The Traitor A. Lombardo (best thriller novels to read TXT) 📖

confront them, but their sorrow ran deep. They would never give him the chance to explain or solve his father’s murder.

Before he realized it, his Aunt Helena and Uncle Kaeco were nearly on top of them, venturing on the path back to the Avar Estate. There was no use in running; he could see the details of Helena’s lacy black veil covering her face, and it could not hide the tears on her cheeks, the redness of her eyes.

He knew he should not look at her, but he could not turn away. Their eyes met, and Kai knew instantly that his aunt had seen through his disguise. Helena was a strong woman, and she held her composure walking away. She never said a word, only kept walking down the path.

Compelled to follow, Kai pulled Rayna down the path a safe distance behind his family.

“What are you doing?” Rayna whispered.

A jumble of feelings and thoughts battled in his throat. It was impossible to admit he knew this quite possibly was the biggest mistake so far, but he owed his aunt an explanation. “She deserves to hear the truth from me, not some report from Diu,” Kai finally answered.

When Helena and Kaeco reached the estate, Kai held back as his family entered a small side gate. Wondering how close he could get, Kai paced near a large cluster of snow-covered pine trees. If his aunt wanted to speak with him, she would have to come back outside. As much as he hoped to talk with her, leaving Rayna alone did not seem safe.

He waited for nearly an hour and was about to give up when Helena came to the gate, alone. She stood clutching the iron bars, behind a prison of pain, and stared at him. Her black lace veil still covered her face, which held a new emotion, something Kai decided was a cross between anger and fear.

Helena did not lift her veil, but even through the tears, Kai thought she was beautiful. Knowing she was Iver’s twin sister made him wonder if she also physically felt his loss. “Aunt Helena,” Kai started, but then he stopped. Saying sorry did not feel enough. Overwhelming her with his true parentage also sounded wrong in his head. What could he say?

“Kai,” Helena croaked, opening the gate between them.

New tears streamed down her face. And Kai started to reach for her. She did not back away, but he withdrew the affection. “There are no words . . .” Kai began again.

“Words, you think I want words from you?” Her tone seethed with sudden anger. “Words will not set things right. Nothing will bring Iver back to me. Do you know where my brother is? I felt his pain the night he died, sharp and quick, then I felt nothing. I will not accept that he is gone, I cannot . . .” Helen broke into tears.

There was no denying the shared connection of twins. Iver and Helena were always very close; he remembered stories of Iver feeling her pain during the birth of her son. “I do not know where they took Iver,” he responded. “I know you miss him, and I wish he were here too, but words and wishes cannot change the truth.”

His guilt bubbled in his throat. How could his words bring any comfort? This was a mistake, yet he continued to speak. “The night he died—I was there, but I did not stay as he breathed his last.” His mind stubbled and his mouth felt dry like cotton. “I am sorry, I ran. Nola screamed for the guards.” His explanation came out all wrong, but he could not help but try. “I believe there was another person in the room, someone hiding in the darkness. He or she knows the truth of what happened and the location of Iver’s body. I believe it was possibly a man named Keegan.”

His rushed retelling felt forced and factual, then he noticed the mention of his birth father’s name sent a shudder down his aunt’s spine. “I know his name . . .”

“Yes,” Kai acknowledged. “The man who instigated the attack on Port Anahita last year.”

“Keegan hurt your mother,” Helena mumbled. A faraway look took her into the past. “Mariana was my best friend, and Iver, my twin. There are no secrets between twins or best friends. Keegan is your father. I have always known.”

Helena’s knowledge shook Kai to his roots. If she knew as Iver knew, all these years, she never let it show. The love she gave him felt overwhelmingly intense. “Who else knows?” he asked.

“Mariana only told me.” In a display of affection, Helena reached out and touched Kai’s arm. “Iver asked me not to tell Kaeco. Secrets between spouses cause a rift—small, but it is there. A burden I chose to keep.”

Tears welled in Kai’s eyes and streaked down his cheeks. “You know I did not kill my father, right?”

“Best dry your tears, my dear. They are ruining your disguise.” She offered a hand to Rayna, pulling her close. “Take care of him, if you can. Take care of each other.”

Like a clockwork keeping time with their suffering, the winter weather returned. Snow fell from the night sky. The sorrow and pain bubbled up like a volcano to bring them all to tears. For one moment, his family did not hate him. Kai felt his aunt’s arm around his waist, holding him close. “I am sorry, Kai. Go find Iver and bring him back to me.”

Letting go of the pain and the sorrow, Kai stepped back. “Don’t be sorry. I know what I have to do. Thank you, Helena, for believing me. I only wish I could prove what really happened that night.”

There was no warning, no sound; Helena’s pain had masked their arrival. Twelve Avar Estate guards and his Uncle Kaeco approached through the snow. Kai looked at his aunt, searching her