Page 36 of Because I Killed Him
“I don’t get it, Dad. You’ve passed controversial laws in the past. Stuff people hated. No one reacted like this. Why now?”
“This time, it’s not about the law.”
“What’s it about, then?”
“Before the vote, the Blues tried to sway us. Me. The other low-citizen reps. They promised us kickbacks if we killed the bill. I thought it was just standard corruption. Happens all the time. But now I realize… it wasn’t bribery. They were counting heads, seeing who’d sell out for access.”
I clench my hands at my sides, suddenly feeling as exposed as a nerve. If Dad is right, the violence won’t end with the withdrawals.
“They’re going to kill all of us, aren’t they?”
“No,”Dad assures.“I won’t let that happen. I promise. But until Reeve reins in the shit-stirrers, you need to lay low. Stay in your dorm unless you have to go to class. No introductions. No visibility.”
A moment passes before he adds:
“And Loredana—whatever happens, stay the hell away from Blues.”
Logs crackle cheerfully in the fireplace as I glance at the stained-glass door of Edmund’s salon. My reflection looks ghostly in the glass, wide-eyed and terrified. I know I should heed Dad’s warning to avoid Blues, but for thefirst time in my life I’m caught in a double bind: damned if I return to the green carriage, damned if I stay in the blue. Now that it’s confirmed the Blues want revenge on the representatives who voted against them, along with their families, Edmund’s invitation makes no sense… unless, of course, he’s planning an ambush. But if that’s the case, why isn’t he here? Nearly twenty minutes have passed with no sign of him. If he were here, I could handle it. This uncertainty is much worse.
Charlotte seems to feel the pressure, too. Despite Jack telling us to make ourselves comfortable, she hasn’t sat down once. She’s pacing the salon, silent yet restless, chain-smoking cigarettes faster than pencils slide through a sharpener.
Then Dickie, perched on the arm of a chair, asks Charlotte why she’s so twitchy. That’s all it takes. She launches into a dramatic retelling of the train platform incident, her voice high-pitched and her gestures wild. I know it’s not only for Dickie’s benefit; she needs the distraction.
So do I.
Jack lounges back with a deck of cards, strip-shuffling lazily while Charlotte talks. His eyes track her movements, distant and unfocused, as if he’s only half-listening. Probably because he’s so drunk that if I punched him in the face, he’d bleed whiskey.
Apart from his heavy drinking, Jack is definitely Charlotte’s type. I can’t help but wonder why they broke up, especially since she claimed he’sthe one. If it’s because of his alcoholism, I don’t understand why she won’t say so.
“And that’s when Iknew,” Charlotte says, stubbing out her cigarette on a plate of smoked salmon, “Mr. Lee was going to challenge Lore to a death duel. So, with no time to lose, I told Harrison—”
“Harrison?” Dickie interrupts from his chair, where a Pinkie is polishing his two-tone shoes. “Why didn’t you tell Waldsten first?”
Charlotte narrows her eyes, clearly annoyed. “Because it was more important to warn Harrison, so I could stop him from—”
“You still should’ve told Waldsten first. If it were me, I’d be mad.”
“Well, itwasn’tyou, Dickie. And thank fuck for that.”
“Someone else warned me about the death duel,” I say.
“Who?” Jack pauses mid-shuffle.
“I don’t know. One of the low-citizens in the crowd whistled the beginning ofThe Last Walk.”
Jack laughs, then resumes shuffling. “It wasn’t a low-citizen, darling.”
“How are you so sure?”
“Um, hello?” Dickie says, checking the shine on his shoes. “Because it’s illegal. You’re not allowed to playThe Last Walkin public unless it’s during an execution or a sanctioned duel.”
“You’d lose at least a hundred civil credits,” Jack adds. “And no low-citizen has that much spare change lying around.”
“Well,you’rea low-citizen, and you sure seem to have a lot of spare change,” I say.
“That’s different.”
Charlotte’s eyes flick to Jack’s hand, her chin tilting stubbornly. I know she wants to tear off his glove to see his Blood Ring as much as I do. Instead, she clears her throat loudly to get everyone’s attention, then dives back into her story.
