Page 99 of Blood and Thorns

Something just as crushing.

Just as consuming.

“Bas?”

I turned towards Caden, reluctantly dropping Arabella’s hand. “How bad?” I asked, finding she’d returned to sitting on Langdon’s bed.

“It’s gutted.”

I nodded, expecting as much.

“Then there’s this.” Caden threw something on the table, and Lang stiffened, his eyes glazing as he recognised one ofhis lighters. It was slightly warped, the gold tarnished. “A firefighter found it tossed where they suspect the fire started.”

“Langdon didn’t do this,” Arabella commented, her chin lifting as she glared at Caden. “I was with him.”

“We know,” Caden said without hesitation. “Someone is going out of their way to frame him.”

I grunted, watching Langdon as he began to dissociate. Arabella placed her hand on his arm, talking quietly as he stared blankly at the lighter.

“Was anyone hurt?” I asked Caden, who was watching Arabella try and bring Lang back with an unreadable expression.

“One of the runners was killed in the initial explosion, and Mrs Zhao has sustained some serious injuries. She’s currently in surgery.”

“She going to survive?”

He shook his head slightly. “They’re not sure.”

I nodded once, forcing a slow breath into my lungs to keep the pressure from tightening further across my chest. “Make sure the deceased’s family gets a generous condolence package, and let Feng know we will cover everything until she recovers.”

Caden agreed, exhaustion lining his face. “If Ara hadn’t been there…” he hesitated, swallowing. “We could’ve lost him, Bas.”

I didn’t reply, not wanting to acknowledge the possibility. “When’s the next fight?” I asked instead, knowing Lang would need a different way to anchor himself to reality rather than flames and destruction.

“In a couple nights, why?”

“Put him down.”

Caden nodded. “I’ve already called in a private team to investigate the incident,” he continued quietly. “Fengmentioned a ticking noise before the explosion. He said he also heard a second bang but was already outside at that point.”

A whistle, Langdon lifting his hands to sign. “It was a bomb?”

When Arabella turned with a frown, I translated.

“So, it planned to go off for when Langdon arrived?” Her eyes widened, horrified.

“We don’t know yet,” Caden said quickly, clearly only just realising the possibility. “Langdon wasn’t even supposed to be there.Iwas.”

“Make sure they prioritise this investigation,” I growled. “We need to know who the fuck was able to get in and plant those explosives.”

“And what?” Arabella asked, her tone uncharacteristically harsh. “Kill them?”

I moved closer, cupping her jaw when she tilted her chin up to look at me. Even as she glared, I took my time to let my eyes trace over her, grounding myself in the fact that she was okay.

“Does it bother you?” I finally asked.

She swallowed, her eyes searching mine. “I… I don’t know.”

“Tell me, what would you do?” Her lips parted to answer, but there was no reply. “There’s no mercy here, Ara. They made that choice when they attacked. That bomb killed one of mine, maybe more. Do they not deserve justice?”