“You sent Rockwood to Marietta.”
John banged his free hand against the back of Lady Dentry’s guest chair. “There you go! Took you long enough, Gabrie.”
“Youwantedme to know.”
John sat on the edge of the chair. His view of Lady Dentry thus impeded, he seemed almost relaxed. “You have incredibly good resources and a knack for choosing the right options. The emotion blinded you for much of this investigation, but even with that handicap I hoped you would figure it out. That you would join me.”
“Join you?”
“You have as much a right to revenge as I do. We will have to get rid of that sycophant Worley, of course, as well as any of the other deviants. I had quite hoped you would do away with Worley a week past.”
“How?”
“How what? How could you have killed Worley? Oh, any number of ways.” He puckered a brow. “I suppose that having Marietta there was a bit of a damper, but a clean push from the roof would have put Worley to rights.”
“No, how could you do it? Kill…them? And in that manner?”
“Very, very easily. And with no small amount of vigor and satisfaction.” His eyes gleamed as they looked over Gabriel’s shoulder. “Who do you think has the control now, my lady?”
That Lady Dentry didn’t answer was all the answer needed.
“You could have taken your revenge in a different manner, John. Or moved on.”
“Moved on?” He laughed. “As you did? Burying yourself beneath case after case, helping those in need? Youtookyour revenge too, Gabriel. I helped you with a few of those favors against them, though you had no idea I knew.”
“How did you know about me?” Gabriel had wondered that all night.
John snorted. “They chattered about you ad nauseum. The journals were full of you. It was hardly a challenge to reason out. I had such high hopes. Especially when you started upon your path of destruction. When you shut down the club, I was thrilled. I loved you then. That we could rid the world of them.” His eyes grew anguished. “When you stopped at ruining them, socially and monetarily, I could have killed you myself.”
Gabriel could see the hate in his eyes. And the adoration. He didn’t know which scared him more. “Why didn’t you?”
“I couldn’t kill you, Gabriel. There was still a chance, after all. And I had time. Time to plan and scheme. Time to change your mind.”
“Why did you think you would change my mind, John?”
“Been missing your investigator?”
The abrupt change startled him for a second, before it fell into place. “You paid him off.”
“Cost me a pretty penny too. But it is better for you this way. Better not to have someone disloyal on your payroll. Besides, I needed you to remain unaware. I knew you wouldn’t go along with the first one. But given some time for the idea to sink in, for you to think your own brother the killer…with me feeding Jeremy just enough information about the case for him to act guilty around you—for all the wrong reasons, of course…yes, then things might look different.”
Anger choked him momentarily. “Different?”
“More acceptable. Enticing. Righteous. Don’t lie. You would not have turned Jeremy over to the magistrates.”
“Life has a strange way of making sure things even out. If Jeremy had been guilty, he would eventually have been punished regardless of whether I turned him in or not.”
“Your punishment. Your justice. Butyouwould not have allowed him to be tried in the courts and hanged.”
“I would try to do the same for you, John,” he said softly.
“We could kill her now, Gabriel. Together.” The eager, pleading look was so strange on his friend’s face that he had to force himself not to take a step away.
“You believe I will do it. That I will help you finish it.”
“I hope.” His hands ran along the flat side of the blade. “It’s a funny thing, to have hope. I easily have revenge. Justice. Friendship. But hope is a precious thing. I left it to fate. Whether you would stay ignorant, join me, or be my downfall.” His eyes were completely focused on Gabriel, his gaze piercing. “Are you my brother or my enemy, Gabriel?”
“I am your brother in life, John.” His stomach hurt. His throat hurt. His heart hurt. “But I am your enemy in this.”
