Prologue
January
The room isn’t dark or cold or unwelcoming. It overlooks the edge of the forest, the sort of tangled web of bare branches and twisted trees that’s from some dark fairy tale.“I never thought you’d change your mind. I always thought that after everything this would still be your endgame.”
My sister, Majken, isn’t who I remembered. This woman sitting on the green chair is calm, too fucking calm for my liking. I’m pretending I’m calm but I’m not. I’ve no idea how I can get out of here. I’ve no fucking idea where I am.
The man who I’ve disliked since day one sits down on the arm next to her and she puts a hand on his thigh. Nausea should hit me, but it doesn’t because I’ve seen worse than the simple touch between a couple. Seen worse than what it hints at.
Done worse.
Majken’s playing a game too.
We all are. Have been all along.
“You need to consider this offer, Ben. It won’t stay available if we think we can’t trust you.” He takes her hand in his, squeezes it.
I could, if I wanted, end them both. He’s six inches shorter and I have at least fifty pounds on him. She’s actually more problematic, not least because of who she is. She knows how to fight me and she will fight dirty.
“You should never have trusted me.”
It’s now I see the revolver.
“I’m not sure I ever did. There was always a little too much time spent willingly at that dreadful castle.” Majken’s accent is still different from mine, the change imperceptible unless you know what to listen for, but it’s there. Somewhere inside her is the sister I remember. Majjie: the girl I grew up with.
“I did spend time there because I wanted to.”
“Because you loved her. And you still do.”
It isn’t a question. I’d like to say she doesn’t need to ask me any questions, because she knows me too well, but that hasn’t been the case. Ten years older and a continent apart for most of my life. Beautiful, brilliant and driven.
“She’s difficult not to love.” It’s the first time today when I tell the truth.
Majken nods. “That may be. She’s certainly not your usual type.”
This time I laugh. He hasn’t pulled the trigger yet so I don’t think he’s going to. However, if Majjie gets hold of it, she probably will. I’m just not sure which of the three of us will be at the end of it.
“I don’t think I ever had a type.”
“I thought you’d always go for dark-haired older women. Like our aunt.” Her smile is serrated.
The scars have healed enough for them to be difficult to slice open.
“Or maybe she really did screw you up.” Majken threads her fingers through her lover’s hair.
I never told Majjie about our aunt and what she made me do. But Majjie knew. She watched from the crack in open doors, I’m sure of it. And she never intervened.
“I think we both ended up screwed one way or another. Hence we’re both sitting here now while the man you’re fucking plays with a gun that’s probably the same size as his dick.” I watched her for her reaction.
Majken was easy to play if you knew which moves to make. Any slight against her perfection would loosen her fragile control if she was uncertain and I knew she was uncertain today.
“I’d be careful with what you say,Benjamin.You aren’t the only way we have of getting the information that would make a lot of people happy.”
It was confirmation of what I already knew.
“I never thought I was that valuable. But why go to the trouble of bringing me here?”
She shrugs. “Shits and giggles. And chance for some quality time. Maybe I can bring Aunt Hedda over, you know, so you can reintroduce yourself to her.”
