Leonora's eyelids fluttered open. The dim light above her stabbed at her eyes like knives.
"Sister! Are you alright?" Roland's voice cracked somewhere between relief and panic. "Anna, quick — she's awake!"
"Finally, my lady. I was so worried." Anna took Leonora's hand and held it as though she might vanish again if she let go.
"Where are we?" Leonora asked, her voice hoarse, barely above a whisper.
"We're at Youri's place," Roland said softly.
She turned her head and took in the room. It was a forgotten relic of crumbling brick and rusted metal on the outskirts of the city. It smelled faintly of mildew and stale smoke. A single flickering bulb barely lit the peeling wallpaper and threw long, jittering shadows across the cracked floorboards. The furniture was sparse and worn — an old sofa sagging under the weight of countless restless nights and a rickety table cluttered with empty bottles and scattered papers. Outside, the distant hum of neon and the faint sirens of the city were a reminder that life went on out there, indifferent to the decay inside.
"What? That drunk has a home here?" Leonora frowned and tried to sit up.
"Apparently," Roland said. "He told us to come here after we got away. You passed out in his arms."
Leonora's cheeks flushed, despite everything. "How long have I been out?"
"Two days."
"Two days? And no one woke me?"
"Youri said the doctor told him you needed at least three days of rest. That man hurt you pretty badly."
She tried to move. Every part of her body screamed at once. "Oh — everything hurts."
"Of course it does. You were cut everywhere," Anna muttered, her voice trembling with restrained fury. "That bastard nearly took your fingers too. He got what he deserved."
Leonora closed her eyes for a heartbeat and saw it all again — the blood, the steel, Dimitry's sneer. Then the man with the rifle stepping out of a wrecked car as if he had all the time in the world. "Where is he?" she asked suddenly.
"Who? Youri?"
"Yes."
"I don't know. He went out last night and hasn't come back yet."
"Help me up." Leonora swung her legs over the side of the bed, shaking.
"You need to rest," Roland protested, reaching for her. "Where are you going?"
"To find that idiot. Where do you think? He's probably passed out somewhere on the street."
"Then I'm coming with you. You can't go out alone in that state."
At Lux, Gloria had finally had enough. "Hey, Youri — no more drinking, you idiot! Look at yourself. You're blind drunk!" Gloria snapped, sharp as a whip, and then muttered under her breath, "How did I end up babysitting a grown man?"
"Come on, Gloria. Cheers. Drink with me," Youri slurred, half a smirk on his lips.
"I bet you could outdrink a seasoned alcoholic," she said dryly, leaning on the bar. "By the way, how long are you planning to stay? People are looking for you. Malkom heard you were in town, and he probably wants his money. What are you going to do?"
"Beats me. It's not like I have any money left. I lost everything at blackjack on the last hand."
"You're beyond saving, you know that? And I can't keep hiding you here forever. They'll find out sooner or later."
"Don't worry. As soon as that woman's back on her feet, we'll leave. I just can't go without her. It'll be a problem where I'm going if I do."
Gloria raised an eyebrow and nodded toward the door. "Good news, then. She just walked in."
Youri squinted through bloodshot eyes. "Am I seeing things, or is that—"
Leonora came through the club like a blade through silk, her expression thunderous. The smoke and noise seemed to part around her.
"Wait, sister, he's in no shape to talk!" Roland pleaded, hurrying after her. "Please don't hit him!"
She stopped in front of Youri. Her voice broke when she spoke. "Why? Why did you grab that barrel?"
Youri blinked at her and then turned to the bar. "Hey, Gloria, I think I can pay now."
Leonora's eyes blazed. Her chest heaved. The neon lights threw sharp reflections across her face, and her voice shook — not from weakness but from the fire inside her. "Do I look weak to you? Do you see some spoiled, fragile girl when you look at me?" Her fingers curled into fists. "I can read it in your eyes. You pity me!"
Youri smirked weakly and raised one hand, but the smirk never reached his eyes. "I plead the fifth."
She lunged at him without another word. Her hands closed around his neck and dragged him off the stool. He hit the floor with a sickening thud, and she knelt over him with tears streaming hot and furious down her cheeks. "They call me a monster," she shouted, her voice cracking, "but I've fought real monsters! I've faced things that would make your blood run cold, and I have never met one like you!" She leaned in until her face was inches from his. "When I look into your eyes, there's nothing there. Hollow. Empty. How did you let them do this to you? Who destroyed you like this?"
Youri's chest rose and fell beneath her. His eyes were dark and defiant, but there was the faintest trace of regret in them. While the music thumped around them like a mocking heartbeat, his answer came out barely louder than a whisper.
"You."
Leonora froze. The word struck her like a blade. Anger, disbelief, sorrow and some raw ache she could not name all crashed into her at once. Her grip on his throat loosened on its own.
Gloria finally stepped forward. Her presence filled the space between them. "Enough. This is the second time you've come into my club and wrecked my things, so I'll say this once, and you'll listen." She looked straight at Leonora. "Take him and get off this planet. For his sake. Call it payment for him saving your life."
"Come on, sister, we have to go," Roland said gently. He helped haul Youri up, swaying but silent, and together they made their way toward the exit while the neon painted them in streaks of violet and red.
"One last thing, Youri," Gloria called after them, softer this time. "Look after yourself, you idiot."
Outside, as the night swallowed them, Roland leaned toward Youri while his sister strode ahead of them toward the car. "I'm sorry, Youri. I couldn't stop her."
"Don't worry about it, Roboy," Youri muttered, watching Leonora's back. "That's just how she is."