For a moment, he wasn't in his apartment. He was back in the ruins of a cathedral, staring up at John Preston's face. He echoed the words he'd spoken then. "A heavy cost." And now, as then, his conviction was the same. "I'd pay it gladly."
He shivered, clutching at Beauty's hand. His own were cold. "But I'd rather that be the second option. I've been..." He hesitated again, trying to figure out how best to put it. "I've been considering how best to handle them if the police weren't willing to do. I may have a lead, I'm not sure yet." He shook his head. "Please don't go looking for them again."