Page 28 of Snow

“The ceiling collapsed on his head. Not the same thing.” Kole’s tone is not aggravated, just matter of fact. And, somehow, that seems to hit Kim even harder.

He blinks, pushes his glasses up on the bridge of his nose, and exhales loudly.

“If Kim wants to help, you should let him.” Sam has been standing quietly in the corner. Whenever we’re around each other, in a group, he seems to feel like he has to stay several feet away from me. I want to go to him, and slip my hand into his, but something about the stiffness of his body and the way he doesn’t quite look at me makes me stay where I am. “It’s not up to you to decide what he risks.”

“It is when it means the goal of the mission could be compromised,” Kole says darkly. “If I’m looking out for him.”

“So, don’t look out for me.” Kim folds his arms. “You didn’t before. You were quite happy to leave me to die. What’s different this time?”

I study Kole’s face. He inhales slowly then steeples his fingers and closes his eyes, pressing them to his forehead. I expect him to say something about Kim’s betrayal being the reason we were there in the first place. But he doesn’t.

“I’m sorry.” Kim scrapes his fingers through his curly hair. “I didn’t mean that.”

“No need to apologise.”

Kim crosses the room and sticks out his hand to shake Kole’s. “Yes, there is. I’m sorry.”

Kole accepts the gesture. “Then let’s discuss how we’re going to do this,” he says. “We need to be ready to move as soon as Thornfield gets back.”

“What are you thinking?” Mack asks, sipping water with a shaky hand.

Kole stands and moves closer to the bed. Kim follows him. Mack leans over and takes the tablet out of the bedside draw, then opens up a map of the city.

I smile as they start to talk about the different routes back to the fairground, and how best to approach. But my smile fades when Sam hangs his head and slips quietly from the room.

I’m about to follow him when my cell starts to vibrate in my pocket. I pull it out and frown at the number.

“Nico’s calling.” I raise my voice and repeat myself so the others can hear me. “Nico’s calling.”

I accept the call.

Nico’s face comes into view but it’s blurry and dark.

“Nico? Where are you? Is everything⁠—”

My words are cut off by a roar that sounds almost inhuman and a burst of flame in the background. A fireball flies behind Nico’s head, hits something and explodes.

“What’s happening?” I rush over to the others and gesture for them to pay attention. They stare at the small screen. From beside the fireplace, Snow raises his head.

“It’s Luther. He—” Nico swipes his fingers through his hair. He looks petrified. “He killed someone. And now I can’t stop him…”

Mack swings his legs around so he’s sitting on the edge of the bed and grabs the phone from me. “Nico, what happened?”

His body might be giving out on him, but his voice sounds exactly as it always does – calm, authoritative, hot as fuck. Except, I can’t allow the quiver between my legs to turn into anything more because something is happening to Luther and whatever it is – it’s bad.

Speaking quickly, moving, but with the reflection of flames now dancing on his face, Nico says, “Annalise asked him to torture an AMA guy. The Bureau thought he could tell them where the scepter was.”

“Torture?” Mack looks at Kole and they exchange a glance that sends a shiver of dread down my spine.

“He didn’t want to do it, but they said they had something on him.” Nico pinches the bridge of his nose, then his eyes widen and he says, “Shit,” as a burst of flame lights the scene.

Another roar.

My heart swells and presses hard against my ribcage. Luther is breaking. I need to fix him.

“Shit, I shouldn’t have left,” Sam says.

“It would have happened anyway,” Nico replies, looking past Mack and me at his brother.