Page 111 of Speak No Claim

She gasped with wide eyes. “The crest I saw in the museum?”

I simply nodded.

“What does that mean?”

“Your ancestors started the Blood Oath Brotherhood, just like mine did.”

“Ay dios mío.”

I shook my head, confirming, “Your God isn’t going to save you from this, Hennessy. Your father already cursed you with his last name.”

Determined, she snapped, “I’m not my father.”

“Your bloodline is, and that’s all that matters.”

“What the fuck?” she exclaimed. “Does my mother⁠—”

“Why do you think you live in the Peruvian Amazon, Hennessy? Now I need you to open your fucking eyes and see the truth that’s been in your mind this entire time because it’s the only thing I can’t share with you.”

“So your loyalty lies with them?”

“My allegiance is to keep you alive.”

“My family has a generational business. They’re not hiding me.”

“Your mother has one. That has nothing to do with your father.”

“Why do you say it with such contempt? What did my father do?”

“He betrayed the Brotherhood, and it cost him his life, but before he sacrificed himself, he made sure you wouldn’t know about his legacy. It ended with him, and up until this school year, his request was met.”

“What happened?”

“Your fucking uncle.”

“What can you tell me about him? How is he marrying your aunt? She’s a Devereaux. Why isn’t it an arranged marriage like your sister's? My uncle isn’t in the Brotherhood.”

I merely watched that little mouse running wildly inside her head until once again, all the expression from her face vanished in plain sight as she figured it out on her own.

Answering what was on her mind, I confirmed what she already predicted, “He pledged his alliance to marry her.”

If your soul could actually leave your body for a few seconds, then that was what just happened to Hennessy. I swear I saw it rise right out of her chest and float above us.

Trying to give her whatever reassurance I could, I explained, “You and I are the same.”

“If that were true, I would know about my family’s past.”

“It was designed that way.”

She frowned.

“Your father made sure of it. He did it to protect you.”

“Protect me from your family?”

“No,” I stated. “Protect you from the Brotherhood.”

“My mother knows?”