CHAPTER 15

“Simon, what –“ Gabriel Tam stared at his son, at the harried and worried look on his face, before his eyes fell on his daughter. She moved out from behind her brother quietly, and he would never have noticed her if Simon’s eyes hadn’t wavered in that moment, so intently had he been watching his son.

“River?” Gabriel’s eyes widened and his jaw fell slack. Simon had told them she was dead. His eyes darted from the woman his daughter had become to his deceitful son. His eyes hardened as he addressed the younger man. “What have you done?”

“Struck back.” Simon tried to maneuver around his father but Gabriel reached out and grabbed his arm.

“At – whom?” His eyes fell on River, his implication clear. “And why did you lie to us?”

“It was the only way.”

“The only way for – what?” His voice had taken on an irritated tone. If his son didn’t start giving him answers soon . . .

“The Alliance. They’ve done enough harm. They needed to pay.”

Gabriel couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Pay for what?”

The muscle in Simon’s arm tensed but Gabriel held firm. “Pay. For. What?” he demanded.

“Torturing River! They experimented on her brain. They hurt her. Just like I told you they were doing! They killed the mother of my son. Do you want a list? It would be as long as your arm.” Gabriel would have found Simon’s defiance awe-inspiring, if it hadn’t been directed at him.

“You’ve done something to betray your family, haven’t you?” Gabriel was incensed. He’d believed everything Simon had told him about what had happened in the nearly two years he’d been gone. The boy had been so angry at the Independents for killing his sister. “You lied to us.” His gaze shifted toward River and back again. “Came home under false pretenses.”

“I did what I had to do,” said Simon stubbornly.

“Which was?” Gabriel prompted. There were so many scenarios his mind could conjure and not one of them would do the Tam family any service.

The arm he held tensed. “Let go.” The venom and determination i