Chapter 227

‘Police came,’ Priya said. ‘They’re handling it. Rhys and Dan both got hurt. Dan’s worse. They’ve been taken to the hospital.’ She paused. ‘The studio’s a wreck. Again.’ I sighed. ‘I’m on my way.’ I couldn’t leave Priya to deal with the mess alone. When I got there, the street was empty, and the police were gone. Inside, the door was still half-open, the metal frame bent slightly at the hinge. The place looked like it had been trashed by a lunatic with a baseball bat. Computers were smashed, monitors on the floor, their screens cracked. Tables were overturned; chairs were scattered, some snapped in half, the stuffing spilling out. Blood streaked the white tiles in two directions, thick and dark, already drying at the edges. I didn’t want to know who had left it. I got to work clearing glass, dragging chairs into a pile, picking up splintered wood. Priya helped silently. We filled two bin bags before I finally dropped into one of the few intact chairs. My shoulders were tight, and my pa