Page 101 of Once a Villain
And why had he seemed dead to everyone watching from the stands? Why had he seemed dead when Joan had first taken him out of the stasis? She’d looked into his eyes and seennothing.
She bit her lip, trying to push the questions aside again. Right now, they had to focus on getting out of here.
She skipped the last rung, jumping to the ground, and then pushed at the ladder again. It returned to the roof, removing another easy access point into the trophy room.
A commotion was already starting at the house. Guards rushed past along the main road, radios crackling.
“Did you saylions?” one of them said.
“This way,” Aaron whispered, leading them to the other end of the alley. “I saw a route out when I was on the roof....”
They walked for about ten minutes before Joan realized that Nick was breathing carefully, concentrating on each step.
“We need to stop,” she said, worried. She hadn’t seen blood—or any sign of broken bones—so she’d assumed he could walk. But what if he had internal injuries? “Where does it hurt?” she asked him.
“Where doesn’t it?” Nick said wryly.
Aaron frowned, looking him over. “Can I touch you?” he asked. Nick nodded, and Aaron pressed carefully against his abdomen, against his sides. “Is that painful?”
“It’s fine. I’m fine.” Nick glanced over his shoulder. “Thereare guards back there—let’s just keep moving.”
“Don’t be stoic,” Aaron said, sounding almost annoyed. “Does it hurt to breathe?”
Nick rolled his eyes but took a slow, testing breath. He shook his head. “I remember taking some hits in the arena, but I’m notthatinjured.”
Aaron closed his eyes for a moment, trying to gather himself. Joan felt it too. The last few days had been alot. “You’re still in that damn gladiator outfit... ,” Aaron ground out. He slid off his own posh jacket and helped Nick into it. It was too small for him, but Nick was clearly grateful to be more covered up.
“I don’t understand,” Nick said. “How did I end up in that room?”
“What’s the last thing you remember?” Joan asked.
Nick tilted his head as if he wasn’t quite sure. “I went up against Eleanor, and then...” His forehead creased. “The ground under my feet vanished. I—I fell...”
“You fell,” Joan echoed shakily. She saw him falling again in her mind’s eye, the sharp stakes below. She hadn’t actually seen the moment of his death—human prisoners and gladiators had occluded his landing.
But Tom had seen him after the scrum had cleared. Nick had been lying on the ground, eyes open and lifeless.Dead.
“I thought I was going to die,” Nick said, “but I don’t even remember landing. I was falling, and then I was in that room with you.”
Joan bit her lip. “We thought youhaddied,” she admitted.
“You thoughtwhat?”
She shouldn’t have said it so bluntly. “Everyone thought you died,” she said, more gently. “I—I can’t explain it.”
Nick was beginning to look overwhelmed again. The shock of everything was catching up to him. Joan caught his hand, needing to comfort him. Nick seemed grateful for that too. But Joan was overly aware that Aaron was standing right here. Was it still okay to touch Nick? Everything felt so fraught suddenly. She let go of his hand again.
Aaron barely seemed to have noticed. He was looking around, expression troubled. “We need to find somewhere safe to stop.”
“Somewhere nearby,” Joan said. Nick was still weak. “I don’t think we should risk a cab.” And Aaron’s own car was out of reach. He’d parked it on the main road outside the Argent house, and, last they’d seen, that street had been full of guards.
“I saw a place from the roof,” Aaron said. “We can lie low there for an hour or so. As soon as he’s strong enough, we can get back to the Chimera Inn.”
There were guards everywhere, though. They milled around as if they weren’t quite sure what they were supposed to be doing. The Argents must have realized that Nick was missing, Joan guessed.
Aaron took the lead, dodging guards with surprising skill—although once, as he turned a corner, Joan had to tug him back. Guards were walking away from them, just a few paces ahead.
“—strangest thing,” Joan heard one of them say. “They’re saying that someone stole the gladiator’s body. We tried to intercept the thief, but we arrived at the wrong time—just after it happened.”
