Luke:
When we got back, I head straight for the bathroom to give the girls some space. The shower hisses like static in my ears, hot water burning away Karl’s blood but doing nothing to cool the fire under my skin. The bathroom smells of soap and copper. I brace my palms against the tile, watching red swirl into the drain until it’s nothing but clear water and steam.
Every breath drags up the memory of Alex’s face when I came out of that bar, fear and fury tangled with something darker. I’d seen it before in the eyes of men who lived on adrenaline: a spark you can’t snuff out once it’s lit.
I shut off the water and grab the towel she left on the counter. My clothes are a lost cause; Karl’s blood has dried to rust on the fabric. Boxers are all I have left, and I don’t care.
Outside the
