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JETHRO SAT ON his mother’s couch staring at the blood on his hand. He’d stabbed Jackson. He’d been so focused on killing Hugh that he hadn’t realized anyone had been behind him. When the Guard grabbed him, yanking him off his prey, he hadn’t thought; he’d reacted.
His mom sat down next to him. She rubbed a warm, wet washcloth over his hand, cleaning off the blood.
“I...I didn’t...”
“Of course, you didn’t mean to do it.” She dipped the cloth in a bowl of water and wrung it out. “Jackson will be fine. Don’t you worry about him.” The tremor in her voice and hands belied her words. “He knows you didn’t mean to...He’ll be fine.” His mother and sister both rambled when nervous.
He hadn’t meant to hurt Jackson. At first, he hadn’t even wanted to hurt Hugh, not too badly anyway. Trinity wouldn’t turn herself over to him, if Hugh were dead. He’d needed the other Almighty alive, but then he’d remembered her drawings and her betrayal. She’d probably lied about being a virgin. Hugh had been practically living with her for months. Images of Hugh touching her and kissing her had torn through him, leaving only hatred and the desire to see Hugh’s blood on his knife. He still wanted that. Once he had Trinity, he wouldn’t deliver Hugh to Jason. He’d kill the man himself. He could find money another way.
His mom dropped the washcloth in the bowl and took both his hands in hers. “I need to tell you something.”
He forced his thoughts of vengeance aside and focused on his mother. She was paler than normal and lines marred her soft skin. Indy groaned and pushed himself to a sitting position. He’d checked the Guard earlier. Indy was going to have a headache but he hadn’t been seriously injured.
“Let’s go into the kitchen.” Mom glanced in the Guard’s direction.
“Anything you want to tell me can be said in front of Indy. I trust him.”
“Maybe you do, but this is personal and it’s about me.” His mom walked into the other room.
“What happened?” Indy rubbed his head, wincing.
“You didn’t duck. I’ll tell you the rest later.”
“Okay, but do it quietly.” Indy leaned the side of his face against the wall. “My head is killing me.”
He went into the kitchen. Mom was fussing around inside the fridge.
“I’m not hungry.”
“Eat.” She put some nuts and homemade bread on the table.
He sat and took a slice of bread, pulling small sections off but not eating. He wanted meat not bread, but she didn’t have any meat.
She sat down on the chair next to him. “A long time ago—”
“I don’t have time for a history lesson. I need to find Hugh.” He dropped the bread and started to stand.
“Sit down and listen,” she snapped.
He could count on one hand the number of times she’d raised her voice. He dropped back onto the chair.
“When I was fourteen, I....I had a child.”
“What? You didn’t meet Dad until you were—”
“It wasn’t your father’s child.”
“So, it’s not a lie?” A cold dread filled him. “Did Hugh’s father rape you?”
“No.” She shook her head. “Not exactly. I mean, I liked him...I had a crush on General Truent but...I...wasn’t prepared for...”
“He raped you.” He inhaled sharply. It was like a punch in his gut, knocking him into a new reality. He’d never suspected anything like this. He took her hand. Too bad the man was dead because he wanted to tie him up and skin him alive, one tiny strip at a time.
“Not really.” She wiped at her eyes. “I guess in a way. He hadn’t meant—”
“Don’t defend him! You were...what? Thirteen?”
“Yes, but I’d flirted and—”
“So what?” A surge of disgust washed through him. This was as bad as Jason.
“What he did was wrong but that’s not why I’m telling you this.” She grabbed his hand and took a deep breath. “Afterward, I realized I was pregnant.”
Only her soft hand clasped in his kept him from racing out the door and attacking someone, anyone who might’ve known about this.
“Hugh is your half-brother.” She touched his cheek with her other hand.
“And Hugh’s known this all these years.” He’d beat the other man extra for this deception.
“He just found out. That’s why he was here.” She squeezed his hand. “Sarah and I should’ve told him years ago, but there was never a good time.”
He stared at the wall, all his plans slipping away. He couldn’t kill Hugh. He couldn’t even turn him over. It’d hurt his mother.
“Promise me, you’ll stop trying to capture him. He shouldn’t be in prison. You know that. He didn’t do anything that he’s accused of doing.” She clutched at his hand, her nails digging into his skin.
“He committed treason.” That was the only crime Hugh was guilty of—that and touching Trinity.
“He did not. He presented his scientific discovery. It’s not his fault the outcome isn’t liked by our government.” She kissed his hand. “You have to stop fighting for them. They’re wrong about this. We need to change how we treat the other classes.”
His shoulders sagged. How was he going to get Trinity now? “I don’t care about the war. I was only working for them because of the debt.”
“Oh honey, I’m so sorry. That’s not your problem. It’s mine. I’ll take care of it.”
She wrapped him in her arms like when he’d been a boy and he struggled not to cry. This entire situation was a huge mess, a huge mistake.
“I won’t kill Hugh. I promise.” He stood and kissed her cheek. He had to figure out some other way to catch Trinity because brother or not, she belonged to him and no one else.
He smiled as he left the house, Indy following him. Actually, this was better. He’d capture Trinity and Hugh would live the rest of his life knowing that every night she was in his bed.