"No."
West's voice was calm, but firm enough that it cut through the tense silence like a blade.
Every awakened present turned toward him.
"I go with them," West continued while nodding toward Harlan's wife and the two children standing behind him. The girl clutched the woman's sleeve with swollen and red eyes.
The boy stood straighter, trying very hard to look brave.
While West added; "Who's going to protect them if I don't?"
The guards surrounding West immediately disapproved.
"No."
"You can't leave."
"That's not negotiable."
The words came from multiple directions—guards, gang leaders, even the Mafia spokesman himself. The circle around West tightened subtly as awakened auras pressed down like an invisible cage.
"This isn't about protection," one of the guards said coolly. "It's about what happened here."
Another added, "And what you may have taken."
