Hell Hath No Fury (Ends World #6)

1. An Unexpected Notification

1

An Unexpected Notification

Lilith

It has been a long time since I heard the annoying notification volley of a group chat message gone wild.

Since Darius and Antoinette went missing, my inclusion in group chats has been minimal. Other than the occasional message from Agatha, most people choose to leave me to my murderous shenanigans.

I don’t think much of it for the first few pings, but after about the thirtieth or fortieth, I start to consider getting up off my ass and going to get my phone on the other side of the room.

Sighing heavily and fully intending to block every last one of those fuckers, I force myself off the sofa and trudge to the table where my phone was left abandoned.

A glance at my screen confirms I’ve been added to what appears to be a new fuck-around chat. I tap on the notification, and a string of previous messages pops open like a text explosion. Rolling my eyes in annoyance, I scroll up to the first notification, frowning to see it’s a photo from a number not saved in my contacts.

Since the stupid notifications don’t show the image, I’m forced to open the app and take a look for myself. Because I can’t imagine what the heck could be in this picture to have everyone in such a tizzy. I swear to fuck, if it’s a shitty meme from Tony, I’m gonna stab him.

Slowly, I scroll up to the very first message, taking note of the number of times I see an all-caps message asking any variation of who, how, and why.

Then I get to that first message and almost drop my phone.

Because who is looking back at me but Antoinette. My first-born child. Presumed dead for months but who now appears to be very much alive. And smiling.

I scan back through the messages, picking out the bits and pieces of information that I find relevant. Without responding, I save the image and close the chat, immediately sending it to the two people most intent on going on a murderous hunt. Mickey, my oldest confidante and uncle, and Antonio Rossi, the man I betrayed decades ago, who just happens to be Antoinette’s father.

Lilith : Spotted downtown LA.

Mickey : Are you sure it’s her?

Antonio : Has this image been authenticated?

Lilith : Yeah, it’s been authenticated by my own eyes. Look at it.

Antonio : ...

Mickey : I get what you’re saying, Lils, but think reasonably. These days, any image can be a fake.

Lilith : I know where this photo originated, and she’s legit.

Antonio : I’m going to require a bit more information in order to allow myself to believe it.

Lilith : Camilla McDonough is the Chameleon. She’d know that face anywhere.

Antonio : Tell me where to meet you.

Lilith : Meet us in LA.

Mickey : I’ll secure transport.

Antonio : Finalizing arrangements. Will update.

I close out of the app and lock my phone, sliding it into my back pocket as I shove my feet into shoes I had just removed not even ten minutes ago.

I walk across the room, open the coat closet near the entrance, and pull out my special go bag—the one that would never make it through airport security.

By the time I make it to the airstrip, the plane is waiting, Mickey standing rather impatiently for me to board with him. He takes my bag and follows me up the stairs. Once we get situated, it only takes a few moments for us to be taxiing and then airborne.

The fuck-around group chat is still moving like wildfire, and I see that everyone is moving strategically to get better aligned to find some answers.

I have a message from Antonio stating he’ll be slightly delayed because he’s going to detour through Amsterdam to pick up Antoinette’s sister, Agatha.

I quirk a brow at the news that Agatha is in Amsterdam but don’t bother responding because any story that begins in Amsterdam is best told in person, especially coming from Agatha, who is well-known for her outrageous shenanigans.

One problem with the fuck-around crew being strewn around the world is that we can no longer rendezvous in one spot and execute plans as a unit. Luckily, Matt and Declan are already in the LA area, which made it easy for them to put into place enough recognizance to have answers within hours.

And with the knowledge that the Chameleon herself has taken this news personally, our options on infiltrating whatever organization had been in charge of this fuckery are limitless.

Because if someone did intentionally take my daughter, it would most likely be to use her as a pawn, either against me, Antonio, or any number of people directly linked to her. Which means, the sooner we get to the bottom of it, the more likely we are to get her back unharmed. Or at least no more harmed than she may already be.

Mickey’s voice breaks through my thought process, and I look at him and ask, “What was that?”

“So, she doesn’t remember?”

I shrug and shake my head. “That’s what Camilla said. She got up close and personal with her, and there wasn’t even one micro-expression that would give away she was hiding something.”

Mickey gives me an incredulous look and then asks, “So she got amnesia…again?”

