What She Thought She Knew (Rachel Moore Mystery Book 1), стр. 73

shook with a barely controlled rage, and my hands formed into fists. "I hate this god damn war. If it weren't for him, then none of this would have happened. We might have been a normal family."

My mother pressed a hand against the screen as if visualizing that it was my face. "I know honey. I wish that could have been the case, but unfortunately it was not. You have to be strong, John. Your father may be a monster, but you're still half me. Luckily for you, my half is the dominant one." She chuckled.

I found myself laughing at her attempt of humor. "Well, it's no wonder that I'm such a badass." I joked.

My mother laughed briefly. "Yes indeed. But really sweetie, you'll be faced with many obstacles, however, don't let them stop you from achieving your goal. You will win, son. And you've also got that girl to fight for. From how you've described Rachel, it seems that she means a whole lot to you."

"More than my own life." I said quietly.

"Then use it to fuel your will to stop your father and the Phantoms. As Anais Nin once said: 'Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage.' The question is whether or not you're willing to go as far as you can in order to save Rachel."

Without hesitation, I answered. "I'd do everything within my power just to make sure that she's safe."

My mother looked at me with such love that it nearly overwhelmed me. "I'm so proud of you, son. So very proud"

"Thanks mom…" I said as I slightly blushed. "Are you in a safe place?"

She smiled. "Yes. The Seeker medical team transferred me to some location in England. I'm afraid I can't tell you where exactly because even I don't know."

Inwardly, I let out a sigh of relief. "Glad to hear."

"I have to go now." She said regretfully.

"I know." I replied.

"Say hello to Fear for me. I still hate calling him that, however, he has always refused to have me call him by his real name."

I smiled genuinely. "Will do, mom. Take care."

She smiled back. "You too, dear." And with that, the connection was cut.

The chat with my mom left me filled with more hope than before.

As short as the conversation was, it was still good to hear her voice again. She was the only stable rock I had after my father went full-on evil.

I got up from the chair, and stretched my slightly sore back. It was then that I realized that Fear was standing at the doorway. "John." He said.

I raised an eyebrow in question. "What's up?" I asked.

He shrugged as he stepped inside, and then leaned against the wall. "Just wanted to check up on how you're doing. How's your mom?"

I turned to face him. "She's doing well. She says hi by the way. Oh, and she also mentioned that she still hates calling you 'Fear'."

The Assassin's lips curled slightly at the edges. "I'm still going to force everyone to call me that."

"Even your girlfriend?" I said as I wiggled my eyebrows suggestively.

Fear rolled his eyes. "Ha ha, she's not my girlfriend."

I rested a hand on my hip. "Is that so? Then I suppose that you two holding hands on the drive here meant nothing?"

That automatically made his eyes widened as I assumed that he didn't expect me to have known that. "She grabbed my hand. I just sat there."

"But you didn't slap her hand away." I said. "You like her." I then grinned.

Fear held his ground. "We're in a war; there's no time for petty things like love. Besides, if I get myself involved in a relationship, then that'd just be one visible weakness that the Phantoms would easily exploit. I wouldn't put Alannah in danger purposely."

I raised an eyebrow. "So it's Alannah now, huh? You're calling her by her real name, yet you refuse to tell her yours?"

The Assassin glared at me. "Shut up!" He replied rather childishly. "I don't go around teasing you about Rachel."

The mention of her name washed off my humorous mood. Fear noticed the abrupt change in my attitude, and struggled for words. "Shit, I…"

"Forget it." I replied. "It's not like I can avoid any mention of her, not when our mission is partially revolved around her." I then walked over to the window, and stared at the illuminated city. "I made a promise that I'd do everything I possibly could to save her, even if it meant sacrificing my own life. I won't let her go through the same torture that has marked me for life."

Fear walked to my side. "We'll get her, John. And when we do, we'll make the Phantom bastards pay for everything that they've done."

I smirked slightly. "Damn right we will."

Fear then regarded me with an intense, yet soft look. "You really do love her." He said quietly.

I turned my face towards his and nodded. "Very much." I replied.

Fear continued to look at me for a few minutes. "In that case, I've got your back to the end."

I smiled softly. "Thanks… Ricardo."

Instead of the usual annoyance at the use of his real name, Fear merely smiled. "Any time, John." He replied.

I smiled back. "So, how are your sisters?" I randomly asked.

At the mention of them, Fear's smile went larger. "They're good. I talked to them before we left Rome. It's funny, Catarina wants to join the Seekers when she's of age. I don't want her to though."

I chuckled. "She's sixteen Fear; she's at that age where you can't actually tell her what to do and expect her to listen."

Fear shook his head. "She's still young; she's got her whole life ahead of her. I don't want her to go off joining our war; not if I can