Page 46 of The Love Potion
Ras stiffened, his thoughts whirling as he watched the butler greedily listening to every word. “Actually, Fletch, you’re the only one I’ve ever caught in a lie—”
“He lies with every breath by not telling the whole truth! Printing shit about lecherous barons and spendthrift suitors. What about embezzlement? Murder? Does he ever print that?”
Ras shook his head. This was old ground between Nate’s family and Fletcher’s. He was not going to debate who stole what from whom and who died as a result. Especially since the so-called murder was a heart attack. “What do you mean he was printing things?”
Fletcher pushed off the wall, his disdain clear. “God, you don’t know anything about your so-called friend, do you? When will you wake up? You’re the only friend he has left, the only one keeping him from drowning like that rat he is.” Then his expression turned gleeful. “But even you can’t save him now, can you?”
“It is amazing to me that you and your sister could come from the same family.” Damn it, he wanted to punch the idiot in the face, but he needed information, not the satisfaction of beating Fletcher bloody. “Did you do that to him? Did you hire—”
“I did nothing but watch. Did you ask him what he was doing by the docks? Nothing good, that’s for sure.”
Fury burned in his gut. “Youwatched?And you didn’t do a damned thing to stop it?” Or help Nate get home afterwards? “You bloody arse—”
“Just deserts, if you ask me. I wasn’t going to stop it. Why would I risk my life for his?”
Rather than give into violence, Ras turned to Hopfer. “You and he together changed the columns, didn’t you? Why? What did Miss Petrelli ever do to deserve that?”
Hopfer looked uncomfortable, but it was Fletcher who answered. “I did it,” he said, pride in his tone. “The truth needs to get out and everyone knew the truth about her. Even you!”
“But why—”
“So you’d finally open your eyes! Damn it, don’t you see how blind he’s made you? You don’t see his faults, you can’t see hers. Wake up! Throw him aside. Leave him to die and let this damn feud end!”
There was too much to understand here, too much that was too crazy. And he needed to get Nate to a doctor. So rather than fight with Fletcher, he turned back to the carriage, but Fletcher jumped forward and grabbed his arm.
“Damn it, Ras, we were friends once!”
Distantly.
“You, me, my sister. We should all be together. This feud has poisoned everyone, and he’s the cause of it!”
“Nate wasn’t even born when your feud began. Neither were you! God, Fletch, have you gone mad?”
“No!” he said, jerking Ras’s arm away from the carriage. “You have to see the truth! He’s the problem!”
Never had he seen madness so clearly in a man’s eyes. Madness coupled with the absolute certainty that only he saw the truth. It was frightening. And it was also not something he was going to indulge.
“Nothing you’ve said makes sense. Nate is not a villain,” he said, firmly prying Fletcher’s fingers off his arm. Then Fletch abruptly jerked his hand back.
“Blind. You’re all so damned blind!” he screamed. Then he took a breath and moderated his tone. “Do you know what hedoes?” he pressed, jerking his hand at the carriage. “I’ve been watching him. It’s nothing like you think.”
And that was the first thing that rang true in everything Fletcher had said. He knew Nate did some strange things. He’d known it for a long time. But he had absolute faith in his friend. Whatever it was that Nate did, it wasn’t nefarious.
“He lies,” Fletcher said. “And like a blind fool, you believe him.”
Ras didn’t have an answer to that. Up until this moment, he would have said that Nate had never, ever lied to him. Except hadn’t Nate said he’d been gambling? And yet Fletcher had claimed he’d been beaten up at the docks. If it weren’t the fish smell he’d scented in Nate’s room, he’d be inclined to dismiss it. But he had smelled it. He had wondered about it.
Which gave him enough pause to stop arguing.
“Get some rest, Fletcher. And some healthy food. You look awful.”
The man wasn’t completely stupid. His expression brightened. “You’re waking up now, aren’t you? You see it?”
Ras wanted to punch the idiot. Instead, he glared at the man. “Say one word against Miss Petrelli again, and I will put a bullet through your brain.” He made sure there was no wavering in his tone.
“I don’t care about her. I was trying to get you to see the truth about him!”
The illogic of that was clear. Worse, Fletcher didn’t stop with that. There were more words, more angry curses, and a host of chaotic paranoid babble. But Ras didn’t stay to listen to them. He swung himself into the carriage and banged the roof as soon as the door shut. A moment later, the carriage was moving.
