Frankie looks Orion up and down, then me. “It’s three in the morning. You’re lucky I came down at all.”

“Can you please let us in?” I ask.

“Only because I already cashed your rent check.” Frankie steps aside. “Don’t bleed on my floors.”

I can only imagine how much more dehumanizing he would be if he knew I was a Decker.

The building is still warm, but the air feels different. This won’t be the hall where I go into my mailbox for letters and birthday cards and bills. These stairs I’m climbing won’t be my daily leg workout. And as Frankie unlocks my apartment door, I understand this is both the first time I’ll ever return here and possibly the last.

Before I can thank Frankie and apologize again, he goes straight into his apartment.

“Nice guy,” Orion says, closing the door behind him.

I turn on the lights, regretting it immediately. This place is so bare-bones. “Feel free to sit on any box you want.”

“After we clean you up,” Orion says, setting his cap down on the counter. He runs the water in the kitchen sink, testing it. “Paper towels?”

I go into my suitcase and toss Orion the roll of toilet paper I packed because I wasn’t sure what stores were going to be open with my late arrival. Not to mention all the reports of people hoarding toilet paper across the country in anticipation of the world ending. I’ll do some shopping with Scarlett in the morning and make sure she’s set up with the basics.

I meet Orion by the kitchen sink.

“The water’s warm,” Orion says.

He steadies one hand on my shoulder and gently dabs my wound with the other. I wince, but relax into it. Keeping my eyes closed while the water continues running makes me feel like I’m being treated at a spa. I’m dangerously close to falling asleep while standing, so I hold myself up on the kitchen counter.

“You’re all set,” Orion says.

“Thanks, Doctor . . .”

“Pagan.”

“Thanks, Dr. Pagan.”

“Be right back, I’m going to go knock on Frankie’s door and ask for Band-Aids. I’m sure he’ll be so hyped to help out his favorite tenant.”

Orion holds back a laugh as he turns to leave, and I pull him into a hug, laughing harder than I thought I could on the day I’m going to die.

Frankie Dario

3:31 a.m.

Frankie could kill the new tenant.

Where does Valentino get off on disturbing him in the middle of the night? Especially on his first day here! The audacity . . .