Page 60 of These Monstrous Ties
I want to say something rude. Toss his worry back at him. But the truth is, for some reason, I’m not exactlyokay. I don’t know why. Or rather, I do know. But I should be more excited about this. Extracting vengeance.
It’s not even the kid.
I’m not going to touch the kid.
Something just feels…off.
“No,” I answer Nicolas honestly. His eyes are back on the road, and so are mine, so I keep talking. It’s easier to talk when I’m not looking at him. “I just have a weird feeling.”
He slows the Porsche, and I see a gravel driveway to my right, leading far off the road, thick trees obscuring our vision of what might lie ahead.
“Did you map this area out?” I ask, turning to Nicolas. He hasn’t said anything about my weird feeling. He’d probably dismissed it as soon as the words came out of my mouth.
But he’s staring at me, and he hasn’t turned down the driveway. He cuts the lights, and we’re just off the side of the main road, but he makes no move to get out.
“Why do you have a weird feeling?” His eyes are intent on mine. He’s taking this too seriously. Hell, I shouldn’t be taking it this seriously.
I shake my head, reach for my door handle, but he locks the doors.
“It’s nothing, Nicky,” I say with a laugh. “Let’s go. Did you want to walk down there?”
“Feelings mean something, Sid. I know your brother would like you to believe otherwise, but they do.”
I know that. I’d been a sex worker for a year, and it didn’t just involve juggling clients’ sexual preferences. It involved a multitude of far too many feelings. I keep my hand on the door handle, which is still locked, but I twist back around to look at Nicolas.
“It’s probably nothing.” I blow out a breath. “Honestly. What could go wrong? If we can’t get in tonight for some reason, we leave, come back another day.” I lift one shoulder in a shrug. “Right?”
Nicolas scrubs a hand over his face, but he seems to agree.
“Right. But we’re driving up.” He glances down the long driveway. “This is creepy. Like a scary movie. I want the getaway car close.” He smiles, but it doesn’t meet his eyes.
He keeps the lights off as we drive down the bumpy road, and I have to admit, itiscreepy. Nothing but darkness and trees and gravel as far as we can see. But I’d ran into a forest in the middle of the night a year ago, right into the arms of a man who clearly wanted to harm me. This is a mother and her baby. How scary can it be?
We round a corner, and the house looms off in the distance. Full of lights. Because this is Lucifer we’re dealing with. Lights are deterrents. Even in the middle of fucking nowhere.
At least, they’re deterrents to most people.
But Nicolas and I…we aren’t most people.
I’m Sid Rain. If my brother has taught me anything, it’s to get the fucking job done, no matter the cost.
We pull off beside a line of trees in the expansive front yard, and Nicolas turns the SUV around, so it’s facing the road out. The house itself is moderately sized, a long, white porch out front with rocking chairs. Two stories. There’s a shed beside it, a red wagon’s handle propped up against it. And a Jeep, parked right out front, the doors to the car almost lining up to the red door of the house. A quick getaway.
I know that isn’t Lucifer’s car. None of the Unsaints would drive a Jeep, if they’re as rich as everyone says.
Shockingly, I don’t hear or see any dogs.
I had begged Jeremiah for dogs at the hotel. Said they would be great guard dogs. He told me he didn’t want another mouth to feed and that’s what guns were for. Guarding.
Seems he and Lucifer share that sentiment.
My eyes linger on the wagon in the side mirror as Nicolas and I sit, waiting. To see if anyone notices us. To see if we see any movement of the curtains from the windows.
My gut twists.
Julie.
Lucifer’s kid.
