ON HIS WAY TO the boxing arena that evening, Gideon stopped by the telegraph office and retrieved Rune’s reply.
LOOKING FORWARD TO GOING SLOW.
RUNE
He smiled as he read it. He felt better tonight. Rested and ready. If Rune was the Moth, he would find out tomorrow morning.
He was still smiling as he entered the boxing ring, stripped off his shirt, and slid on his gloves, preparing to warm up. He was so lost in his plans that he didn’t notice when the doors of the arena burst open and his brother stormed in.
“What the hell are you up to?”
The tone of Alex’s voice wiped the smile off Gideon’s face. He turned to see his brother drop his boxing bag and tug off his shirt. Grabbing his gloves, Alex ducked under the ropes and stepped into the ring with him.
“Nice to see you, too, Alex.”
“Coming to Rune’s party last night? Going off alone with her?”
Out of the corner of his eye, Gideon noticed the other men in the arena glancing their way.
“I—”
“You can’t stand Rune Winters.” Alex dropped into a crouched stance directly across from Gideon without warming up.
He couldn’t tell Alex the truth, because Alex would tell Rune everything. He wouldn’t care that Gideon suspected she might be the Moth,
or that he could be in danger. Alex assumed the best of people.
“Maybe I changed my mind,” said Gideon, falling into his fighting stance.
Alex shook his head. “You’re my brother. I know you. What are you up to?”
Gideon took a lazy swing. Alex easily ducked and swung back. Much harder. Gideon blocked it and stepped aside.
“She’s a pretty girl with a nice inheritance. Everyone knows she’s on the market for a husband. I thought I’d try my luck.”
“You’d hate it.”
Alex swung again, fast and furious. Gideon jumped back in the nick of time and the breeze of his brother’s fist whooshed through his hair.
“Hate what?”
“Being married to her.” Alex dropped his hands. “You’d have to attend her parties. Entertain and impress her guests. You despise these people.”
Gideon mirrored his brother, lowering his fists. “Maybe I could learn to like it.”
Some desperate emotion flashed across Alex’s face, and guilt settled like a stone in Gideon’s gut.
Alex’s hands dropped to his sides. “People like Rune don’t end up with people like you.”
The guilt evaporated.
Gideon knew precisely what Alex meant. People like him were damaged. Dirty. People like him didn’t belong in the ballrooms of people like Alex and Rune.
His fists coiled. “That so?”
“Yes.” Alex’s golden eyes flashed like electricity.
“Enlighten me. What type of people do girls like Rune end up with? Men like you?” Gideon raised his fists. “Men who stand on the sidelines, pining in the shadows, too afraid to go after what they want? Have you gotten so used to being handed everything in life that you think she’ll hand herself over to you, too?”
Alex slugged him.
Pain exploded in Gideon’s jaw.
He staggered back, hitting the ropes as the taste of blood burst through his mouth. His ears rang as he gripped the ropes tighter to keep from falling on his ass.
I deserved that, he thought, spitting blood. Shaking off the buzzing pain, he pulled himself upright to find Alex already ducking out of the ring, grabbing his shirt, and walking away.
“Alex,” he called. “Alex, come on! I didn’t—”
But the door of the ring was already swinging shut, with Alex on the other side of it.
“Damn it.”
Gideon hadn’t meant a word of that. Mostly.
Alex had struck right where Gideon was softest. Weakest. So Gideon had struck back. Which was not how it was supposed to be.
Gideon was the older one. He was supposed to protect his little brother.
To take punches, even when those punches came from Alex himself.
Disgusted with himself, standing alone in the middle of the ring, Gideon let his head fall back. Closing his eyes, he let out a rough sigh.
Alex was right.
“I’m a piece of shit.”
