Page 167 of Graves

“Fuck!”

I try to scream for help, but there’s so much blood. My voice fails. I gasp for air, fighting the rising panic as warm blood tickles from both arms and pools beneath me. My strength is fading fast. My vision blurs again.

Luke cuts the zip ties and pockets them. Then he pulls out his phone and takes a picture of me.

“It’s going to be okay,” he says. “This is better.”

I lose control of my body. My head drops forward limply.

Fuck.

How did a day that started so well end up like this?

36

—

Koh

“Not that he’ll scratch the leather.”

“Pixie is a lady,” I say, placing her on the fluffy blanket Harriet gave me. “She doesn’t scratch leather. Oh! Is that blood?”

“What?” Levi whips around from the driver’s seat, alarmed. “Where?”

“Just kidding.” I laugh, closing the back door, though I’m a little unsettled. “The way you reacted… was there really blood?”

“Pepi knows I’d kill him if there was even a speck left.”

I shake my head in disbelief and climb into the passenger seat. “It’s insane how normal this is for you. Don’t you ever question yourself because of it?”

“Why would I? It doesn’t change anything. We are who we are. I’ve made peace with it. Maybe it’s time you do too. What happened with Jerry already proved that there’s darkness in you as well. That bastard just brainwashed you so you couldn’t tell right from wrong anymore. But we’ll fix that.”

In a way, I envy Levi. “We both know most of what you do isn’t right,” I say, pulling the door shut.

“I’m just doing my job.” He winks and starts the car.

At that moment, my phone vibrates and a message from an unknown number pops up.

I open it—and nearly drop the phone.

It’s a photo of Aran sitting on the floor, his back against the wall, his forearms slashed open.

“He’ll be checking out soon,” the message reads.

“What the fuck…?” Levi curses. “Where is that?”

I recognize the wooden floor and the cables immediately. It’s Aran’s studio. Without answering Levi, I shove the door open and sprint back into the courtyard.

We’d parked on the south side of the block when we picked up Pixie because I wanted to stop at the 7-Eleven.

“Hey! Wait!” Levi shouts, running after me into the stairwell.

“It’s Luke! We can’t waste any time!”

I have a terrible feeling.

A really fucking terrible feeling.