CHAPTER 5Carlo woke to the smell of toast and the sound of oil sizzling in a pan. Dreams skittered away like rats to the shadows, but when he lifted his head and tried to turn it in the direction of the food, a sharp stab down his neck made him stop and wince.
“I should’ve warned you that couch is dangerous.” Joe’s low voice reached through Carlo’s brain fog and gently coaxed him into sitting up, every muscle in his body screaming at the effort. “I’m surprised you slept this long on it.”
Hunched over, with his bare feet now on the floor, Carlo rubbed at his neck, rolling it back and forth to work out the kink. “I tried staying up. I guess I was too tired.”
“Yeah.” He didn’t sound thrilled about agreeing, though. “Your clothes aren’t dry yet, by the way. But if you want to take a hot sho
