Chapter 13
Marcus broke next.
Not from guilt.
From panic.
“If Thomas is finished, I want protection.”
I almost laughed.
“From whom?”
He looked at Vanessa.
Then Bianca.
Then me.
“Everyone.”
Thomas sneered.
“Coward.”
Marcus turned.
“You promised me command.”
“You were useful.”
There it was.
Same word.
Vanessa looked at Marcus.
“What did he promise you exactly?”
“The south crews.”
“He promised them to my husband.”
Silence.
There was a groom after all.
Vanessa’s new husband, Daniel Hale, had been kept away from this confrontation by his own family.
He was upstairs with guests.
Marcus stared.
“What?”
Vanessa laughed bitterly.
“You thought you were special.”
Thomas looked bored.
“Both of you were temporary.”
Marcus’s face collapsed.
My father didn’t care.
That was his fatal flaw.
He made people betray others, then acted surprised when they realized he would betray them too.
Marcus looked at me.
“He had another plan.”
Thomas stepped forward.
“Don’t.”
My guards moved.
He stopped.
I looked at Marcus.
“What plan?”
“If Bianca didn’t come tonight…”
My mother went still.
Marcus swallowed.
“…Thomas wanted Ethan taken to the north house.”
My hand tightened.
“For how long?”
“Until she did.”
Bianca’s face became stone.
Thomas shrugged.
“He would have been safe.”
Ethan whispered:
“No.”
My father looked at him.
“You would have had food.”
My stomach turned.
As if survival were generosity.
“You planned to imprison my son.”
Thomas snapped:
“I planned to keep him somewhere useful.”
Bianca inhaled sharply.
Useful.
There it was again.
No child.
No grandson.
Tool.
I looked at Ethan.
He was staring at Thomas.
Not crying.
That scared me.
I crouched.
“Hey.”
He looked at me.
“You are never going anywhere with him.”
“Promise?”
“Yes.”
Thomas laughed.
“You make too many promises to children.”
Bianca looked at him.
“No.”
“What?”
“She keeps the right ones.”
My mother stood beside me.
For the first time in twelve years.
Thomas across from us.
Ethan between.
Three generations.
May you like
One pattern.
And it was ending in front of him.
