was going to say, she didn’t want anyone to be able to read it from her lips.
Very quietly, she asked, “Do you trust your brother?”
“Absolutely,” I said.
“More than your father?”
It was my turn to pause, to weigh the impact of a true answer. “Yes,” I said at last. I didn’t elaborate, but I trusted all of my siblings far, far more than I trusted my father.
“Ferdinand and I have been dating for nearly a year,” Evelyn said.
I could hardly believe that my serious, dutiful eldest brother had done something as rebellious as dating the heir of a rival House in secret, but she seemed sincere. I smiled. Good for him.
Evelyn continued, “As you can imagine, the war made things difficult. We hadn’t met in weeks. Last night was supposed to be our reunion.” She paused again before she said, “And we were going to discuss the best way to end the conflict.”
She lobbed that bombshell at me without any warning, so only my training prevented my mouth from dropping open in surprise. “How?”
Evelyn’s expression was full of regret. “I’m sorry. I know Ferdinand trusts you, but I cannot, not that far.”
I dipped my head in acknowledgment. “Do you have any proof?”
She waved the fan closer to her mouth. “Swear to me that you won’t tell your father or my mother,” she said. “I don’t need an accident in my future on top of everything else.”
I propped my elbow on the table, rested my chin on my thumb, and curled my fingers in front of my mouth. “As long as your information proves true, and no other evidence starts pointing back to you, I will not share the information with our parents.”
“I will send the file directly to your com. With the silencers, there’s less chance it will be intercepted, as long as you are sure your com is secure.”
“My com is secure,” I said with a faint smile.
She transferred the file and I saved it in a secure quarantine. I would open it later. I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, but I didn’t trust her completely.
“Find him,” she said, “please.” She swallowed and her mask slipped a tiny bit. I caught the anguish in her eyes. She was either the universe’s best actress or she truly cared for Ferdinand. “I am searching, too, but I must be far more cautious. Still, if you need anything, you now have my secure address. I will do my best.”
“Thank you,” I said.
“I’m sure you know this, but do not contact me at public events. I’m already putting myself at risk meeting you today.”
“Of course,” I said. “I appreciate your candor. You are not what I was expecting, either.” I stood and inclined my head. “Farewell, Lady Evelyn.”
“Farewell and good luck,” she said.
I clicked off the silencer and returned it to my purse, then turned for the entrance. Ian scowled from the edge of the cleared three-meter circle, not even attempting to look anything but impatient and intimidating. He silently followed me from the shop.
Ian escorted me to my transport. He waited until we were inside before he questioned me. “Well?”
“She said House Rockhurst isn’t responsible, and for now, I believe her.”
“Why?” Ian asked.
I shrugged. “Just a feeling,” I said. “Have you found any surveillance video from the attack?”
“I’ve requested assistance from House Yamado. I tracked Lord Ferdinand to the edge of their quarter, but all of the surveillance I’ve been able to dig up has a ten-minute loop in it.”
I blinked at him in surprise. I hadn’t caught the looped video when I’d been digging for information. I could blame it on exhaustion, but Ferdinand’s life was on the line—I needed to do better. “You think House Yamado is involved?”
“I don’t know,” he said with a frustrated noise. “I hope they just have a spy in their security team because otherwise it means they are throwing in with House Rockhurst against us.”
A war on two fronts would be grueling for House von Hasenberg. The war with House Rockhurst had barely begun to ramp up. So far, both Houses were pouring military resources into the distant, uninhabited Antlia sector because it seemed to be the only place to find alcubium, the rare resource that powered House Rockhurst’s new, faster FTL drives. But it was only a matter of time before the war turned bloody.
Our scientists were trying to reverse-engineer the FTL drive in the Rockhurst prototype ship as quickly as possible, but production was still months, if not years,