Swiftcurrent Creek I lost a friend, like sleep on a red-eye

She thought he cared about their names—her insistence of saying so only drew a blank stare from the man, his own wounds apparent upon his swarthy form. “I have no doubt they will,” he mused aloud, not once removing his gaze from her. “They seem like possessive fuckheads.”

There was a pause, and then he blew his breath out, feeling once more, the reins of regret pulling at him. He should have left the nearly dead woman carry off her nearly dead redhead friend—why did he care what crew she ran around with?

His thoughts turned to Arielle and Lilitu. It hurt to even consider they’d be involved with a crew like this—and that was why he had reacted so spontaneously on the matter. For all he knew his own children were dead… and for all he knew, the moment this young girl before him could worm her way over to him, she’d kill him in his sleep.

“So I guess you better drink up so you can be in perfect shape for when your cavalry comes, yeah?”