any further than that. 芦Now please tell
me about Bella.禄
芦She's going on bed rest.禄
芦Oh, God.禄
芦No, it's good.禄 Z rubbed his skull trim. 芦I mean, she hasn't lost the young yet, and if she keeps
quiet she might not.禄
芦She in your room?禄
芦Yeah, I'm going to go get her something to eat. She's allowed to be up for an hour a day, but I
don't want to give her excuses to be on her feet.禄
芦I'm glad she-芦
芦Fuck, my brother. Is this what it was like for you?禄
Phury frowned and tapped the blunt over his ashtray. 芦I'm sorry?禄
芦I'm fucked in the head all the time. It's like whatever I'm doing moment to moment is only half-
real because of all the crap I'm worried about.禄
芦Bella's-芦
芦It's not just about her.禄 Z's eyes, now back in yellow because he wasn't as pissed off, drifted
across the room. 芦It's you.禄
Phury made elaborate work of bringing the blunt to his mouth and inhaling. As he let the smoke
out, he searched his mind for words to comfort his twin.
He didn't come up with much.
芦Wrath wants us to meet at nightfall,禄 Z said, looking back out the window, as if he knew damn
well there would be no meaningful reassurance. 芦All of us.禄
芦Okay.禄
After Z left, Phury opened the firearms book and took out the drawing he'd done of Bella. He ran
his thumb back and forth over his depiction of her cheek, staring at her with his one working eye.
The quiet pressed in on him, constricting his chest.
All things considered, it was possible he'd already fallen off the ledge, possible that he was
already sliding down the mountain of his destruction, bumping against boulders and trees,
bouncing and breaking limbs, a mortal blow awaiting him.
He stabbed out the blunt. Falling into ruin was a bit like falling in love: Both descents stripped
you bare and left you as you were at your core.
And in his limited experience, both endings were equally painful.
As John stared at the lesser who had appeared out of nowhere, he couldn't move. He'd never
been in a car accident before, but he had a feeling that this was what they were like. You were
going along and then suddenly everything you were thinking about before the intersection was
put on hold, replaced by a collision that became your one and only priority.
Damn, they really did smell like baby powder.
And luckily this one was not pale haired, so he was a new recruit. Which might be the only
reason he and his friends got out of this alive.
Qhuinn and Blay got in front of John, blocking the way. But then a second lesser came out of the
shadows, a chess piece moved into position by an unseen hand. He was also dark haired.
God, they were big.
The first one looked at John. 芦Better run along, son. This is no place for you.禄
Holy shit, they didn't know he was a pretrans. They thought he was just a human.
芦Yeah,禄 Qhuinn said, shoving John's shoulder. 芦You got your dime bag. Now get out of here,
punk.禄
Except he couldn't leave his-
芦I said, get the fuck out of here.禄 Qhuinn gave him a hard push, and John stumbled into a stack
of tarpaper tolls big as couches.
Shit, if he ran, he was a coward. But if he stayed he was going to be worse than no help. Hating
himself, he took off at a dead run, heading straight for ZeroSum. Like an idiot, he'd left his
backpack at Blay's, so he couldn't call home. And it wasn't like he could waste time looking for
one of the Brothers on the off chance they might be hunting nearby. There was only one person
he could think of who would help them.
At the club's entrance he went right up to the bouncer at the head of the wait line.
Xhex. I need to see Xhex. Get me-
芦What the hell are you doing, kid?禄 the bouncer said.
John mouthed the word Xhex over and over again while signing.
芦Okay, you are pissing me off.禄 The bouncer loomed over John. 芦Get the hell out of here or I'm
calling your mommy and daddy.禄
Snickers from the wait line made John more frantic. Please! I need to see Xhex-
John heard a distant sound that was either a car peeling out or a scream, and as he wheeled
around toward it, the dull weight of Blay's Glock bumped into his thigh.
No phone to text from. No way to communicate.
But he had a six-pack of lead in his back pocket.
John ran back to the lot, dodging around parallel-parked cars, breathing hard, legs flying as fast
as they could. His head was hammering at him, the exertion making
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