I release the breath I didn't know I was holding as the study door clicked shut behind us. The words of my father are still as cutting as shards of glass. Alexander is standing next to me, his face unreadable but his stance as determined as ever.
"Do you think he believed it?" My voice is quieter than I meant.
Alexander's piercing black eyes meet mine as he turns his head. I see a glimpse of something, perhaps fury, perhaps calculating, but it vanishes before I can identify it. Finally, in a calm yet forceful voice, he answers, "No. He is already organizing his next course of action."
I tighten my throat and swallow hard. "Now what do we do?"
His eyes soften a little. "We stay ahead of him. If we make one mistake, he'll figure out a way to make things far more difficult."
