No. He can’t. He can’t do that.
“No!” The word tears out of me. I push desperately at Evander’s arms. “Marco, don’t!” The reasons line up on my tongue: they’ll send him to prison. He won’t be able to save Esme. We have our plan.
But it’s no good.
Marco is already moving. His boots hit the floor hard, purposeful.
I do the only thing I can. I try to throw myself off the bed.
My legs give out instantly. Evander catches me before I hit the ground, his arms locking around my chest. My ribs shriek and I cry out with the pain.
“Robin.” He’s trying to soothe me, guide me back. “Let me help you.”
“No!” I twist in his grip, every movement agony. My feet scramble for purchase on the smooth floor. “Stop him!”
“Nobody can stop Marco. You know that.” Evander’s voice is quiet. Resigned.
He lifts me—careful of my ribs—and sets me back on the bed. The thin mattress dips under my weight. I try to push up again, but his hand presses my shoulder down. Firm. Unyielding.
My head spins. Marco’s footsteps echo down the corridor, getting farther away.
“Robin?” A weak, croaky voice.
“Cas!” Cas is alive. He made it through. A tiny prickle of joy races through me. One good thing.
“Don’t you move, either,” Evander yells at Cas, one hand still pressed against my shoulder to keep me down.
“What’s going on?”
“Jason,” I tell him.
“That prick. I’ll kill him.”
“I think Marco is going to beat you to that,” Evander says.
Scuffling from outside. Marco’s voice, then Jason’s—high-pitched, protesting.
Fuck. What’s happening?
Shadows approach down the corridor. Heavy footsteps. Someone stumbling.
Then Marco appears, shoving Jason against the wall just outside the medical bay.
His fist connects with Jason’s nose.
Blood sprays. Jason’s head snaps back, cracking against stone.
“Marco!” I shout. “Stop!”
But Marco doesn’t stop.
He hauls Jason away from the wall by his hair, drags him down the corridor. Out of sight. The sounds continue—wet impacts, Jason’s choked gasps, Marco’s breathing harsh and controlled.
I weakly fight Evander’s restraining hands. Each movement sends fire through my ribs. Cas is saying something, but it all feels underwater. Distant. Muffled.
The room tilts. Spins.
A distant slam echoes through the dungeon. Heavy metal against stone.
