Page 197 of Johnny

“The Way is over. So you see,” she says, pushing up from my embrace just enough to look me in the

eyes. “You can’t save me and your family. You can’t get me out and them out. You can’t change this,

Johnny. We have no future together. None. Because I’m your goddamned get-out-of-jail-free card.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

Words come spilling out of her mouth then.

Paragraphs of words. Whole pages—hell, entire books of words. She does start from the

beginning. She tells me all about her childhood, and the people, and the lab. She tells me all about her

father, and what she knows about his job. I think some of those were recent revelations using my rat

theory to piece it all together.

But that fountain of youth project is nothing to what she tells me next.

I just… lie there. And listen. Trying to force her words to make sense as she goes on, and on, and

on about what her and her father have done.

And it is my get-out-of-jail free card.

Megan Machette and her father are the answers I’ve been looking for.

They are the solution.

But there’s a catch.

She’s absolutely right.

There is no future for us.

She can save me or I can save her, but we can’t save each other.

Dawn is still hours away when Logan’s tender boat slides silently up next to my yacht and Megan

and I get in. Then, just minutes later, we’re boarding through the garage and making our way up to the

crew level where the hazmat girl is being held.

Logan is leaning back against the wall opposite the girl’s locked cabin door with his arms crossed

when we arrive. He straightens and makes a big production of using his hands to shrug. “I dunno, man.

It’s a fucking crazy story. You don’t have to go in there.”

“Nah,” I say. “I do.”

“She could be lying,” Megan says.

“She could be,” I say, running my fingers through my hair. “But if she’s not, I need to know.”

Megan frowns and nods, then says, “Well, it’s three o’clock in the morning and I’ve got a big day

tomorrow, so I’ll be up in my room.” Then she turns towards the ladder and starts climbing up to the