Page 176 of Healed

“You’re not mad?”

“I’m not mad.”

“You don’t feel violated?”

“Everything Nico does is a violation. But no.”

“You don’t want to tear my balls off and make me eat them?”

“Was that Rachel’s suggestion?” I laughed.

“Something along those lines.”

“No, Vienna. I don’t want to hurt you, maim you, or even shout at you. I’m okay. I promise.”

A grin split his lips. “Really?”

“Really, really,” I grinned back, stepping into his arms.

And I was.

Truthfully.

Nothing he had told me was exactly shocking. It hurt, sure. And my heart was breaking at the thought of my mother being left with him. But she wasn’t here anymore. He was exacting revenge on an empty vessel. He couldn’t use her against me anymore.

“So… what’s the protocol here?” I asked, gesturing to the room.

“Usually Church whilst we make a plan. But I’m guessing this is an improvised Church. Where are we at, boss?” he asked, raising his voice.

“The docks are on lockdown. They’re not getting out even if they built their own canoe and tried rowing across the English Channel,” Riley declared.

“Where are we at with the fucking tracking?” Rachel yelled, looking as frantic as I felt.

“It’s coming. They’ve avoided the cities, which is making it a bit harder to trace. He’s gone through every dead zone known to us. I keep losing them and having to find them again.”

Rachel growled and began pacing up and down behind Hacksaw.

“Where was the last location, Hacksaw?” Dante asked, his teeth gritted in his determination to stay calm.

“Moortown,” Hacksaw replied reluctantly.

“Moortown?!” Rachel shrieked, snatching up the laptop to see for herself. “Dante, he’s heading for the woods!”

My mother’s hair.

Leaving her body at the park.

Every dead body addressed to me.

I knew where they were.

This wasn’t about the kids. Not really.

This was about destroying more of my memories.

“He’s not headed to the woods,” I whispered. “Vienna, he’s heading for the reservoir.”

He looked at me then, his face paling.