Kody out of the corner of my eye, casually making his way towards us, coffee in his hand that I doubted he’d even sipped. It was strong and a little too cheap for his taste.
“Do you know what she said?” I asked Ares.
“I don’t speak Russian.” He pursed his lips. “Mom and dad never taught us. But Hades told me that she did a school project once and found out we had a dead relative that was Russian. So she thought it was cool to learn the language too.”
“She learned it brilliantly.” I hurried to change subject and smile at Kody as he stopped by us on the steps and offered me his hand. “Hey,papi. Is it time for us to go?”
He kissed my cheek when I was upright. “Yeah. We’re all done here.” He spoke loud enough that anyone potentially listening could have heard.
Ares downed the rest of his coffee and clambered to hit feet. “Guess it was nice seeing you’s. Have a good day and all that and try not… well, try not to do anything stupid.” He snorted as he offered me a little wave. “See you around, Montana.” He winked at Kody. “Hopefully see you too, pretty boy.”
I snorted a laughed as we watched him walk inside the building, pretending to be on his own, as we made our way down the steps and over to the car that Lincoln had sneakily brought round. I knew for a fact that Caro and his gangsters were in the lobby and would ensure Ares got back to his room. So as I slid into the passenger seat, onto Price’s lap, I wasn’t shocked to get a text from Caro confirming things were fine.
“Did it work?” I twisted around to ask Misha in the middle of the backseat.
“John’s here.” He grinned wickedly. “It worked.”
Turning back to Lincoln, I glanced out of the front window, happening on the best sight of all by sheer luck.
“John.” I breathed his name, voice rough. “Lincoln.” I said his name with a firm tone. “John’s on the other side of the road, in a blue car that’s kind of ugly.” I pointed to it.
“Holy shit.” Pirce muttered. “He’s really here.”
Lincoln glanced at me, and I saw that wickedness to his stare. The one that was made of vengeance and pain.
I knew without a doubt that he would not lose John. Not because Linc was more skilled. It was nothing to do with talents or luck or anything else.
It was because Lincoln was after John for the same reasons I was. For revenge.
And it was as Linc turned the car on that John O’Malley saw me through the window. Our eyes locked. He waved his hand and started his own engine.
He fuckingsmiledat me.
And I knew then and there he wouldn’t survive the day. Not when all that smile did was remind me of how he’d smiled when he’d killed Mal. How he’d been each time he’d mentioned my mama.
John wasn’t leaving the city. He wasn’t ever going to make it home again.
Not unless he killed me first.
Chapter Thirteen
The car lurched forward as Lincoln hit the gas, weaving through traffic with a precision that made my pulse race. The engine roared beneath us, and I gripped the seat, adrenaline pumping through my veins. I kind of wished I had my rifle, just so I could get the satisfaction of ending him from far away, as I played God just the way he liked to. But never mind. I’d take him dead over anything else, easy.
“He’s going the route we want him to!” Misha said from the seat beside me, his laptop open on his knees, eyes darting between the screen and the road. He was tracking John’s movements, his fingers flying over the keys, pulling up maps, routes, anything that could help and ensure we were still on track. “There’s a place under construction that I thought would be good to take him just up ahead, if we can funnel him toward it…”
