Deathstalker 04 - Deathstalker Honor

and well and very often. In fact, I took her to my bed and loved her morning, noon, and night, as hard as I could. And she loved it.” “No!”
    said Evangeline. “No!”
    “You bastard!” screamed Finlay, his face bright red with rage. “You bastard!” “I bedded her, Campbell, long before you ever did. She was Daddy’s girl, and did whatever Daddy told her to do. And we did all kinds of things. Things she probably never did for you. She’ll always be mine, Campbell, because she was mine first. That’s what I had her made for. I’m going to take her back from you, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”
    “I’ll kill you!” said Finlay, fighting for breath against the pain in his chest.
    “I’ll kill you! Kill you!”
    Gregor laughed at him, and Finlay drew his gun and shot out the viewscreen. Gregor’s face shattered, and the screen fell in pieces to the floor. Smoke rose from the machine’s guts. After that it was very quiet, apart from Evangeline sobbing on the bed. Finlay stood there, the gun still in his hand, trying to think what to do next, but Gregor’s hateful words filled his head to the exclusion of everything else. He never doubted the truth of them. It was the kind of thing Gregor Shreck would do. He finally put away the gun and turned slowly to look at Evangeline. She stopped her tears by an effort of will, and looked back at him.
    “Why didn’t you tell me?” said Finlay.
    “Because I knew you’d react like this. Because I knew you’d be angry and hurt. Because I thought if you knew… you might leave me. That you wouldn’t feel the same about me anymore.”
    “You never… cared for Gregor?”
    “Of course not! I was his property! I had no choice. I either did what he said, or he’d kill me and make another clone who would. I did what I had to, to survive.”
    “I’m going to kill him,” said Finlay. “There aren’t enough guards in this world to keep me from him. You stay here, and lock the door after me. Don’t open it till I come back. And maybe I’ll bring you back Gregor’s head wrapped in a bedsheet.”
    “No, Finlay! That’s why he contacted you, told you what he did. It has to be a trap!”
    “Of course it’s a trap. But that won’t stop me.” “You can’t just kill him, Finlay. It isn’t like the old days, during the rebellion, when you had the protection of the underground. The war is over; they’d call it murder, and no one would speak for you. They’d hang you as a common killer.”
    “Let them try,” said Finlay. “Evie, how could you keep something like this from me? We swore we’d have no secrets between us. How could you not tell me something as important as this? Didn’t you trust me?” “Oh, you’re a fine one to talk about keeping secrets, Finlay Campbell! Are you ever going to tell Julian Skye the truth? That the man he admires so much is the same Masked Gladiator who killed his brother, Auric?” “That’s different!” said Finlay. And then he stopped, hearing a strained noise behind him. He looked around, and there, standing in the open doorway, was Julian Skye. The young esper’s face was bone white, but his dark eyes were fixed steadily on Finlay’s.
    “Julian…”
    “You should have told me, Finlay. When we first met, you should have told me.
    How could you do such a thing?”
    “I killed a lot of people in the Arena,” said Finlay. “While I was the second Masked Gladiator. Auric was just one of them. I never knew he was your brother till after we’d become friends. And I never told you then because I knew how much it would hurt you.”
    “And the Masked Gladiator I killed during the rebellion?” “That was Georg McCrackin, the first man to wear the mask. He was my teacher. I inherited the role from him.”
    “So I killed an innocent man.”
    “He stood with the Empress! He would never have surrendered. He would have killed you.”
    “An innocent man. You bloody bastard. Did you think it was funny? Did you have a good laugh at the brother of the man you murdered trotting at your heels like a puppy?”
    “No, Julian! It was never like that!”
    “I’m going away for a while. I don’t want you to call me. I’ll contact you when I’ve decided what I’m going to do. When I’ve decided whether or not I’m going to kill you.”
    He turned and left, and Finlay wanted to run after him but didn’t. There was nothing he could say now that wouldn’t just make things worse. He stood silently in