Montana Falls (Red Diamonds #5)

Chapter Thirteen

T he car lurched forward as Lincoln hit the gas, weaving through traffic with a precision that made my pulse race. The engine roared beneath us, and I gripped the seat, adrenaline pumping through my veins. I kind of wished I had my rifle, just so I could get the satisfaction of ending him from far away, as I played God just the way he liked to. But never mind. I’d take him dead over anything else, easy.

“He’s going the route we want him to!” Misha said from the seat beside me, his laptop open on his knees, eyes darting between the screen and the road. He was tracking John’s movements, his fingers flying over the keys, pulling up maps, routes, anything that could help and ensure we were still on track. “There’s a place under construction that I thought would be good to take him just up ahead, if we can funnel him toward it…”

Lincoln’s jaw was tight, his eyes locked on the road. “I’ve got him,” he muttered under his breath, swerving around a slower car, barely missing its bumper by inches.

“We know you do.” I had no doubts. Truly. “You’ll chase him and then our girl will get to blow his brains out. Easy.”

“Peasy.” Price added.

The streets were chaos—cars blurring past, lights flashing, the London traffic making every second feel like a fight. But Lincoln was unshakable, focused. This was his element. The way he drove, it was like the car was part of him, moving with the kind of precision and grace most people didn’t even know was possible. It was why I never once thought he’d lose a race. Why I always bet on him.

Why I didn’t so much as flinch when we skimmed past a giant truck, with wheels big enough to crush us all to death.

Misha tapped his keyboard, his voice sharp. “Left here, then follow the signs and take John toward the old army base.”

My head cocked. “Army base? Why?”

“It’s been closed for renovations, but they ran out of funds or something,” Misha explained quickly, his fingers still flying over the keys. “The whole place is practically a ghost town. The ruins near the training grounds are unstable and there are no cameras online, and there is only one way in and out. Plus, the entire place is surrounded by twenty-foot-high electric fences. If we can get John there, he won’t have anywhere to go but through us, and we don’t have to worry about potentially being caught killing him.”

My lips curled into a thin smile. “You really are a boy genius.”

“Thanks,” Misha snorted.

The car swerved hard as Lincoln made a right turn, following Misha’s directions with the kind of speed that should have made my stomach flip. The tires screeched on the damp road, but he kept control, pushing the car to its limits.

I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, the adrenaline mixing with anger, with the need to end this once and for all. John had been one step ahead of us for too long, always slipping away, always leaving destruction in his wake. But not tonight. Not this time. Just like Misha had said. We were taking him somewhere he couldn’t run from, somewhere that we could lead him into a trap.

God, I wished I had my rifle again. I missed it.

Another sharp turn came, and I braced myself against the door, my knuckles white as Lincoln pushed the car through a tight lane, barely clearing the bushes on either side. I could hear Sapphire muttering under her breath, probably trying to stay calm enough that she didn’t have the urge to jump out of the moving car, and make a break for it just to be sure she got to John.

I knew my girl had a penchant for throwing herself out of a moving vehicle, and I wasn’t close enough to grab her.

“There it is,” Misha said suddenly, pointing toward the faint glow of lights up ahead. “Just past those buildings, there’s an access road that leads straight to the base, and he’ll have no choice but to park and run on foot.”

Lincoln nodded, eyes hard as he pushed the car even faster, the distance between us and John shrinking. “Can I hit him with the car?”

Sapphire nodded. “If you manage. But just in case, everyone get your guns out.” She pulled hers into her hand as she gave her orders.

As we neared the access road, John’s car swerved, almost as if he sensed something was wrong. But it was too late. Lincoln was already on him, pushing him toward the road, cutting off any chance of escape. I could see John’s taillights ahead, weaving as he tried to find a way out, but Lincoln was relentless, keeping him on the path Misha had mapped out.

It was fucking working. Brilliantly. Perfectly…

My eyes were glued to John’s car as it swerved onto the deserted road leading to the old army base Misha had promised, its crumbling buildings barely visible against the sheer amount of scaffolding and tarps on the place. It was old, abandoned and looked like the perfect place for us to finish a gang fight I was eager for.

John’s car suddenly skidded to a halt, the tires kicking up dust and gravel as he realized the road had led him to a dead end. Before we could blink, he shoved the door open, jumping out of the car without even looking back.

“Let’s go!” Sapphire yelled, already throwing open her door just like I’d predicted. Price had obviously had the same thoughts as me because his arms were around her waist, forcing her to wait until we were pulled over.

Lincoln slammed the brakes, and the car screeched to a stop. I was out of the car in a second, my feet hitting the ground hard as I took off after John and Sapphire. She started her sprint the second the car stopped, heading past the first building, into the far worse section of the base, and I only barely caught up with her.

I’d never known she could run so fast. So fiercely .

The others weren’t far behind us, and we fanned out, covering more ground. I darted left, weaving through the broken bricks and bits of metal piping, my eyes darting around for any sign of movement to show me the way John went. Luckily, I spotted him slipping through a narrow gap between two walls, trying to get away from us just as eagerly as we were chasing him.

I pushed harder, my muscles burning a little as I closed the distance. Sapphire was to my right, almost keeping pace, her eyes locked on the same target.

“There!” I shouted, pointing as John tried to duck behind a collapsed structure.

Sapphire panted, her expression hard as she shot her gun once or twice, skimming the wall beside him. “Someone shoot the pendejo in the knee or something!”

We moved in together, closing the gap and shooting in his direction. But before any of us could get more than a single scratch, he bolted, slipping through another small gap in a crumbling wall.

“Damn it!” Sapphire cursed, sprinting after him even harder. “Just come out and die, you motherfucker!”

