wasn't a drizzle

oat, plastering my hair to my skull. I refused the umbrella the ground crew offered. I needed to feel this. I needed

ting through the rain like giant knives. The ramp lowered wi

steps splashing in unison on the wet concrete. They didn't look at the private jets

hey s

violent snap o

an's mousy wife," snapped into a line of steel. I raised my hand. The muscle mem

ed coffins we

er. My

ines had been. I walked forward. My hand touched the wet fabric of the f

," I whispere

gtone Julian had set for himself cut th

t out. Jul

ould speak. "Mother is at the manor, and the florists

soldiers standing at attention, tears m

usy,"

uying groceries? Get

pened the settings a

hearse, not the back. When we turned into the long, gravel driveway of the

tes. A security guard I didn't re

s around back," he s

I said, rolling

t said no interruptions. You can't br

as low, but it carried the same frequen

ed at my eyes, and flinch

cured landscape. We pulled up right to the front steps, blocking the view of

opped. The c

her champagne glass sloshing over her

e you lost your mind? Get this death-mob

r, Seraphina clinging to

ot bring a funeral to my brunch," Ju

I signaled the driver. The back opened. The soldiers-who had insisted on

arm of a Marine. "Put that back! You are not bringing de

looked at her like she was

it," I

u married my son you can pollute our ground with your trash? Your parents were

ld went

of biting my tongue, of lowering my head, o

k two

cal strike, open-palmed, fueled by the torque of

ac

was like

ty degrees and collapsed onto the wet

s gasped. Seraphina's h

shock. She wasn't hurt, not really. She was just... stu

uttered. "Julia

er. I felt tal

t loud, but it carried across th

med. "Throw her out! Div

as staring at me as if I

I said to him. "

to the private plot. The one I bou

" the lead M

I didn't look back at the woman in the mud