Chapter 26 · The Abyss Bet

"Stop moving, you idiot. You're leaking all over the floor," Evelyn snapped, her voice tight with a mix of panic and irritation.

Kane didn't stop. He leaned back against the freezing metal wall of the sinking platform, a jagged piece of shrapnel still buried in his side. He let out a wet, rattling laugh and looked up at her. "What? I thought you liked it when I played the martyr."

"I like it when you're not dying in a hole," she shot back. She dropped to her knees beside him, her expensive silk dress dragging through the grime and oil. She didn't care. Her hands were shaking as she ripped a strip of fabric from her hem to press against the wound.

Kane hissed, his body jerking. "Watch it. That's the only part of me still working."

"Shut up. Just shut the hell up for one second," Evelyn commanded. She pressed down hard. The blood soaked through the fabric instantly, a deep, visceral crimson that looked black under the flickering industrial lights.

He looked at her—really looked at her. Her eyes were wide, the pupils blown.