Page 169 of Graves

“Here!” Levi shouts.

Two paramedics rush in.

“What have we got?” the older one asks while the younger lowers the stretcher.

“Both forearms slashed,” I answer, voice shaking.

“When did it happen?”

“Maybe… ten minutes ago?”

“And the guy on the couch?” the younger one asks.

“Too much to drink,” Levi says, stepping aside. “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of him.”

They roll Aran onto his back, and I move aside. With practiced efficiency, they assess the wounds, remove our makeshift bandages, and apply tourniquets.

That tells me the cuts are deeper than I feared. A simple pressure wrap wouldn’t have been enough—he would have bled out on the way to the hospital.

“Breathing shallow,” the younger paramedic says. “BP seventy-five over forty-five. He’s crashing.”

“Tourniquets are tight. No IV access in the arms. Go for the foot.”

The younger one gets to work and pulls off Aran’s sneaker.

“Sir, can you hear me?” the older one asks, shining a light in Aran’s eyes.

No response.

He fits an oxygen mask over Aran’s face. “IV running. BP stabilizing.”

After loading Aran onto the stretcher, they strap him down and wheel him out. Everything happens so fast I can barely keep up. All I see is Aran. My heart feels like it’s being crushed in a vise.

I follow like a magnet I can’t break away from. As I pass Levi, I hesitate.

“Go make sure he survives,” my brother says. “I’ll clean this up and take the bastard to our warehouse. We’ll wait for you there.”

I try to stay strong and nod, but Levi steps closer and grips my upper arm.

“You know what you have to do, right?” he asks, voice low and meaningful.

“I’m not gonna say it was suicide.”

“Koh. Doctors are required to report this to the police. If you say it was attempted murder, they’ll open an investigation.”

“I know,” I say through clenched teeth. “But I won’t let them lock him up in a psych ward for something he didn’t do.”

“Fine. You’re in charge. But I get to handle the piece of shit.”

“Don’t go too far,” I say, glancing at Luke, who’s still unconscious.

“Don’t go too far!” Levi repeats cheerfully. “You hear that, asshole?” He yanks Luke up by the collar. “Don’t worry, Aniki. I’ll behave.”

“I’ll come as soon as I know Aran’s okay.” I race after the paramedics down the stairs.

The flashing blue lights of the ambulance have already drawn a small crowd of onlookers. Not surprising. Paparazzi had been camped outside the house for days, and now that they’re finally gone, an ambulance shows up. It feels like a bad movie.

“Isn’t that the building where that rockstar lives?” I hear an old woman ask as I keep my head down and climb into the ambulance.