Page 106 of Requiem of Silence

They walked quickly, not speaking. Jasminda glanced at Jack, whose face was impassive. But Earthsong revealed the hurt roiling within. Shame made her face grow hot.

Once they were alone in Jack’s office, she sat on the couch while he paced and removed his coat. He tossed it onto a chair and stopped moving long enough to ruffle his hair again.

“It was a legitimate arrest,” she said.

“What was his crime?” Jack spoke to the floor.

She paused. “Jaywalking.”

A heavy sigh escaped from him. “And he has been in custody for how long?”

“Five days.”

Jack looked at her then, expression bewildered. “Jasminda!”

She clenched her hands together. “It’s all aboveboard. He’s being treated as well as every other prisoner. Better even. There’s no cause for complaint.”

“Jasminda.” His voice was scarily quiet. Jack did not yell often—not at her at any rate—but she’d never felt such frustration and disappointment from him, either.

He sank into the seat beside her. “You know this isn’t right.”

“He’s a terrorist. A murderer. Leader of a dangerous group trying to tear our country apart.”

He shook his head slowly. “Until we have evidence of that we cannot keep him on such a flimsy excuse. Even if the jaywalking had made it to a judge and he’d been convicted, he would have served less time. You have to release him.”

She slid away, guilt beating at her. The man was off the streets and in isolation, unable to contact his network and incite more violence. Between that and the curfew, no one else had died from terrorism.

She tapped her finger against her thigh as her own anger grew. “No,” she whispered.

Jack’s head jerked back.

“What you said to that reporter, was that a lie?” she asked.

“What?”

“When you said you support my decisions? That was all for show? You only support me when I agree with you?”

“I do support you, but I would expect you to tell me when I’ve made a mistake. And this is a mistake.”

She shook her head. “No. It isn’t. There have been no attacks from his group since Biddel’s been in custody. It was the right thing to do.”

“Jas—”

She stood sharply. “You cannot make me see your side of things just by repeating my name over and over again. Our streets and our people are safer with him locked away. I may not be a perfect queen, and I may not even be a legitimate one,” her voice broke, “but I’m holding firm on this.”

He stared up at her, blinking. She fisted her hands, staring back. The two of them had endured tests together, and had tested one another. Jack had always tried to protect her, and furthermore he had always respected her. Would that change?

He ran his hands across his face then blew out a breath and stood facing her. She let go of Earthsong and focused just on his eyes, his golden eyes, the ones she’d fallen in love with.

“All right,” he said finally. “All right. I still think this is a mistake, but I… I trust you.”

The pain and stress of the past week broke and she collapsed against him. He caught her, as he always did, and she shuddered against him, just shy of sobbing. Jack held her, the way he always had, the way she hoped he always would.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

A tune may be sung with just one note

but add to that a panoply

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