Hannah began to cry, and although she seemed to be making every attempt to keep it soundless, she couldn’t quite pull it off. Vaughn looked torn between the urge to drop to her side and the need to remain immobile. “Let the boy go,” Vaughn said. “Isaac has done nothing to you.”
Arius clucked his tongue loudly and shook his head. “Does it bother you, Lyle, that he continues to pick favorites? He doesn’t say, ‘Leave my boys alone,’ does he? Oh no, it’s ‘leave the boy alone for he has done nothing.’ Seriously, Wolf, you have two sons here. And this one is your firstborn.”
Lyle didn’t respond. He saw his father’s eyes shift when Arius’s attention was diverted. Vaughn was assessing the room, the weapons, distances, and placements. Lyle saw it, and he understood it. So when Arius looked back a
