Page 37 (2/2)

Aleks… please… would you would you call me James… just this one time?

I clappedmy head “No,” I shouted The darkness came for me and this time I let it in

“Don’t fucking touch hi, but I couldn’t make out the words A hand closed painfully around my wrist

“Aleks, open your eyes, damn it!”

Not Vaughn’s voice

“Get your fucking hands off him, Luca!”

Vaughn sounded so distressed that I opened o of his gun arer by the stairs but in the kitchen There was blood onshirt, actually, because I hadn’t put my own shirt back on yet

Had I been shot? Was that why I was so cold?

“Vaughn?” I whispered in confusion

“Aleks, put the knife down” The order came from Luca

Knife? What knife? I looked at the ar the wrist of, but my hand was empty

But my other wasn’t

I gasped at the sight of Vaughn’s utility knife in htstand when I’d left the roohn, but I’d forgotten all about it when I’d heard hi

Hadn’t that been a few seconds ago?

I shookat me and Luca I watched in horror as he slammed his fist into Con’s jaas so distracted that I didn’t notice Lucathe knife Everything happened so fast I couldn’t keep up One second Luca was grabbing un pressed against the side of Luca’s head

“Take your hands off him!” he snarled

But Luca didn’t release me

That hen I registered the blood pouring frohn’s forearm

The blood that was also on the knife I was still holding