"No cops."
Cass's voice was firm, absolute. "I swear to you, but you need help."
With her uninjured arm, she pulled a sleek smartphone from her pocket. She dialed a number, holding the phone to her ear while keeping her focus locked on Finn.
The line connected. Cass's entire tone changed.
Urgent, commanding, but carrying a tremor of adrenaline underneath.
"Magnus, it's me. I'm at the Iron Horse."
"They made a move for the case." A roaring voice erupted from the other end of the line.
Deep, furious, loud enough that Finn could hear it even through the rain. "Yeah, I'm hit," Cass continued, "but it's a graze."
"I'm okay."
The voice on the other end got louder, angrier. "Listen to me, Magnus."
"Shut up and listen." Cass barked the words with enough authority to cut through even her husband's rage.
"I'm alive because of a kid, a homeless kid out here in the lot. He took out the shooter with a tire iron."
"The kid is badly hurt."
Silence on the other end of the line. Heavy.
Processing.
"Don't call an ambulance," Cass instructed. Her voice dropped lower, colder.
"Bring Doc. Bring Axel."
"Bring the club." Another pause.
"Someone knew exactly where I'd be tonight, Magnus. Someone knew I'd be alone."
"We have a rat."
She hung up. Looked back down at Finn, shrugged off her thick leather jacket, wincing as the fabric pulled against her bleeding shoulder.
She draped it over Finn's shivering body. The jacket was heavy, warm.
It smelled of worn leather and tobacco and expensive perfume. It trapped what little heat his body had left.
"What's your name, kid?"
Finn. He could barely get the word out.
His eyes were heavy, so heavy. All he wanted was to sleep.
"Finn." Cass repeated his name like she was committing it to memory, to something sacred.
"My name is Cassandra. Cassandra Blackwell."
"You just picked a fight with some very bad people, Finn. But you also just made the most powerful friends in this state."
"Hang on. Just hang on."
Time became strange, elastic. Finn drifted in and out of consciousness.
Pete came out from the roadhouse with a first aid kit and a pile of clean towels. He pressed one against Cass's shoulder, another against the gash on Finn's head.
Asked questions, got short answers, kept looking at Finn like he was seeing him for the first time.