A sad smile curved Fletcher’s lips. “I don’t blame you, Gin, and you shouldn’t blame yourself either. It’s just the nature of what we do—of what you do now. But no matter what, remember this: all that really matters in the end is protecting the people you care about, even if they don’t like how you do it, even if they hate you for it. Because I’d rather have somebody alive and hating me than dead and buried, with me knowing that I failed them.”

I nodded, listening to his words, even if I didn’t really believe that I could ever do anything horrible enough to somebody I cared about to make him hate me for it.

“But that’s enough philosophical talk for one night,” Fletcher said. “Delov is dead, and we aren’t. So what do you say you drive me over to Jo-Jo’s so the old girl can patch me up?”

I nodded and pointed at the Pomeranian. “And what about Peaches? We can’t just leave him here. There’s no one to take care of him.”

Fletcher regarded the fluffball. “No, I suppose not. Maybe we’ll give him to the Kilroy girl, the one who lived. Might help take her mind off her sister’s death. Besides, every girl should have a dog. So grab him, and let’s go.”

While Fletcher hobbled down the hall toward our exit point, I slid the bloody knife up my sleeve and picked up the Pomeranian, staring into his soft, liquid brown eyes.

“You’re just lucky you’re so cute,” I muttered to the dog.

Peaches barked and licked my cheek, and I let out a relieved laugh—

Something wet splattered onto my face, snapping me out of my memories.

I punched my hands in the air, thinking that maybe Clementine wasn’t as dead as I thought she was. The motion made my ribs and collarbone ache worse, and I groaned with pain. A moment later, more wet drops hit my skin, and I realized that it was just the river sloshing up onto the walkway where I was lying.

I sighed and blinked away the last fragments of my dream. I was in the same position as before, sprawled next to Clementine’s body in the boathouse. Everything was still and quiet, except for the soft, constant rush of the river and the macabre mutters of the marble as it soaked up the violence I’d committed here tonight.

I stared at the giant. Blood was still oozing out of the wound in her chest; I hadn’t been out that long. Five minutes, maybe ten. Either way, it was time to find the others and let them know I’d survived.