“Yes,” she whispered. “But I’ll make it right. I wanted to come clean with you before I told them.”

His shoulders drooped, his head falling forward. He looked so defeated that Mercy wanted to comfort him, but when she leaned in to touch him, he jerked away.

He looked at her then, his anger directed squarely at her. “Don’t,” he said quietly.

“All right.” She settled herself in the chair, her hands folded in her lap. Just as she’d been taught to do in Eden. Be a good girl. Be obedient. Be seen and not heard. Or else.

Standing, Gideon shoved his hands in his pockets. “I need time to work through this,” he said evenly. “You’ve been through a lot, most of which you haven’t begun to tell me, I’m sure. I don’t want to be angry with you, but right now I am. Give me some time to vent some steam.”

Tears burned once again and she dropped her chin so that he wouldn’t see. “I understand.”

“No, I don’t think you do.” He took a step toward her, then stopped. “I want a relationship with you, Mercy. I want to know our family. But right now, I can’t.” He hooked a finger under her chin, tugging until she looked up at him, his touch gentle. “Give me some time. How long will you be here?”

“I have two months.”

His brows rose. “You took leave?”

“Something like that,” she murmured.

“All right. Send me John’s contact info. Tell him what you need to tell him to make things right between you. I’ll call him in the next day or two, when I’ve decided what to say.”

“And me?” she whispered. “What have you decided about me?”

His eyes softened. “You are my sister. I’ve loved you since the day I first held you when you were only a day old. I will always love you. Me needing time doesn’t mean my feelings have changed. This is me needing to stay calm. You’ve experienced enough anger for a thousand lifetimes. You won’t get it from me, too.”

She swallowed a sob, but it came out anyway. “I’m sorry, Gideon. I’m so sorry.”

He pushed the hair away from her face before giving her a box of tissues from Karl’s desk. “I know. I also know how hard it is to break old emotional habits. That’s why I need time. You have my cell number, right?”

She jerked a nod, drying her cheeks. “Of course.”

“Then call me if you need to. I’ll always answer. Stay close to Rafe and the Sokolovs until we locate Burton. He won’t put his hands on you again.”

“Okay. That’s fair.” It was more than okay, more than fair.

Gideon had made it to the door before turning back to meet her eyes, his expression now very grim. “It was Burton, wasn’t it? If I opened your locket, would I find a wedding picture of you and Ephraim Burton inside?”

“Yes.”

Gideon’s eyes closed and his whole body sagged, his grip on the doorknob seeming like the only thing keeping him upright. “I hoped not, but I knew. Somehow, I knew.” He leaned into the door, resting his forehead on the wood. “If you hadn’t hated me, I’d have been shocked.”