Chapter 1: The Creature Beneath His Skin 027

“Come outside!”
No answer.
Then a figure appeared in the doorway.
My father.
He looked older than I remembered.
His coat was filthy.
His beard had not been trimmed.
But his eyes remained sharp.
When he saw me, he smiled.
“Rosalie.”
I felt no warmth.
“Step away from the controls, Father.”
He glanced toward Gideon.
“So the mute bastard brought you.”
I felt anger rise.
“Don’t call him that.”
Silas laughed.
“Still defending him?”
The marshal ordered him to surrender.
Silas raised a rusted lever handle.
“Nobody comes closer.”
Behind him, water began rushing through an open channel.
Gideon felt the vibration beneath his boots.
He immediately pointed toward the control house.
The marshal saw his warning.
“Close the gate, Ashford!”
My father shook his head.
“Too late.”
I stepped forward.
“Why?”
He stared at me.
“Why what?”
“Why destroy everything?”
His expression hardened.
“Because men like Vane and Rook have always taken what should have been mine.”
“Daniel Rook died trying to save your workers.”
“Daniel Rook thought rules mattered more than fortunes.”
“And Gideon saved your son.”
For the first time, my father went still.
I held up the little red mitten.
“Mother wrote it down.”
He stared.
His mouth tightened.
“That woman should have burned her papers.”
The words confirmed everything.
He had known the truth.
For twenty-nine years, he had known.
I felt something inside me become cold and perfectly clear.
“You let Gideon believe he failed.”
Silas looked away.
“You don’t understand what happened.”
“Then tell me.”
His voice rose.
“We were building something!