Page 4 of The Brotherhood

Her gaze plugged back into his, hard and unflinching even as she turned contemplative. “Chaos isn’t the only force at work here.”

Her statement surprised him, piercing through his controlled exterior. Chaos. She spoke it as if she understood things he only shared with the shadows of silence. His attention sharpened on her at this intriguing hint of something other than neurosis. “And what force might rival chaos?”

She paused over his question before a flicker lit up the gray in her eyes. “Love,” she said, as if she’d just been informed. “That’s why I’m here,” she mumbled, back to talking to herself while the gears in his mind grinded to a halt at that disappointing answer.

“Love,” he repeated, hyper aware that his utter disdain for the word lacked its usual potency. He angled his head at her, realizing that she wasn’t the only captive in the conversation. “What sort of love are you referring to, Miss Sweetling,” he murmured, feeling close to a final determination about her.

“All love,” she informed, her soft urgency drawing him a few more inches closer to the barrier.

“A mother’s love? A friend’s love? A lover?”

The sudden brick wall in her gaze almost thrilled him. “The answer is the same,” she said, struggling to hide her flustered composure.

“Do you have a lover, Beth? That you would die for?”

His blood raced in his veins as every pore in his body opened for her answer.

“It’s why I’m here.”

“You’re here to die for a man you love?” he asked, redirecting to infiltration now. “For what purpose? To educate me about love?”

Something snapped in her eyes, bringing her a step closer to the glass. “I’m here because your men were going to hurt my husband and family.”

Lie or delusion? “And your son requested you be taken here to save them.”

She openly struggled with her facts. “I-I’m imagining you’ll find my reasons… maybe… irrational,” she decided, forcefully. “I don’t know how, or how to explain it, but I know when he’s… what he’s…”

Her odd terms perplexed him. “Is this son alive? Are you communicating with him from the grave?”

“Yes, he’s alive,” she said, her anger an instant addiction.

“You understand I need to know your intentions. Are you malevolent? Neurotic? It matters.”

Her offense returned. “I’m neither.”

“And your words should be gospel to me? How did you get into my soldier’s head and have him secure you like an item on a grocery list? Are you telepathic? An upgrade? Understand that I have the ability to learn the answer to both of those questions.”

“Or maybe I was simply able to communicate to him the critical weight of the matter and he made a judgment call. The right one.”

He was beyond astonished by her scolding. “It’s been a solid ten minutes, and still I don’t know if you’re ignorant, erotic or duplicitous.”

She took a whole step back, eyes narrowed. “You said you had the ability to learn your answers, well, then use them. But I can guarantee you there is nothing erotic in my intentions, I’mveryhappily married.”

“Erotic? I saidneurotic.”

She shot out a laugh. “No, yousurelysaiderotic.” She aimed her pointer fingers adamantly at her midsection, eyesnow hot daggers on him. “This son is the one that thinks I should be here and yes I know how crazy I sound, and…maybeI am, but…” She grabbed her womb with both hands and gasped in pain, sending him bolting into the room.

“What’s happening,” he demanded, guiding her to the small bed and making her sit.

“I’m…” She gasped through many breaths, leaning back a little. “I’m…”

“Where are you hurting?” He pulled his phone from his pocket, watching her shake her head.

“Not hurting,” she whispered.

He cautiously lowered the phone, watching the agony on her face bleed away.

“I’m just… I think I'm hungry.”

---