Page 143 of Dante
"Is being handled. Nico's team is already moving. We've got eyes on three of their Denver operations. By morning, they'll know exactly what happens when they come after one of ours."
"I should be there."
"You should be recovering from a bullet wound that almost killed you three days ago." Lorenzo's voice hardens. "Until you're ready, you hide. That's not a request."
I want to yell at him.
Want to tell him I've fought through worse.
Want to remind him that I've killed men with broken ribs, with knife wounds, with bullets still lodged in my flesh.
But Marina is standing three feet away.
Staring at nothing.
Hearing everything.
If I yell, I'll scare her more.
And she's already so far gone I don't know how to bring her back.
I swallow the rage.
"How long until extraction?"
"Three minutes. Get her to the alley. Nico will handle the rest."
"And the apartment?"
"Stocked. Secure. No one knows about it except family."
"Three minutes," I say.
I hang up.
Marina hasn't moved.
Her eyes are still empty. Still staring at the wall behind me.
I step in front of her.
Block her view.
Force her to see me.
"Marina." I cup her face. Her skin is cold. Clammy. "We're leaving now. I need you to walk with me. Can you do that?"
Nothing.
"Marina."
A blink.
Slow. Delayed. Like her brain is processing on a five-second lag.
"Walk," she whispers.
Her voice is hollow.
