“Muck,” Delaney cursed beside him. It was her voice that brought him back, that reminded Harvey why he’d come to this pre-opening at all: not to kill the Bargainer, but to save her.
Narinder had risked his life tonight, and Harvey knew that part of that—even if only a small part—had been for him. But no matter their friendship, Narinder would never have come had he not had a card of his own, had he not had his own stake in this game.
It was Enne who answered the Bargainer first.
“Lola is safe,” she told her, her voice surprisingly steady.
The Bargainer examined the bodies on the floor, at Harrison now passed out beside them. She glanced toward the cardroom, where dark smoke billowed like a fog. “That’s more than can be said of you.”
Levi turned his gun on her.
Harvey’s heart hammered. Despite Hector’s interruption, this had been their plan—to shoot to kill, to do whatever it took. Harvey couldn’t let that happen. Once the Bargainer was dead and the game fell apart, Bryce would be next.
The Bargainer raised her eyebrows and aimed her own gun on Levi. “You want to make a deal, don’t you? So I can bargain for Lola back?”
Levi hesitated. Harvey wasn’t surprised—Levi was honorable like that. He didn’t play dirty when it really counted.
Not like Harvey did.
Harvey slammed his elbow into Delaney’s head, hard enough for her to slacken and crumple against him. He ripped the gun from her grip and let her slide to the floor.
“What are you—?” Tock started from across the room.
Harvey trained his gun on Levi. “Don’t try anything.”
“Iknewyou were a rat!” Grace shouted, still handcuffed on the floor.
Harvey ignored her. It was harder, however, to ignore the look that Narinder shot him: shock caving into hurt. Harvey had never wanted to cause him pain, but the world had given him an impossible choice.
Two against nine were abysmal odds, but both Harrison and Delaney were unconscious, Grace handcuffed, and Levi and Roy the only ones armed.
“What are you doing?” Levi growled, his own gun still pointed at the Bargainer.
“No one needs to die tonight,” Harvey said carefully, his voice hoarse from the smoke.
“I’m sorry,” Tock snarled, “but was this not allyourplan from the start?”
He faltered, but only for a moment. Even if Harvey had realized that killing the Bargainer would break the game, he couldn’t let them do it. Bryce had promised that they would go back to how they used to be, before Rebecca, before Vianca. But if the others destroyed the shade, then they would never let them. They’dkillthem.
“Harvey,” Enne warned from beside Narinder, “you’re making a mistake.”
But Harvey ignored her and steadied his hand. “We’ll find another way to end the game. If you justgoto Bryce,” he told the Bargainer, “then no one has to die.”
“Why should I make a deal with the person who started this?” the Bargainer asked. “Is he the one who has Lola?”
Before Harvey could answer, Levi fired. The bullet caught the Bargainer in the shoulder, tearing through her sweater and spilling blood down the wool. She didn’t lurch back, didn’t wince, not even from the force of impact. She glanced down at the wound with disinterest, as though someone had merely tapped her.
All too soon, the wound stopped bleeding. Harvey realized with a shudder that it had healed entirely, from a talent that didn’t belong to her. It left nothing behind but a stain on the fabric.
Levi hissed out a long, muffled curse.
The Bargainer eyed each of them coolly. “Is that what this was, then? A trap?” She laughed softly. “Did you really think you all could kill me? After everyone who’s tried? I am the only true legend of New Reynes, because legends cannot die.”
If that was true, then Bryce’s game had been for naught. The Bargainer would never cure Rebecca. And Rebecca would die, the game would end, and Bryce would no longer be protected.
Splotches bloomed in Harvey’s vision. No, that couldn’t be true. Harvey could not have committed all these sins for nothing.
The Bargainer’s eyes narrowed on Enne, assessing her new hair and contacts. “I told Lola not to trust you, but she came anyway. First her ear, then her brother, now this.” The Bargainer shook her head. “And you think I’m the monster.”
