Read Glorious Victorious Darcys 01.5 - His Broken Angel for Free Online Page B

Ma—” Jasper bit off the words and glanced away.
    Doc felt his brother’s grief. His fury. Hellacious and raw—even after all these years.
    In the past, even a flicker of rage set Jasper off. Doc braced for an outburst, but instead of smashing his fist through the wall, instead of ripping the door off its hinges or acting out in some massively destructive way, Jasper plucked a cheroot from his pocket and casually leaned against the splintered wall.
    Doc was somewhat impressed. If he wasn’t so almighty angry with Jasper he would’ve complimented his restraint. Instead he wanted to box his ears. “Lily needed more than verbal reassurance,” he said. “She needed to feel safe. Sheltered and protected. She’s scared.”
    “Don’t look at me all judgmental like,” Jasper said as he fired up the stogie. “Ain’t my fault she’s in this fix. She shouldn’t have been on that zeppelin. I studied the passenger list. I had an inside contact. Soldiers, politicians, and a small entourage, and the crew of the
Britannia
—all men.”
    “All but one.”
    “Like I said—”
    “She wasn’t a documented passenger.” Doc grunted then paced to work off steam. “Regardless, Lily was there and in the thick of the attack. And she wasn’t the only one hurt, Jasper. Have you read the newspapers?”
    “Don’t need to read about it. I was there.”
    Doc got a face full of smoke as he stalked past his brother. The foreign scent snaked up his nostrils and into his lungs. Swiveling on his boot heels, he eyed Jasper with a raised brow. “That’s not tobacco.”
    “No, it’s not.”
    “Or weed.” Doc got a nose full of cannabis every time he visited a skytown coffeehouse.
    “It’s medicinal.”
    “A doctor prescribed it? For what? What’s ailing you?” Jasper looked fit as a fiddle. In the three years since they’d last met, he’d bulked up even more. His kaleidoscope eyes were bright, his complexion sun-bronzed, his mind sharp. Easy to see why P.J. Darcy was smitten. Jasper Bluebell cut a fine figure. Then there was his dangerous streak, a quality that historically tempted good women to do wrong. Although Lily hadn’t seemed all that impressed. ’Course, she hadn’t gotten an eyeful of the charismatic Freak Fighter either. When she did …
    Nipped by the green-eyed monster, Doc considered his normally capricious brother’s relaxed disposition. “Let me guess. Medicinal is code for recreational which is code for illegal. What kind of havoc are you wrecking on your body, Jasper? What are the side effects? Does it hinder your judgment? Slow your reactions? Spark hallucinations? Were you under the influence when you boarded the
Brittania
?” Incensed by the brutality of the attack, Doc palmed his throbbing head. “Twenty critically injured. Nine dead—so far. Christ!”
    “Take the stick out of your ass and keep your voice down, Blue.” Jasper snuffed the medicinal butt beneath his boot. “Lily’s traumatized enough as is. She doesn’t need specifics.”
    “Then maybe we should take this conversation elsewhere, because I want details, Jasper. I want to know what happened aboard the
Britannia
. Precisely.”
    The papers had described a ruthless massacre. A blood bath. They’d blamed the Freak Fighters. It twisted Doc’s gut to think his brother had plotted and perpetuated a heinous crime. He didn’t want to believe it but he needed to hear it from Jasper. He also wanted to know what Lily had witnessed, exactly, and how she’d sustained her injuries.
    “Without Patch, I’m down to a squad of four and they’re on recon and patrol just now. That leaves me to ensure Lily’s safety.”
    “And me.”
    Jasper quirked a taunting grin. “What are you gonna do, Blue? Strangle someone with your stethoscope?”
    He didn’t need to glance down to know the medical instrument was still dangling where he’d automatically left it—around his neck. Standing strong and crossing his arms, Doc eyed his brother’s