“Don't be. Just be happy. I'll get over you if I know you're happy.”
That pretty much confirmed what I'd always thought— that Jake wouldn’t have trouble moving on from me. But that thought didn't have the sting it once did. Instead, it was comforting.
“I am happy. Very happy.” I squeezed his hand and said, “Goodbye, Jake.”
“Goodbye, Indie.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
“Did you get Silas?” Jake asked as we turned back toward the truck.
The sound of sirens was faint but getting closer.
“We gotta go,” Jackie said. “I don't know how Montana police deal with black people, but I'm not taking a chance on them being cool.”
“No, we didn't,” Gideon said. “So, be on your guard.”
“I'm asking because I know where he's headed.”
My hounds and I stopped in our tracks.
“Where?!” Gage demanded.
“Billings,” Jake said. “He's got a place in Emerald Hills. Silas told Michael to meet him there if anything ever separated them. It's supposed to be real nice.” He rattled off an address.
“Got it,” Garret said. “And thank you, Jake. That's a huge help.”
“Gotta go!” Jackie said again.
“Yeah, okay.” Jake looked at me one last time, then jogged to Jackie's car. The back of the car was crushed, but it stillstarted fine, and in just a few seconds, they were shooting past us, racing back the way we'd come.
My mates and I got in the truck and did the same. We didn't have any trouble outrunning the police. A few minutes later, the sound of sirens had vanished. Then we veered off onto another road and headed east to Billings.
It was going to be a long night.
Three hours later, the sun was rising. That and the jostling of the truck woke me. I had fallen asleep across Gideon's lap.
Gideon stroked my hair back from my face. “Good morning.”
“Good morning.” I yawned and sat up to peer out the window. Trees lined the road. “Are we there yet?”
“Almost to the address Jake gave us,” Garret said. “It's off this road.”
“It's real considerate of Silas to go somewhere with privacy.” Gage, in the front passenger seat, grinned at me over his shoulder. “The homes back here have a lot of land around them. Perfect for muting the sound of a battle.”
“Good, but have you guys thought of a plan yet?” I asked. “Hades literally had his hands around Silas's throat and the guy still escaped.”
“What happened exactly?” Gideon asked.
“Uh.” I thought back. “Hades ran to Silas, grabbed him, and said he was taking him to Olympus. I'm still reeling from that gem, by the way.”
“You knew the Underworld was real. Why does Olympus surprise you?”
“I don't know. My brain is accepting things with baby steps.”
“What next?” Gage prompted. “How did Silas escape Hades?”
“Silas sort of exploded with light. It burst out of him and sent him flying backward, out of Hades's grip. Then he vanished.”
