Ghost was still thrashing against Ocho’s restraining hands, and Stern was scooping up Ghost’s finger. He waved it in Mahlia’s face as she and Ghost sobbed.

“Is this what you want? You want more fingers? You want them all?”

“Let him go!” Mahlia screamed. She fought against her ropes. Ghost bucked against Ocho’s grip. Glenn Stern stalked back to him. The blade flashed again. Red on the floor. Blood and bright as rubies. Brighter than the sun.

It didn’t make sense. Ghost was their boy. Ocho had recruited him. He was theirs. UPF forever. Full bars. The Colonel might have been vicious to the Army of God, or Taylor’s Wolves, or civvies, but not—

Sayle’s voice whipped Ocho with command. “Hold his hand, Sergeant! Stand strong!”

The Colonel didn’t see it coming. Ocho himself was surprised.

One moment Ocho was holding Ghost, fighting to keep the boy from twisting away as the Colonel went after another trophy—and they were all jostling and wrestling now that the boy knew what was coming—and the next moment, Ocho had his own knife in his hand.

He sunk it deep into the Colonel’s kidney. In and out, just like he’d been trained. Warm blood poured over Ocho’s hand.

The Colonel gave a gasp. The man’s own knife fell to the floor with a clatter.

Without Ocho to restrain him, Ghost popped free of Sayle, screaming, and dove for the Colonel’s blade where it lay on the tile.

A couple of Eagle Guards were running forward, shouting, trying to figure out what was going on, calling for backup as they ran. Ghost scooped up the Colonel’s blade in his good hand and lunged for Stern. The man didn’t even dodge as the boy sank his blade.

Glenn Stern’s eyes were wide, surprised, his hands trying to reach around to the hole in his back and then reaching around to the front where Ghost had just stuck him. Ocho wasn’t even sure if the man was there anymore, or if it was just some lizard part of his brain, still making his hands move, while he bled out…

More Eagle Guards were charging into the room, but they were all zeroing in on Ghost. They fired and bullets ricocheted, missing. The LT was pulling his own knife, staring at Ghost and the Colonel. Ghost jammed the knife into the man’s belly again. Mahlia was screaming and struggling to get out of her ropes, and the half-man was roaring, and the LT… He was staring right at Ocho.

Pale gray eyes blazed with understanding as he took in Ocho’s bloody hands, realizing that he had a traitor in his midst, even as everyone else was distracted by the captive boy who still drove the knife into Glenn Stern.