Page 196 of Only Fools Rush

“We’ll meet you at home,” Wynn said curtly before hopping out of the back.

Leona slid into the front seat the same moment he slammed the back door shut. The lock engaged. She maneuvered the van back to the main streets so we could head north again.

Lucia glared at me, eyes roaming over my mobile setup, but all the systems were locked. Even if she somehow got her hands free, she wouldn’t be able to get in.

I clutched my hand to my chest, watching her carefully. We caught her. I did it.

Lucia Greco, the one hacker who bested me multiple times, was now out of commission and tied up in the back of my van.Let’s see you stay ten steps ahead of us now, Max.

If my hand weren’t on fire, I would have whooped with joy. My mouth couldn’t tell if it wanted to twist into a smile or twist in pain. Despite the lightning radiated up my arm and across my torso with every single bump in the road, Ifinallyfelt the relief I expected when I drug my knife across Arboleda’s throat.

My parents could rest in peace.

My family was safe from this thorn. I’d done my job, and we had the upper hand.

I tried to wiggle my fingers just to see if I could.

Only for nothing to happen.

54

WYNN

Ivideo called Willow as soon as we parked the vehicles and got up to the penthouse. Cas and Ryuji had taken Lucia to Giulio and Makarov for now, but I couldn’t focus on anything other than Ciel’s hand.

Leona, Obi, and I helped him to the kitchen. The two of them went to gather our medical supplies while Ciel sat next to me, grimacing. Blood stained his shirt. Sweat beaded on his forehead.

I should have been paying attention.

“Little brother.” Willow answered the call with a smile on her face. Her clinic filled the background, but it looked empty. “What catastrophe are you dealing with now?”

I opened my mouth, then gulped, and closed it. The explanation wouldn’t come.

“Oh, no,” she said. “What’s happened?”

“I’m fine, Willow,” Ciel called. I twisted the phone without answering so she could see the stabilized knife still protruding from his hand. The bandages were close to being soaked through. His throat worked, and it took him multiple tries to speak. “Got stabbed. No big deal.”

Yes, big deal.

“Bring me closer,” she said. I followed her instructions as she directed me to show her all angles of the injury. “Who else is available?”

“Leona and Obi are getting our supplies,” I told her, voice hoarse. Ciel watched me carefully, softly, and it felt like those blue eyes were peeling back the skin from my bones with how they cut me to the core.

He should be livid with me. Why wasn’t heangry?

“Here,” Leona said, walking back into the kitchen with our massive first aid kit in her arms. Obi followed behind her with the rest of our supply of bandages and gauze. “Hey, Willow.”

“Hey, Leona. List off your supplies for me.”

As Obi went through the first aid kit, I showed her everything through the phone. “Do we have what we need to handle it here?”

Willow’s lips pressed together as she stood to rifle through a cabinet. “Zoya, grab me some paper and a pen.” Zoya handed it to her and then waved through the call. Willow started writing. “You have enough for the best-case scenario. I’m going to make you a list of extra supplies you’ll need to get afterward.”

“I will retrieve them immediately,” Obi said. He placed a hand on Ciel’s shoulder. “You’ll be fine.”

“Let’s just get this thing out of me,” Ciel grunted.

“Pain meds?” I asked Leona. The bead of sweat on his forehead dripped down his temple. He was in pain, despite how much he was trying to hide it.