My mind races, seeing his logic, yet also my own. “I can at least put pressure on it. This will only take a second.” Not waiting for his agreement, I set down his bag to search for a makeshift bandage, just as I once used on Charles for a gash during a rehearsal. But I don’t get that far before glimpsing the belt on my coat. I untie and pull it off, then with wool socks from his duffel as padding, I wrap Arie’s left arm over his jacket, covering a pair of small holes: one toward the front, the second toward the back. An indication the bullet passed through. That’s a good thing, isn’t it?

He grimaces from the knot.

“Does it feel like it’ll stay?”

A sharp nod, and a breath.

“This is more than a graze, Arie.” But I suspect he already knew that.

“It’ll be all right. Let’s go.”

The faster we retrieve Evelien, the sooner we can get him proper care. Somehow.

Duffel in one hand, I grasp his elbow with my other to lend support. Along the canal, we stay tight to the weathered brick wall. He keeps pace as best as he can, clearly boosted by fortitude and adrenaline.

Eventually, a bridge blocks our path. We angle for the closest staircase, though I pause with a thought. “Arie, wait. You don’t have to come.”

He replies, slightly winded, “Look, I’m not up for arguing—”

“I can do it. Without you. It’s not far, and you already gave me the instructions. I’ll bring her down to you here, then we’ll decide what to do.”

He doesn’t take time to ponder it. “After everything that’s happened,” he rasps, “I can’t sit this one out.”

In truth, I understand. For the same reason I first refused to go home, it’s about repaying a debt, setting things right.

Albeit it’s also maddening.

Together, then, we begin to climb the stairs, though halfway up, I tell him, “Stay back for a sec. I’ll see if the area is clear.” I am, after all, supposed to be the lookout.

Ascending high enough for a view, as a precaution, I wipe off my hands, thankful for my coat’s dark fabric. In discreet fashion, I scan the dim street. A few civilians in the distance. No immediate sign of patrollers. The rain is picking up.

I turn to go back to help Arie, but he never stopped climbing. The stubborn man.