Chapter 23 · Lucas Has Receipts

Vera's blade pointed at my throat. Lucas had his gun aimed at Vera's chest. Six hunters had their weapons trained on all of us.

Nobody moved.

The river slapped against the stones behind me. Cold water soaked through my boots, but I barely felt it. Drake stood in front of me, one hand low at his side, the other pressed against his ribs. His face had gone pale again. The silver in his blood was waking up.

Vera noticed.

"You have maybe two minutes before the poison takes your legs," she said to him. "Step away from her, Drake. I can still make this clean."

Drake gave her a tired smile. "You never make anything clean. You just make sure nobody finds the blood."

One of the hunters shifted his rifle toward his head.

I grabbed Drake's sleeve. "Don't push her."

"She brought seven people to kill you."

"And you brought one friend," I said. "That is not exactly a winning number."

Lucas kept his weapon steady. His jaw looked locked in place, but his eyes kept moving. Vera. The six hunters. The old stone bridge behind us.