Free Siege of the Heart (Southern Romance Series, #2) by Lexy Timms

developed sympathies for the Union. I’ve worked alongside freedmen as their equal. I’ve—”
    The blow sent him sprawling, and Cecelia screamed. Jasper tried to push himself up, and a kick sent a blast of heat and pain across his ribs.
    “Not that, you lying whoreson. Tell me about Horace.”
    Even Cecelia went quiet at that, and Jasper’s head dropped to his chest. It was over then. Solomon had been seen.
    “Tell me about Horace Delancy, or I swear I’ll bash her head in right now. You told us he was dead, but he’s awful lively for a ghost, isn’t he? I said, isn’t he ?”
    “Why didn’t we find him, Perry? If he’s coming after you, he must have been nearby.”
    He couldn’t say a word. Jasper felt his head snap back with the force of Knox’s blow, and the world began to go dark. Pain rained down on him from all sides, and all he could think was that he would not speak, would not, would never betray Solomon. They could not know the Dalton farm harbored him.
    It was over in what felt like a moment, or an eternity. Jasper had forgotten everything except pain, each blow unleashing something new, yet frighteningly similar. He coughed and spat blood onto the ground, waiting for a kick that never came. His hands were bound, and he could not bring himself to stumble to his feet like a drunkard.
    “Fine.” Knox crouched at his side. Jasper’s face must have been a mess, for even the big man looked unnerved by his handiwork. Still, his jaw was gritted. “He’ll come for you again. That’s Horace’s way, isn’t it? And this time, Perry, we’ll be waiting for him.”
    He left Jasper where he lay, striding into the camp with his words echoing back around him. Horace was here. They were going to get Horace too. Horace, who’d turned traitor just like Jasper, and who’d killed them when they tried to get justice. A ragged cheer went up, and Jasper closed his eyes and wanted to die.
    “We should have run,” a voice said nearby. It was high and sweet, a girl’s voice, and yet cold as winter. “And if we ever get out of this alive, Jasper, I swear I’m going to tell Clara the truth about you. I’ll tell her how you would have done anything to keep from going back. If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll make sure she knows who you really were.”
    I did this for Clara. But his voice was gone, his throat aching where Knox’s boot had caught him, and worse—he knew that Cecelia knew the words, and did not care.
    “You couldn’t have picked a crueler way to destroy her,” she said, and she turned away and hid her face as Jasper felt unconsciousness take him.

Chapter 10
    I t took them all through cleaning the camp for Solomon to think of something to say. Anything at all.
    So how did you... No.
    So when you talked about a younger sister, was that... No.
    Really, no one noticed you were a... No.
    He settled, at long last—while examining a knife—on the very neutral, So how did you decide to become a spy? Which was wonderful, except for the fact that when he opened his mouth, all that came out was:
    “You’re a woman ?”
    Ambrose—no, Violet—stopped and turned, one eyebrow raised. Her expression said clearly that she had expected better from him. Solomon nodded glumly, and tried to compose himself.
    “You’re a woman? ” No, that wasn’t any better.
    “Yes,” Violet said patiently, as if instructing the very stupid.
    “Does anyone else know?”
    She hesitated, and he could see the idea of lying cross her mind—making light of the secret, or claiming the complicity of her superiors. Then her shoulders slumped. “No,” she said quietly.
    “Was Ambrose your older brother?”
    “No.” Her chin lifted at that, and tears trembled in her eyes. “His name was Thomas. I could never take his name. He was...” She looked away and swallowed hard, then continued at her work. “We should move out,” she said over her shoulder. “They’ll be waiting for us now. It will be more difficult, but if