CASSAIN
He paused, sounding genuinely exhausted. "Do you know how much work this is going to be to fix? The favors we have to call in? The money we have to move? Father warned you, Cassian. He said no trouble. And you went out and made the biggest mess possible."
I leaned against the wall, the pain in my side beginning to throb in time with my pulse. Preston was talking about optics. He was talking about "work" and "embarrassment" and "complications."
In the other room, Noah was probably curled in a ball, wondering if he would ever feel clean again. In a basement across the city, Alex was realizing he would never walk again. And here I was, being scolded for the inconvenience of it all.
"You made this mess," Preston's voice turned sharp and directive. "You're going to clean it up. Father's orders. You handle the Hendrix family. Figure out what to tell them. Deal with his threats. Fix it, Cassian. This isn't a request."