I can’t help but laugh; the ridiculousness of it is not lost on me, considering a few years back, a traumatic event took Antoinette’s memories for months. “Well, if Darius can be kidnapped forty-two thousand times, then I suppose Antoinette can get amnesia twice.”

“She’s gonna be pissed when she finds out.”

Smiling, I respond, “Hell hath no fury.”

He smiles at the idea, but then it falls, and his expression turns serious. “I don’t even want to think about what’s been going on this whole time she’s been gone.”

“Camilla said she seemed well and that whatever is going on, it doesn’t appear to have anything to do with us. She even went so far as to say she seemed happy and healthy.”

“This is every shade of fucked up. There can’t be very many people left who would dare do this.”

“Could be someone who still thinks Darius is dead.”

Mickey shakes his head and makes a face. “You’re more of a threat than Darius on a good day, so it’s either someone who shockingly has never heard of you or wants you to come for them—someone hoping to get your attention.”

“But they would have to know that everyone would come for them. That doesn’t make any sense either.”

“So obviously, this is a trap,” Mickey replies quietly.

“That’s what Camilla said. Of course, she said it like it was some grand adventure she’s looking forward to.”

“She sounds like the cuckoo bird.”

I smile, knowing she’s definitely a bit out there but accepting that it’s also a big part of her charm. “Camilla actually managed to get her cellphone number, so hopefully that’ll remain active, and she can get in touch with her.”

“And Antoinette agreed to do lunch?”

I chuckle again. “Yes, a sure indication that she is not herself.”

My laughter dissipates, and I sit there staring at the wall behind Mickey, the reality of the situation washing over me. Mickey’s hand touching my arm draws my attention back to him, and he looks at me intently as he says, “We’ll get her back, Lils.”

I nod. “We sure will.”

We land in LA in the middle of the night.

An SUV is waiting for us, and to my surprise, instead of being a run-of-the-mill driver stepping out from behind the wheel, it’s Matt.

I smile broadly, genuinely happy to see him, and when he walks up to me with his arms outstretched, I easily step into his embrace, returning it wholeheartedly. He gives me a squeeze and then steps back, his hands gripping my upper arms as he stoops over to look me in the eyes. “It’s her, Lils. It’s really her.”

“And Darius?” Antoinette and Darius disappeared at the same time, but it was revealed months ago that Darius was alive and well and would be in touch in due time for whatever reason he would divulge when that time came. As infuriating as this revelation was, we all had little choice but to accept that whatever reason Darius had for staying away was best for all of us because Darius rarely makes decisions to keep things from the group without a damn good reason.

Matt’s hands fall from my arms, and he moves away as he shakes his head. “No word so far.”

“And there’s no way to notify him? No way at all to reach him?”

He shakes his head again. “But he usually shows up randomly when anything crazy is going on. I’m not sure if he’s found a way to monitor our chats, but I’m hoping we’ve put up enough chatter for him to catch wind of it.”

“And do you think this will be what brings him out of hiding?”

Matt shrugs, motioning for me to proceed him to the SUV, where he opens the passenger front door for me. I climb inside, and he shuts the door behind me before walking around to the other side and getting behind the wheel. Mickey climbs in the back, and once he’s situated and buckled, Matt turns to me and responds, “If anything is going to bring Darius around, it would be this.”

Darius has been quiet for months, and though we sporadically get word from him, for the most part, it’s like he’s just gone. I know this hurts Matt, Tony, and Declan, but at the same time, they recognize that Darius would only stay hidden if he had legitimate reasons. And since this is the first indication we’ve gotten that Antoinette is even alive, it has definitely thrown us all into a bit of a tailspin.

Not one to waste time on useless chitchat, I ask, “What’s the plan?”

Matt grins, focused on the road as he exits the airport and makes his way to the freeway. “Camilla has a date set up with her.”

“Really? Already?”

He nods, his grin getting even bigger as he says, “Oh, yeah. Brunch tomorrow,” he pauses, glances at the clock on the dash, and then adds, “Or should I say later today.”

“I like her style.”

He grins again, then asks, “Any idea what time Agatha will get here?”

I pull my phone out, check my messages, and then respond, “Looks like they’re only a few hours behind us.”

He grins. “Good. We’re gonna need her.”

“For what?”

“Shock value,” he says, his grin turning slightly unhinged. “That Irish twin face just may do the trick.’