Page 292 of Shadowman

I… think I’m… having a… panic attack.

Dash lunges, wrapping himself around Ren from behind, sobbing while Ren rumbles out wet chuckles. The emotion is overwhelming this small room, like a change in altitude. The air is thin, and it’s making me dizzy. I can barely see through the blur in my vision, but I make out Luthor trying to calm Dash down, holding his face and telling him tobreathe.

“What the hell is going on??” Ren croaks, rubbing his eyes before they slide to Hancock and his dark brow cocks. “Why is Simon dressed like a thirsty bottom at a circuit party?”

Dash snorts a laugh that makes him cry even harder.

“Funny, you dumb skank.” Hancock grins, hugging Ren hard while he chuckles. “Glad you’re okay, 48.”

“You too,” Ren chirps.

“Are you…?” Luthor asks, nervously looking over all of us. “Okay?”

“We should be asking you that,” I finally find my voice again, though it’s grating over the emotion in my throat. “We… thought you were…”

It dries up again, and I just stare.

Their brows pull together in matching puzzled expressions.

“We thought you were dead,” Dash is finally able to croak. “Byron said you t-tried to escape and you… didn’t make it…”

“We thought that too,” Hancock jumps in.

“Everyone did.” My head wobbles, still bewildered as fucking hell, though now I’m also fidgeting with guilt, at upsetting Dash so deeply with clearly false information. “I found the remains of your boat…”

Luthor and Ren share a look, and Ren’s brow lifts. “Are you sure? That boat was made of fiberglass, man. It’d take a fuckin typhoon to smash it to smithereens.”

I blink at him.What the hell do I know about boats?! I’m not a white guy named Chad!“Okay, well, I found a piece ofaboat, then…”

They laugh softly, rubbing my back while I scoff and shake my head.

Jesus… All this over the wrong fucking boat?!

“Itwasclose, though,” Luthor says. “We definitely almost died… But somehow, we made it.” He grins at Ren, who winks back. “And we found each other, in Cali.”

“California??” Dash gasps, eyes wide. “How’d you get all the way to California?”

“Long story,” Ren hums, rubbing Luthor’s back. “What about you?? Why the hell are you here?” he asks Dash.

“Same reason you are, I’m guessing.” Dash smirks.

“Yea, guys, this is a great reunion and all, but we might need to put it on ice till later,” Hancock interrupts. “The Ivory’s around here somewhere, and this place is crawling with cartel men…”

“Where’s Velle?” Luthor asks.

“Prison…” I manage to mumble, my head spinning.

They’re alive…

They’re… alive.

Not dead. Alive!?!

“Did you guys cut the power?” Dash asks.

“Not technically…” Their conversation is coming in and out while my mind reels. “Our friends hooked us up with ahelicopter… Landed on the roof… Immediately started running around, looking… for this.”

Luthor holds up some clunky device, a sly grin on his lips.