Fallout (Crank 3)

He chokes on the sentence.

I have a grandfather

in Fernley. Maybe we’ll

meet one day. Maybe he

listens to me on the radio.

Oh. He’s old. Probably

not exactly an X listener.

Brendan gets to his feet,

and I notice that Montana

and Nikki are standing

a respectful distance away.

Uh, look. This is kind of

a lot to absorb and …

I stand too. “Like I said,

I don’t expect anything

at all from you. So no

worries about blood tests.

I’m an adult, and I can

take care of myself.”

We start toward the girls.

Montana looks wary.

Guess I have to tell

the story twice, huh?

Oh, well. Relationships

shouldn’t have secrets.

Suddenly I notice

Nikki’s stance. She’s

pissed. Maybe even

more than pissed.

Because of what just