“You’re right. I didn’t. It sounds cowardly, but the answer is simple and the only one I can offer. Ian asked me to, and saying no was harder.”
Adam sighed, running his hands through his hair. “Just so we’re clear. Understanding and living with that decision aren’t the same things.”
“Of course not, but all I can offer you is the truth, and you deserve that much.”
“Just tell me why? Why did you think saying yes was easier? Help me understand?”
Kalifa took her time before answering. “Because for a time, I believed that what we did was to protect the good of the group. But now I see how wrong I was. I didn’t understand the power it had to destroy us all and everything we’ve built.”
Adam’s vision blurred, overcome with memories. The night of Edmund’s murder, a painful wound still raw and
