“How could things get worse?”
“If you kill Nottingham and Heart right now, you will destroy any chance of the Hand turning against the Master. They already can’t trust us, and now you’re going to be a murderer. It will be like throwing a match on a stack of dynamite. People will get hurt. Jake, my wife and kids will be in the line of fire,” Henry said.
“Consider yourself warned,” Uncle Jake said dismissively.
And that’s when Henry punched his brother. Jake fell to the ground and lay there in the dust. Sabrina gasped, and hoped neither of them could hear. She had never seen her father so fierce and confrontational. So many people had told her that her dad was an impulsive and emotional kid, but she had never witnessed it. Here before her eyes was the Henry Grimm of so many stories.
“Since when do you talk with your fists, Henry?” Uncle Jake said.
“My girls adore you and you would put their lives in danger for your stupid revenge? Well, I won’t let it happen, Jake. I will not let them be hurt just because you are heartbroken. I’m sorry she’s gone, Jake. We’re all sorry, and you have a right to want revenge. But you don’t have a right to have it, and if you try I will hit you again. Stand up and find out if I don’t mean it,” Henry threatened.
“I’m fine where I am,” Jake said.
“What’s going on?” Goldi said as she rushed forward. Somehow she had not seen Sabrina.
“We’re fine,” Henry said as he calmed himself. He extended a hand, but Jake refused the offer.
“You weren’t there, Hank! They sent a dragon after her and it swatted her away like she was nothing. You didn’t hear the sound! You didn’t see her eyes!”
Henry sighed and kneeled next to his brother.
“I had a ring, Hank!” Jake continued.
Goldi knelt down beside them, but Sabrina’s father shook her off. “Goldi, this is family business. You should go.”
Goldi looked surprised. “But—”
“The three of us were a long time ago,” he barked.
Goldi fought her tears and rushed toward her cabin.
When she was gone, Henry turned back to his brother. “Jake, I have a lot on my plate. My son doesn’t know me. My girls are on the front line. Our mother is in big trouble. Our family needs to stick together. When all this is over, we can talk about Nottingham and Heart. We’ll get justice for Briar.”
Jake got to his feet. “There is no justice until those two are in the ground!”
“Grimms don’t murder people.”
Jake frowned.
“Grimms don’t murder people!” Henry repeated.
Henry tried to hug his brother, but Jake shook him off. He sank back into his chair and looked out over Briar’s grave. Henry watched him for a long moment until finally heading back toward his own cabin. Sabrina kept watching her uncle. He leaped from his chair, furious and raging, and punched the castle wall, splitting his knuckles so that blood dripped down his arm. He stared at the wound for a long time, as if it might hold some answers, but then he slumped against the wall and slid down to the ground. He buried his head in his hands and wept with abandon. Sabrina wanted to reach out to him—to find a way to take his heartbreak away—but she also knew that her uncle needed to cry. She slinked back to her cabin, where her sister and Elvis were sound asleep. She sat on the edge of the bed and cried for Jake.
October 18
Uncle Jake is gone again. Red said she saw him walk across the drawbridge and into the woods. He had his bow and a quill full of arrows strapped to his back, and his pockets were full of daggers. Apparently, his argument with Dad did not change his mind. He’s determined to have his revenge.
Dad and Canis want to go after him, but Charming convinced them to give it up. He says Uncle Jake is on his own path now and we would only be delaying the inevitable.
It’s a problem we didn’t need today. There are a million things to worry about. We’re walking into an angry mob that wants everyone in my family dead. Even though it would ruin the plan, I’m kinda hoping that no one bothers to show up for the meeting. I would breathe a big sigh of relief if we found ourselves alone in the middle of the town square.
On a side note, Puck, who was bordering on being sweet just two days ago, has turned into a sour sack of socks. He’s not speaking to me or Daphne. If I wasn’t so tired I’d sit on his chest and demand an explanation. Boys are moody and stupid.