Rudy could sense my presence. He didn't care. There was urgency with a hint of desperation in his tone. It was like he didn't want to put off the conversation for another minute.
"I swear to you, Sonya, I had no idea. How could you think I would hurt you so intentionally? I flew back to Lafayette weeks later. I looked everywhere for you! But you'd vanished without a trace. I couldn't continue the search because of my boys. They were grieving too! I owed it to them to do my duties to our people. Otherwise, they could be in danger."
His tone was far removed from anything I would expect from someone with such a hard, authoritative exterior.
"My son only told me a few days ago," he went on.
"We just found out what happened to your sister and why your family f-fled the city, I swear. I
