“Leave us,” Len Hellman said in the same breath as Liam. “All of you, leave us.”
The confused bunch looked around for a moment and then murmured to themselves as they left the room. Albert was the last to leave, peering at Liam intently as if to silently beg him to change his mind. When the room was empty, Len Hellman reached for his hand. Liam turned automatically to him, ready to repeat his words to him again so he’d understand and not beg him.
“How long do I have?” Len asked instead, his eyebrows twitching. “That’s all I just wanna know. How much time do I have?”
Liam pursed his lips. That was a change. No one ever asks how much time they have unless they’re in really critical condition, and even then their voices break with trepidation. Len spoke with full confidence and a bit of of
