“Holding up?” Izzy glanced at me on the couch, and all I could do was offer a fake nod. “They’re inside the house. It’ll be over soon,” she assured me.

So Colin’s said.

“Ope, a guard is rounding the corner with a knife.” Colin practically vibrated in anticipation, shifting back and forth on the balls of his feet like he was about to Mike Tyson his way in and take on the enemy himself. “Uncle Alessandro’s got this. Ohhh snap.”

I peeked at the screen as Alessandro dodged a knife aimed at his ribs. He stepped inside the attack, trapped the man’s knife arm between his forearms, pivoted, and twisted to dislocate the guy’s shoulder before slamming him into the wall. After an elbow to the attacker’s throat, Alessandro slit it.

“Lovely.” I definitely regretted my curiosity. “This is not COD, by the way,” I reminded Colin.

“You’re right. Those assholes aren’t zombies who can get back up again,” he replied, unbothered.

Yup. He was mentally reframing this into a game. I had a feeling if he didn’t, his anxiety would gut him the way it was me. Coping mechanisms for the win.

“They’re moving like phantoms, taking everyone down one by one,” he added, eyes locked onto the action.

“You’re my brother’s kid, all right,” Izzy said with a nod of approval while poking him in the side. “You’ll make a hell of a fighter one day.” She made eye contact with me and instantly winced. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” I waved a dismissive hand, even though casual was not something I could easily pull off. “His choices are his.”

Colin peeked over at me, brows raised in clear so you’re saying there’s a chance mischief.

I shut that down real quick. “When you’re eighteen and out of my house, that is.”

As Gwen guided the teams, Izzy encouraged Colin to come around on her side, then pointed at something. “Sebastian’s about to go to work. His target’s grandfather is the one who had my mom kidnapped back in the day. Long before I was ever born.”

“Well, screw that douche, then,” Colin gritted out.

My sea legs weren’t the best, but I managed to make it over to join them, unsure why I wanted to risk making my stomach turn even more.

I made it in time to see Sebastian fire point-blank at a man’s forehead like it was nothing.

I redirected my focus to another screen to avoid watching Sebastian kill people.