Dangerous Minds | john wick

Chapter Nineteen: I'll Be Waiting

I step back from his embrace as my blood pressure begins to steadily increase.

"Excuse me?". I don't want to believe a word that just came out of his mouth, but the look on his face - the anguish - tells me everything.

Unaware of my surroundings, a stumbling woman slams into my side making me reel back into John.

"Keep your head down". Johns voice is stern as he pulls me away from the dancing crowd and out of the glimmering court yard.

He doesn't stop until we reach an empty hallway.

The champagne I had whisked down beforehand starts to take affect as my feet stumble over each other from the immediate stop. I gulp as I prepare myself for what we're about to talk about.

"Why is he doing this? I thought-". I try to stop the quiver of my voice. "That doesn't..."

John looks at me with pity clear in his eyes, which only makes me feel worse.

"He realised how I felt about you when I spent all that time trying to protect you from his men. So now that he has you wrapped around his little finger, he thought he could blackmail me into working for him again. And he was half successful." He stands with his arms crossed as he takes in my reaction.

My mind feels like a jumbled mess as I try to think of what to say or do. It doesn't feel real, especially after all thats happened. There's no way my father would just use me to get to John, it's beyond extensive. Yet, how well do I really know him? He's a crime boss. How truthful and loving can they get?

"You killed my mother". My eyes widen as the words leave my mouth.

Johns reaction mimics mine.

"I did what now?".

I let out a shaky breath as I think about the woman in the picture. "The woman you killed the first night we met. That was my mother, John."

Even though his mask is still on I can pretty much sense the raise of his eye brows. "Wow, he has really gone above and beyond."

"What?".

John steps closer and places his hand gently on my cheek. "Mila, I did not kill your mother. That woman is absolutely not your mother." He looks me dead in the eyes as he says the last sentence.

My heart drops, not just to the floor but into the ground.

"What do you mean?" The words come out as whisper as I try to make sense of this all.

"Mila?" Aya's soft voice echoes of the hallway walls causing John and I to immediately step back from each other.

"It's a long story, but I need you to trust me. He's a dangerous man and will do anything to get what he wants." Johns voice is low and fast as he grabs my hand and places a small folded piece of paper into my palm. I quickly wrap my fingers around it, hiding it from Aya's view. "Think about it."

Before I can say anything he turns and walks straight past the approaching Aya, leaving me a gaping mess.

"Who was that tall and handsome fella?". Finally reaching me she winks and gives me a little nudge with her elbow.

I clear my throat and straighten out dress, trying to hide my sheer panic. "Um nobody. He was just wondering where the bathroom is."

The piece of paper sits firmly in my hand, my thoughts racing at one hundred miles a second.

Who am I supposed to believe. John or my father? I don't truly know either of them. I know my father isn't a good man but his care for me seemed genuine, like he truly missed me. You would have to be beyond fucked up to use your own child as a bargaining tool.