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5SebastianI keep the nurse for another two weeks and check in on Helena sporadically in that time, giving her space. She won’t talk to me. She won’t even look at me. At least she’s eating regularly now and able to walk, dress, and shower without help.
Gregory’s sitting across from me on the patio. We’re drinking whiskey and while he looks out on the dark night, I study him, my younger half-brother, his words from that night in my study, that he wants a piece of Helena, still lingering daily in my thoughts.
We share a similarity in features, dark eyes, dark hair, the cut of our jaw. He’s the same height as me, built roughly the same. We think the same way too. We’re both calculated.
The difference between us is that Gregory’s always been last in the pecking order. And I’ve always been first.
I wonder if the accident with Ethan hadn’t happened, if Ethan would be like Gregory.
“You’re going to burn a hole in the side of my head, brother,” Gregory says, turning to me.
I smile, finish my whiskey, pour another.
I don’t expect him to let things go when it comes to Helena. I don’t expect him to walk away from the Willow Girl tradition. From her.
And I can understand his motivation.
He pushes his glass toward me and I pour for him too, then sit back and drink a swallow of the burning liquid.
“There’s a way out,” he says, not looking at me. “You know the way out.”
I know what he’s talking about. A way out for Helena. A way for her to remain mine without breaking with tradition. With the way things have to be.
“No,” I say.
He glances at me. “Suit yourself.”
“She’s mine.”
He faces me. “I don’t want to take her away. I just want a piece.”
I drink another swallow, never taking my eyes from his.
“We’ve done it before. It’s not a big fucking deal,” he says.
“It’s different now.”
“I’m not your enemy, Sebastian.”
Isn’t he, though?
The air is so thick, you can cut it with a knife.
I have to be careful. With Ethan gone, Gregory will need to be managed. I always knew he’d be the bigger problem, didn’t I?
“We do it my way,” I finally say.
It’s him who remains silent now.
“I make the rules. We do it all my way,” I say.
He nods once. Holds up his glass. “Your way.”
I touch my glass to his.
“What are you toasting?”
We both turn to find Helena standing in the doorway, her bare feet half inside, half outside. She’s wearing a knee length pink dress that hangs off her. Even though she’s been eating, she’s still thinner than she was when she got here. Her nipples harden in the cool night and press against the soft cotton. She’s naked underneath.
“My brother and I have reached an understanding,” I say.
She studies us both, like she doesn’t trust either of us.
“I’m hungry,” she says instead of questioning my comment.
“That’s good.”
I push out the chair beside mine with my foot. It’s to my left and across from Gregory.
She sits, and I signal the girl waiting nearby.
“What would you like to eat?” I ask Helena.
She looks up at the girl. “It doesn’t matter. Anything is fine.”
The girl looks to me, and once I give her a nod, she disappears.
“Do they have to ask permission to breathe?” Helena asks.
I smile. “You’re in fine form. I’m glad to see it.”
“Where are Ethan and Lucinda now?”
“They won’t hurt you again.”
“I asked where they are.”
“If Lucinda’s smart, she’s deep in hiding,” Gregory says.
“We’ll find her,” I say.
“And then what?” she asks.
“Let me worry about that.”
“You won’t bring them back here, will you?” she asks.
“I’ll deal with them, Helena. You don’t need to worry about them.”
She considers, gives a half nod and turns to Gregory.
“Did you tell him what I think?” she asks him.
“About?” Gregory asks.
She faces me.
“Lucinda told me she was sending me home. She gave me that letter and said you’d been keeping it from me. She said Remy was waiting for me on the boat. She gave me my passport and told me to go, that she’d arranged a flight, which was a lie, obviously.”
“Ah, she lies?” I ask.
“You all lie. It’s a Scafoni family trait,” she replies.
“Something we have in common with the Willows,” I say.
“Just some of the Willows.”
“I missed this, you know that?” I ask.
“What? Irritating me?”
I give her a grin.
“Remy obviously wasn’t on the boat. It was Ethan. But there was a second man. He was the one who grabbed me. Put that rag of chloroform over my mouth.” She glances at Gregory. “And I remember he lit up a cigarette just before I passed out.”
“I already told you, Helena, I didn’t have anything to do with this,” Gregory says. “If I wanted to kidnap you, I’d kidnap you. And I know what my mother’s capable of. I saw what she did to you. Believe it or not, I don’t want that for you.”
