Asch nods. “We’ll go after him,” he says.
I can see us getting lost in the dark, wandering around in circles and circles, just for a chance to eviscerate Ezio.
I shake my head. “Nah. He’ll either die out there or turn up again. We’ve got other shit to take care of.”
River grimaces. “Yeah. It’s probably a mess back at that hotel.” He pauses, then exhales slowly. “Or maybe they’ve already cleaned it up.” He looks at Blaze. “What do you think?”
Blaze glances down at his phone, the screen lighting up his face in stark blue-tinted light. “I have five missed calls from my dad. I think it’d be a bad idea to go back.”
Asch nods. “Agreed. We need to figure out how we’re going to survive this shitshow.” He straightens. “Let’s get back to campus. We’re probably safest there for now.”
I try to get up, but all the punctures have my legs completely jelly. I collapse back onto the ground.
“Your dad isn’t going to send more people after us, is he?” I ask, breathing hard.
Blaze gives me an unimpressed look. “Morepeople? You were barely on his radar before. Now…”
Yeah. Now I’m not just the daughter of some other organized crime gang leader.
Sorry, the daughter of a perfectly legitimate strip club owner.
Either way, I’ve made it clear that I’m trouble.
“Now, we’re fucked. Got it,” River mutters. “I think we need to get your family involved, Pandora.”
I shake my head. “No way. What’s a strip club owner going to do?”
Asch offers his hand to me, and I take it so he can help me up. I sway into his arms, sighing happily.
He even still smells of his own cologne.
“They have connections,” River replies. “Now’s not the time to pretend they don’t.”
Asch wraps his arms around me, keeping me close. He even kisses the top of my head.
“What kind of connections?” Samantha asks, and I realize she’s been standing nearby while we talk. Her bottom lip trembles. “Are… those people going to be after me?”
Blaze holds his hand out to Samantha. “You’re not going to want to stay at Dyschord.”
“Your dad cut off your funding, anyway,” I mutter. “Something about you being an ungrateful daughter.”
Maybe I shouldn’t have responded to his emails.
I mostly figured she was already dead.
“What?” she asks, taking Blaze’s hand but not looking away from me. “He would never—” She pauses, then her eyes narrow. “How would you even know that?”
“Do you really want to spend your time talking about thisnow?” I ask. “It’s dark. It’s cold. Your feet are going to get busted up if Blaze or River don’t carry you.” I point up the cliff. “Let’s get somewhere warm and clean.”
“I’ve got her,” River says, moving closer to Samantha. “Hold on to me.”
Samantha freezes when he gets closer to her. “No,” she says, desperation replacing the accusation in her voice.
“This isn’t a good place to be without shoes,” he tells her, his own tone surprisingly gentle. “I won’t hurt you. All right? Just long enough to get to the car.”
She isn’t small, but the car shouldn’t be very far.
Her breathing comes more quickly, but she reluctantly nods. River lifts her, and she clutches at him as he starts to carry her in the direction of their vehicles.
