Chapter 236 Dark Humor
Chapter 236 Dark Humor
Kora suddenly threw herself forward, launching her entire body at Saint with a feral, unexpected speed that shocked everyone in the room into absolute stillness.
Before anyone could even blink, Saint reacted with lightning-fast reflexes, catching her weight mid-air and wrestling her down onto the nearest sofa. He pinned her thrashing wrists, subduing her frantic movements, but the moment his palms pressed flat against her bare arms, his breath hitched. He froze, his eyes widening in alarm as he realized her skin was radiating an intense, unnatural heat. It felt like she was burning alive.
"She's not herself," Saint said, his voice dropping an octave as panic flickered in his eyes. He noted how slick and sweaty her forehead was, her chest heaving beneath her clothes as she panted desperately.
Rode stepped forward instantly, pushing past the stunned onlookers to crouch beside the sofa. He carefully gripped Kora's chin, pulling her face toward the light to examine her wide, unfocused eyes.
"What's wrong with her?" Cam asked, taking a hesitant step back, his arms crossed tightly over his chest.
Rode didn't answer immediately. He pulled back his hand as if he had been burned, a dark shadow crossing his features. "Georgia must have injected her with one of Anna's experimental mixtures," Rode explained grimly, his voice tight with suppressed anger. "It's one of the injectables they used to make the younger girls compliant, courageous, and hyper-sensitized all at once. The side effects are brutal: dangerously high internal temperature, heightened mania, and an off-the-charts libido."
Kora thrashed violently beneath Saint's grip, writhing against the cushions as a pathetic, ragged whimper escaped her lips. "Let me go... please, just let me go..." she sobbed, her body arching in agony and frantic need.
Takeshi watched the chaotic scene unfold from the sofa, letting out a dry, cynical click of his tongue. "Am I right to say that we're all just a severely fucked-up group of unloved children?" he muttered, looking around the room at the assembled group of trauma survivors, cartel victims, and mafia pawns.
Cam let out a nervous, breathless chuckle, shaking his head. "Speak for yourself, man. My family is normal. My mother would never inject sketchy shit into me." He muttered under his breath, glaring down at the thrashing girl. "Anna is out of her absolute mind."
Saint kept his weight pressed firmly against Kora to keep her from hurting herself, his jaw clenched as he looked up at Rode. "Does it have an antidote? Tell me there's something we can give her to reverse this."
Rode shook his head slowly, a grim line forming on his mouth. "There is no antidote. I've never seen anyone survive a full dose without burning out from the inside, and I've certainly never heard of a cure. But... wiping her down with freezing water might shock her system enough to cool her core temperature down."
Saint didn't hesitate. He looked over his shoulder, his gaze locking onto his partner. "Baby, get ice water. Now."
A few moments later, Baby sauntered back into the living room, holding a massive, stainless steel bowl filled entirely with floating ice cubes and freezing water.
Saint stared at the massive bowl, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. "Really? A whole bowl of ice?"
Baby shrugged casually, offering a completely unbothered smirk. "She needed to chill... literally. Winter is coming early for her."
"Baby, I can't let go of her or she'll tear the room apart," Saint sighed, exasperated as Kora writhed beneath him again. "You're going to have to wipe her down."
"Fine, fine," Baby muttered, rolling his eyes playfully as he set the ice bowl down on the coffee table. He dipped a thick towel into the freezing liquid, wrung it out slightly, and knelt beside the sofa.
Without an ounce of hesitation, Baby pressed the freezing wet cloth directly against Kora's burning forehead. She shrieked at the sudden shock of cold, her body violently jerking. Baby didn't flinch; he systematically dragged the freezing towel down her face, across her neck, and down her bare arms and legs, applying the icy shock wherever he could reach.
For a second, Kora fought back harder, screaming out in a mix of agony and delirious frustration. But as the freezing water sank deep into her pores, rapidly drawing out the unnatural fever, her frantic movements began to slow. Her eyes rolled back into her head.
Right as Baby dragged the dripping towel across her shins, Kora released a long, incredibly loud, shuddering sigh. Her muscles went completely slack, her head lolled to the side, and she instantly blacked out, collapsing into dead weight against the sofa cushions.
The living room fell into a heavy, profound silence, broken only by the sound of melting ice dripping from Baby's wet hands back into the bowl.
"Well," Baby said, dropping the soggy towel back into the water and wiping his hands on his pants with a satisfied grin. "That's one way to quiet a bride."
Cassian let out a slow whistle, shaking his head. "Remind me never to piss Baby off."
"Seconded," Wong muttered, pulling Cam a fraction closer to his side.
Takeshi chuckled darkly from his spot on the couch, leaning his head over toward Oliver, who was still standing nearby with a tense expression. Takeshi whispered sarcastically, "I wish you could go that crazy for me, only... you don't feel shit."
Oliver ignored the jab, though a faint, tired flush touched his cheeks. He turned his attention back to Saint, who was carefully easing himself off the unconscious woman.
"So," Oliver said, breaking the lingering tension in the room. "Now that our uninvited guest is knocked out cold... what do we actually do with her before she wakes up and tries to tear someone's clothes off again?"
Saint carefully scooped the limp, unconscious form of Kora into his arms, easily hauling her against his chest. "I'm taking her to the guest room," he announced, his voice tight with lingering frustration as he turned toward the hallway. "When she wakes up, I'll talk to her—and I'm telling her what her mother is up to."
Baby crossed his arms, leaning back against the edge of the sofa with a skeptical look. "I don't think it's a good idea to keep her here, Saint. We should just dump her at a hospital in case she decides to die on your expensive mattress."
Cam let out a sudden, sharp snort of laughter, immediately clapping a hand over his mouth. "Man... I love dark humor. Imagine she actually dies just because she couldn't get fucked... sorry, my bad—" He stopped dead in his tracks, clearing his throat loudly and shrinking back as he caught Saint glaring daggers at him from the hallway.
Rode shook his head, stepping past them to follow Saint toward the guest room. "She'll be fine," Rode reassured them calmly, his voice cutting through the rising tension. "The fever was dangerously high, but the cold shock did its job. Her system will flush the rest of the chemical out in a few hours, and she'll wake up with a massive headache—nothing more."
"Never a boring day with you guys..." Wong murmured.