[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.You’ll wish it ‘cause I will hunt you down like a bitch cur and I will see you dead.But before you die I will see you suffer the tortures of the damned for killin the prince of the Bloodline.You’ll suffer so long and so bad that you’ll pray to die, you’ll beg to die.”His face had gone crimson, spittle speckled his lips, and his eyes… in their pale-blue depths she saw exactly what he’d do to her.A scream was surging into her throat when he suddenly let her go and stepped back.He licked his lips and smiled as his complexion faded to normal.“But of course, that’s all idle chatter ‘cause nothin’s gonna happen to my baby, right? Right?”Dawn could only nod.He was back to talking normally now.She so wanted to scream and run but didn’t dare move a muscle—couldn’t.Her limbs were frozen in position.He leaned closer and sounded like the SpongeBob pirate.“I can’t heeeeeear you.Right?”She found her voice and croaked out a feeble, “Right.”What had just happened? He’d gone from totally normal to totally insane, then back to totally normal again in less than a minute.She’d never seen that side of him, hadn’t even guessed it existed.Women’s Choice… the idea of aborting his child—why was it always his child?—had like totally set off a bomb in his brain.Made him mad crazy.Well, maybe he had a right to be pissed that she was going to end the pregnancy without telling him.The baby was half his, after all.But only half.What about her half? And he wasn’t the one who was going to get all fat and bloated.But he’d been totally more than just pissed.He’d been insane.And he hadn’t been kidding about killing her.A shudder passed through her like an earthquake.She knew from his eyes and the way he’d said it that he meant every word.“Well, darlin,” he said with his usual warm, friendly smile.“Long as you’ve got your sweater and were on your way out, what say we take a trip down to Work.I feel like gettin myself a couple of cold ones.”“Not me.It’s totally boring.And you won’t even let me have a beer.”“That’s right, darlin.No more booze for you.Like those signs in the bar say, When you’re pregnant, you never drink alone.You’re not going to get my baby boy drunk.You can have some of that Diet Pepsi you and your mother like so much.”“But—”“Hush now.I’ve got another reason I want to visit Work tonight.Want to see if a certain someone is hanging around, waiting for me.”As he propelled her toward the door, Dawn wondered what she’d got herself into.And if there was a way out.9Jack stood at the bar nursing a watery Coors Light as he went over his options.At least it was better than an even more watery Bud Light from the ruinators of Rolling Rock.The neon Corona clock on the wall behind the bar said 6:30.Still about an hour until sunset.But from what Christy had told him, if Bolton was coming in, he would have shown by now.Reminded of Christy, Jack pulled out his phone and called her numbers again.Still no answer.Rehearsal was dragging on.At least he hoped it was rehearsal.Someone eased over and leaned against the bar beside him: Dirty Danny.“Need any party supplies?”“Nope.Sorry.No one’s invited me to any parties lately.”Danny gave him a yellow grin.“Well, then have one of your own.That’s what I’d do.”“Why am I not surprised?”“Well, you need anything, you know where to find me.”Danny moved on and Jack decided he was tired of Queens, tired of wasting his time waiting for people to answer their phones or show up in bars.Time to head home and see if Gia had any plans for dinner.If nothing was on the stove yet, they could head down to Little Italy where Vicky could chow down on Amalia’s mussels in garlic sauce.He left the rest of the beer wannabe on the bar and headed for the door.10A parade of what-ifs were tying Jeremy’s stomach in knots as he maneuvered into a parking spot down the street from Work.What if he hadn’t checked Dawn’s browser history?What if she’d gone ahead and had the abortion?What if she tries again?It was like the past was repeating itself.But at least this time he wouldn’t have to go around killing doctors.He hadn’t been able to reveal himself to Moonglow.With Dawn it was different.She knew he was the father, so he could stay close and watch over her.Watch over her… what a job that would be… nine months of hell until—No, wait.Maybe only a few months of hell.He knew abortions weren’t done after a certain point in a pregnancy.He didn’t know that point, but he’d sure as hell find out.The thing was, he’d have to stay right on top of her, not let her out of his sight until that point was reached.Could he do that? How could he get up to Creighton every week for his injection if he couldn’t trust her alone? What was he going to do—chain her in the basement?He didn’t want her along now—not if he was going to have to deal with that Enemy posing as Joe Henry—but he didn’t dare leave her home.“Shit!”“What’s the matter?”He looked at Dawn and wanted to kill her for wanting to kill the Key.She’d come so close to ruining everything.He saw the fear in her eyes and realized that might be the key… the key to protecting the Key.Fear.Make her so afraid of him that the thought of an abortion will never cross her mind again.But before the fear… marriage.That way he could have some legal say about the baby.But marrying her wouldn’t be an easy proposition after the way he’d blown up earlier.He knew he’d scared her bad.“Nothing, darlin.Just mad at myself for losin it the way I did.You’ve got to understand that though I never wanted a kid, I do now.And like I said, it’s a miracle.I—”He squinted through the windshield at the man who’d just stepped out of Work: Joe Henry.No… his name wasn’t Joe Henry… Moonglow’s detective, John Robertson.Or maybe not just a detective.Maybe an Enemy of the Bloodline.And here he was, practically walking into Jeremy’s arms.The Others must be watching over me.“What’s wrong?”“I’m looking at a guy who’s been causing me trouble.”Dawn leaned forward and pointed.“Him? You introduced me to him yesterday.I thought he was a friend.” ‘“So did I.But I’ve learned different.”He heard Vecca’s voice in his head telling him to make the call, then follow the guy until folks from her mysterious, all-powerful agency grabbed him.He heard another voice telling him, Yeah, that would be the smart thing to do because he couldn’t be a hundred percent sure that Joe Henry wasn’t really Joe Henry.He might not be a detective or an Enemy, might just be some everyday shlub who liked beer and video games and was reading Kick.Shit! Hank’s book! That was the key.He was carrying it around as a prop—a goddamn prop—because he thought it would make Jeremy lower his guard and let him get in close where he could screw up everything.Well, it almost worked.It almost fucking worked.Jeremy felt his blood begin to heat [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]