He looked at Pierre and continued talking, "But Pierre—there is a man who would make that calculation. Who would look at a person in danger and see the strategic implications first and the person second. Who would let his own blood suffer because the timing wasn't right and the optics weren't favorable?"
The alley was profoundly silent.
"That man is my father," Jaegar said.
"And I will not be him. Not for Lorcan's benefit, not for a crappy paper's comfort, and not for anyone's narrative."
Pierre held his gaze for a long moment.
There was a quality to the silence between them that only exists between people who have known each other long enough to argue honestly.
Pierre was not offended.
Instead he just smiled, thinking it was just the kind of answer Jaegar would say. Still he had to warn her, it was his duty as his friend.
"I know," Pierre said finally, very quietly.
"I knew before I said it. I had to say it anyway."
