Page 337 of Eight of Swords, Part Two

You are the shadow.

You are the shark.

You are the shape of human failure.

And when he wakes, there is sun.

And the ones he loves are gone.

And he’s in holding.

It takes so little to get out.

He only has to play sane.

Pretend to be human.

The fire inside devours everything.

Everything.

They tell him Penhalyx is back.

They tell him the Moroz Front took Julian and Jessamine.

They tell him Danya was definitely involved.

Lachlan is in the explosives section of the armoury when one of his people runs in and tells him the kidnapper is on the phone, speaking to Penhalyx.

‘It wasn’t the Front. It was Iron Star.’

He drops everything and runs.

Inside the office, Penhalyx is on the phone while Maddox hovers.

The old man is sickly pale.

Deathly calm.

‘Give me the phone, Penhalyx! GIVE IT TO ME!’

The old man refuses. ‘Lachlan, calm down.’

‘Give it to me or I’ll shoot you in the fucking face!’

‘No one is getting shot. I have an insider,’ he explains, so fucking calm.

How can he be calm?

Doesn’t he know Mimi has been kidnapped?

Doesn’t he know Jules has been taken?

‘We’re going to do this slow and safe.’

Lachlan reaches across the desk and grabs the phone. When the old man tries to stop him, he punches him in the face.

‘Don’t shoot him!’ Penhalyx tells his own security, falling into his chair.