Page 121 of Sin

“Nothing really. Just convinced a man with healing powers to donate some of his blood,” I said.

Lucas turned his head to look at me, and the corners of his eyes creased with regret. “You helped me? Why?” He looked so perplexed.

“Look, man, you definitely drew the short end of the stick or something in a past life because what happened to you… What they did to you…” I shook my head and pointed to Mare. “But you’re her family. And I know if anyone had hurt someone I loved like that, I’d want revenge.”

Lucas sat a little straighter, looking much more alert now. “You’re going to help me?”

“Yes,” Jinx said.

“On two conditions,” Lewis added.

“One,” Blade said, “you don’t kill Keith. You can knock him around, beat him up, or whatever. But you’re not allowed to kill him.”

Lucas did not look happy about that. “What if he accidentally dies?”

Jinx wagged a finger at Lucas like one did to a naughty child. “Nuh-uh. No accidentally murdering him.”

Pouting, fucking pouting, Lucas muttered, “Fine. No accidental murders.”

“Or intentional,” Jinx added.

Lucas sighed. “Or intentional. Geez, what party poopers you all are. Okay, what’s the second condition?”

“Our second condition,” I started, avoiding Mare’s probing gaze, “is that after we capture Keith, you turn yourself in.”

“What?” Mare screeched, lurching to her feet. She glared at me, at all of us.

“Even if we were to overlook the fact that he’s killed a lot of people,” London said, trying to sound reasonable, “he still has one of Metafora’s talismans in his head. He needs to be checked over to see how they can remove it. He can’t live off of C9 forever. It’s not enough, and I think you know it.” He directed that last part toward Lucas, who was staring down at his lap.

“No,” Mare growled, taking a defensive stance in front of her dad. “He’s not going to be locked up again. No way.”

“Mare—”

“No! We’ll bring in Keith, and then President Osborne will—”

London cut her off this time. “President Osborne has told us that she has no plans to go after Keith. He’s inconsequential to her. The only person she wants is Lucas.”

Mare slumped, and her mouth moved like she was trying to form words but didn’t know what to say. But she didn’t need to in the end because Lucas spoke up.

“Okay, deal.”

Spinning on her heel, Mare gaped in horror and outrage. “You can’t just say deal! There’s got to be something else we can do…”

Lucas gave her a sad smile. “Like what? Stay on the run for the rest of my life?” He shook his head. “I don’t want that. Not for me, not for you. So no, Maya, no more running. And maybe then they can get this thing out of my head.”

Dropping to her knees, Mare grabbed Lucas’s hands. “I just got you back. I can’t lose you again.”

“That’s the funny thing about lost things. They’re never truly gone.”

Tears swam in Mare’s eyes, and he pressed a kiss to her temple.

“It’s going to be okay, Maya.”

The rest of us gave each other a subtle nod, and Jinx left out the way we came. Lewis slung his backpack off his shoulders and moved to a free corner of the room, while London cleared his throat.

“Okay, before we do this,” he said, “I think it’s important you tell us everything. From the beginning.”

Lucas released a long breath. “Yeah, okay. I can do that.”

---