Chapter Twenty
I DROVE US STRAIGHT to the hospital.
Carter, Tony, and I—having the least contact with the Hercules—were summarily dismissed. Hayley, Berti, and Luca received more attention, despite Luca’s vigorous protests that he was fine.
The time passed as a blur for me, filled with anxiety and a fierce guilt. I sat in the waiting area, still and quiet, with a sense of disbelief that I’d let it get to this point. What had I been thinking? What if Hayley was seriously hurt because of me? What if Berti’s disability had been exacerbated?
The plan had seemed nowhere near as risky before it actually happened. The Hercules wasn’t supposed to have come prepared. Having firearms should have completely evened the odds. I hadn’t known his House even had the Nemean lion skin.
And we were huma
