Page 43 of Breaking Point
“Is it?”
“Yes,” Luciana said firmly.She drank more of the coffee, after blowing on it.She was dripping it all over her trousers.She didn’t care.
“So why did he send me a message and suggest I come and see you?”
Luciana held still, as her heart thudded.“He did not,” she said as clearly as she could.
“Why would I make that up?”Rayen asked.“In this, I’m as neutral as anyone can be and still care what happens to Devar.”
“People donothate him,” Luciana muttered.
“You and I both know that people resent him.They resent his brilliance.”Rayen said it gently.“So do they want to see him taken down?Yes.Only I think…” She hesitated.“Have you read the Forum lately, Luci?”
“Luciana.”
“Luciana,” Rayen corrected herself.
“This morning.Read it.”
“I mean this afternoon.Tonight.”
Luciana pressed her lips together.“Too busy drinking a whole bottle of port.”
“Port?”Rayen smiled.“You never take shortcuts, do you?You are going to regret this deeply tomorrow.Do you want a sober dose?It couldn’t possibly be worse than the hangover you’ll go through.…Port!”
“I like port.”
“You like champagne.Although all the sugar in that wouldn’t have done you any favors, either.”
“No sober shot,” Luciana said.“I just want to forget.Just for a bit.”
“Except I’m here and I’m not letting you forget.I think Falcon knew what you would do.I think that’s why he sent me the message.”Rayen rested her hand on Luciana’s knee.“You’ve had a hard time of it lately.”
“You haven’t?”Luciana asked, her voice rising.
“I’ve watched in horror,” Rayen said.“You’re the one in the middle and being pulled apart, though.Falcon on one hand, Devar on the other.”
“And my business in the other corner,” Luciana muttered.She closed her eyes.“I don’t know what to do, Rayen.”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you,” Rayen said patiently.“I don’t think youshoulddo anything.Not for the next day or so.It’s a blood bath on the Forum, Luci.There is a building wave of outrage over the idea of execution.People don’t like it.And more and more of them are saying so…and signing their name to it.”
“Luciana,” she muttered.
“Luciana,” Rayen repeated.“I’m sorry, it’s an old habit.You know that.”
“You always did belittle me, in whatever way you could.”
Rayen’s eyes widened.She sat up, taking her chin off her knees.“I did not.”
“You did.You might not have meant to, but you did.You gave Devaryourlast name, instead of combiningournames, like everyone else does.You insisted I stay at home with him, while you got the career.”
“I alreadyhadthe career,” Rayen said gently.
“And you always made the big decisions about Devar.Schooling, courses, what institute he should aim for.”
“If you think that I had any influence over Devar’s choice of career, you don’t know Devar as well as I thought you did,” Rayen said.She sounded amused.“You really are sozzled, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” Luciana admitted.“Or I couldn’t say all this.I resented you, Rayen.”