“Where the hell does he think he’s going?” I growled, my own feet moving in sync with the team as we followed, but John was already disappearing deeper into the construction zone, vanishing out of sight once more.

The jagged edges of old stone and metal loomed ahead, the tarp that covered the open areas blowing in the wind. The entire place looked one wrong move from falling apart entirely, and as much as I didn’t want to stop running, I also didn’t want to be stupid.

We weren’t going to die in a fucking construction accident like idiots. Not when we were so close to winning.

I skidded to a stop, my pulse thudding in my ears. “We need to regroup,” I shouted, glancing around at the twisted maze in front of us. “That looks dangerous, and I don’t want us to just run blind when he’s gonna have to come back this way to get out.”

“You’ll probably trip and fall on a loose screw.” Price panted to a stop next to me, unable to be serious even for a moment as he smirked. “We could always try in there for something fun. Maybe they left some grenades behind, and we can blow up the motherfucker like he deserves.”

He nudged his chin opposite us, to a small shed like structure. The large metal doors were open wide, the brick crumbling and wrecked. We all turned to follow his gaze, and I shrugged.

“Why the hell not?” I snorted as we hurried over to the shed, Misha entering first.

“There are old weapons,” he said, his voice tight as he searched for a light switch to help illuminate the dank and dusty room.

“Holy shit.” Sapphire burst out laughing as she followed Misha inside.

As I pushed inside, the door creaked when I brushed against it, revealing rows of dusty shelves lined with crates and guns on the opposite wall. But in the center of the room, towering over everything else, was what made Sapphire’s eyes light up with joy.

The only thing that made sense to be here purely because it was just so Sapphire to be.

“Seriously?” Logan breathed, stepping forward to inspect the vehicle sitting in the middle of the dirt floor. “Is that a mini-tank?”

The thing looked like it had been pulled straight out of a military sci-fi movie. It was smaller than the standard tanks I’d seen in action films, but still intimidating. The body was matte black with streaks of army green, blending seamlessly with the industrial grime that had accumulated over the years it had probably sat rotting away. Its treads were wide and low to the ground, perfect for navigating rough terrain, and the turret on top, though smaller than a full-sized tank, looked powerful enough to blow through several walls if necessary.

It was perfect for her. Perfect for her idea of fun.

Sapphire’s mildly hysterical giggle echoed in the air. “Oh, we are so taking this. This is my tank now; mi sol, come look at my new toy.”

Logan gave a short laugh, clearly impressed just as much as he checked it out closer. “This thing’s a beast. I can get it started if it’s not completely ruined.” He ran his hand along the side, inspecting it. “Armor plating’s thick enough to withstand pretty much anything, and the treads? This baby could roll through a minefield. I think we can use it to mess John up.” He messed around a little more. “I think it’s working fine, and I might just need to hotwire it?”

Price stepped closer, eyes as wide as mine. “How the hell is this just sitting here? That feels really dangerous.” He snorted.

But Sapphire was already moving toward the driver’s seat, grinning from ear to ear. “Who cares? I wanted a tank for so long and now… now it is perfect. I am going to be a villain in it, and I don’t care if the whole world hears me playing with the gun.”

I couldn’t help but smile at her excitement. It was contagious, and I could see the adrenaline kicking in for everyone as Logan whistled low under his breath, giving the tank one last look.

“You sure you know how to drive that thing safely, pretty girl? We all know you’re not… not perfect at certain things to do with vehicles.”

Sapphire shot him a mischievous grin. “There’s only one way to find out.” She turned toward me, eyes gleaming. “Kody, find me the keys, pretty please. They may be here.”

I blinked through my mild bout of nerves at the thought of her driving a tank, but then my gaze drifted to a nearby shelf where a set of keys dangled from an old, faded hook. I grabbed them, tossing them to Sapphire with a smirk.

“Your wish is my command, cica . Go blow things up.” The prospect was only mildly terrifying.

She caught them in one swift motion, barely able to contain her excitement when they fit, and the universe sent some luck our way.

“Let’s split up,” she said, her voice full of renewed energy now. “Lincoln, you’re with me because… well, because I do not want to crash and die, okay? We’ll take my new toy and go after John head-on. Kody, Misha, you two go around to the left, try to cut him off. Logan and Price, you take the right and make sure he doesn’t go that way. Easy peasy, as you say.”

We all nodded, falling into our roles easily. The plan was solid, and splitting up gave us a better chance of surrounding John, especially with Sapphire in the tank. Still, I couldn’t help but pause for a second as she climbed inside, and Linc followed into the driver’s seat, her excitement radiating through us all far too much.

I doubted anything I could gift her for the rest of her life would amuse her as much and I made a note to see if I could buy her a tank for real…

The beastly machine growled to life as soon as Sapphire turned the key, the deep rumble of the engine filling the shed and vibrating the ground beneath us.

For a moment, I just stood there, watching and waiting.

“She’s going to murder us all,” I muttered, half in awe, half amused. “Or at least run us over.”

“Probably. But she looks hot as fuck doing it.” Price added with a snort. “I’ll lie down and play victim for her. That’s cool with me.”

The tank lurched forward, moving with a surprising smoothness as it rolled out of the shed and straight towards the construction site. Its treads crunched over the gravel and stone and destroyed anything in its path. But none of it was as loud or as maniacal as my girl’s laughter, echoing throughout the air, as she chased down her prey in a way that was far too fitting for her.

“She’s never getting out of that tank. We’re going to have to drag her out of it just to go home.” Logan sighed, as we all shared a look of agreement before we did the jobs we’d been ordered. And chased down John O’Malley, whilst our wicked queen took her tank to slaughter him with, just like he deserved.