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Jesus.

“I wish I could be there,” Nick said. He meant it. “I wish I could fucking be there, Charlie. Tell him I will be, as soon as I stop this fucker.”

“He knows that. He knows you’ll be there, Nick. Damon knows exactly what you’re doing right now.” Charlie’s voice turned a few shades colder. “And he’ll want you to stop him, Nick. Believe me when I say he’ll want that. I’m sure he’d rather be up there with you. He’d probably be on the next train if they let him.”

Nick nodded.

He believed that.

Glancing at the painting in his virtual space, Nick felt his jaw harden.

“Well, keep him where he is,” Nick growled. “Don’t let him get any ideas.”

His voice grew lower, and more serious.

“And you be careful too, Charlie. I mean it. I know I’m being an overprotective nag, but trust me on this. Damon’s a newborn right now, and highly unstable. The fact that they were able to get him coherent so fast is a fucking miracle, frankly, but don’t mistake that for him being Jordan still. It’ll take months… over a year, possibly… before he can function consistently as the Damon Jordan you remember.”

He saw Charlie nod inside the comm.

“Yeah,” she said. “Okay. I get it, Nick.”

“He wouldn’t even do it on purpose,” Nick cautioned. “His self-control will be pretty much shit for months. Right now he probablyseemsmore in control, but that’s just because he’s weak. Once he’s fed… really fed… all that is going to change.”

“I understand, Nick.”

“Make sure that you do,” Nick warned, a touch harder. “He’s had a crush on you for years, Charlie, in case you hadn’t noticed… and that’s going to make itworsefor him around you, not better. Those feelings are going to get all confused in his head, and he won’t be able to control any of it. He could kill youon accident,Charlie. And if he does, he’ll likely kill himself once he realizes what he’s done… and I don’t want to lose either one of you…”

There was a silence.

He didn’t know if he’d shocked her or angered her or both.

Instead, her voice sounded almost afraid, which didn’t make him feel great.

Still, he could tell she’d heard him that time, at least.

“Okay. I get it, Nick. I get it. I’ll be really careful. I promise.”

“Thank you. I don’t want to scare you…” He thought about that. “…or maybe I do want to scare you, a little bit. But mostly I want you to be safe.”

She let out a breath she must have been holding.

He saw her nodding before she spoke.

“Okay. Thanks, Nick. I appreciate it.”

He felt a little reassured.

A little, not much.

Glancing at the painting rotating in the air of the dashboard, and at the very clear images of Charlie and Jordan’s faces, Nick felt that darker feeling worsen.

CHAPTER31

ON THEIR OWN

“How close are we?”Nick asked.

“Close,” Morley answered mildly.