River of sin

4. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer

Jacob woke in a cold sweat like he did most nights since returning from war. If he slept at all. He opened the draw, flipping open the small velvet box, his bravery medals inside bought him anger and disgust. His Gran would say you earned them medals. He couldn't help but think of his friends that did not return to get theirs. His own twin brother dying in the battle field. He tossed them back in the draw, slamming it shut, gripping his head, thumping it angrily to get his brothers voice out of his mind, the images of his own face looking back at him as his brother died in the mud with his insides spilling out of him. His voice trembled and terrified, his final words haunting Jacob "Jake I don't wanna die, am I gonna die? I'm scared, Jake. Don't leave me here in the mud. Jacob help me. I wanna go home. I can't feel me legs, Jake! I wanna go home, don't leave me!"
Jacob's thumping of his skull became harsher as he heard the words he'd replied in a blatant lie to his dying brother "you're fine. We're going home. I promise we're going home. You and me together. As if I'd leave you here. You're one half of me. Left and right, right brother? Monty? Monty?"

"Jacob!" Rachel ran in with a gas lamp "shush shush, you're home now, shush. Easy now." She comforted her brother as he sobbed on her shoulder, holding her tightly. "It's alright now. Everything is going to be alright. You made it home, Jacob."
It had been over two years since he returned yet his time on the front line haunted him as much as it did the first night home.
"Monty...."
"Don't speak his name" Jacob shoved her away, breathing heavily, swiping the contents of his dresser onto the ground
"You take on too much burden for this family, Jake" she rubbed his back gently "you had a close call this week. Too close."
"He made the first move, Rach. I didn't go looking for trouble it just always finds me."
"You're an Evans. Your the Evans. You are the trouble!" She laughed, he nodded laughing along with her
"I feel like troubles brewing. Big trouble, I feel it in my gut and gut ain't never wrong." He sighed
"Well you are taking a Barnes lass to the boxing ring tomorrow, why?"
"I have my reasons"
"I know, I know. Don't ask then you don't have to lie to me."
"Exactly" he hugged his sister, kissing her forehead

"Go back to bed, I'm fine. I'm gonna get us back out of this hell hole one day. I promise you"
"It's home."
He peeled some mouldy wallpaper off the wall discarding it. "We're supposed to be the kings of this place, yet we live like rats. A nice suite can't hide what we really are, Rach. Most of them are pinched anyway."
"We live like royals because we have each other, we have honour, we have respect. One day we will have all that you strive to achieve for us. everything lost when dad left and more. I believe that. Since you got back....things have been hard for everyone."
"Not the other side of the river" he scoffed "they still see us as the poor scum that live in filth. While they...."
"You had a Barnes lass risk her life to save you from a hangman's noose. That thanked you for killing her brother. Does Richard Barnes have what you have, Jacob? Does he! He doesn't even have his own daughters respect and loyalty. You think an Evans would have done that. Hmm? Hell would freeze over. He's right. None of that lot over their would help one of us. But you. It might not be true what she said but it is true that it could be. If you saw four thugs set on a young lass would you walk by, Jake?"
"No" he sighed "no I wouldn't. Even if I knew she was a Barnes. Didn't even know he had a young lass, thought his two daughters were older, married off with kids!"
"Same. Only two I know of are Diana and Caroline. Or the Barnes bitches as my brothers fondly call them."

"Go back to bed. I'm fine. Got to pick up miss Barnes this afternoon."
"You gonna tell me why you asked a sixteen year old to accompany you to the ring? A Barnes girl at that?"
"I got a good feeling about her. I can't make her out. You know me. Five minutes and I know a man."
"She's no man, Jacob" his sister laughed
"No that she's not. But even a lass, five minutes and I can tell her nature. Young miss Barnes is a mystery. I can not make out if shes trouble or not. Shes smart. Smart women with power like she could have in a few years, it can be a dangerous combination. When the young lass in a family that no one pays attention to is smarter than the men running it.....well that's a lass I reckon I should keep an eye on, don't you?"
"I suppose so. You could tell the wee thing was frightened but it takes some real guts and balls to not only cross the river of sin at night but to walk in unarmed into your enemies home, that's another thing altogether"
"If she's that ballsy and smart at sixteen, can you imagine in a few years time, Rach. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, as grandad always said. I learn from the best, Rach."

"I'll take young Harry. He seemed smitten with the lass. He couldn't take his eyes off her backside. A young romance between a Barnes lass and one of our Evans boys would piss off that pompous twat, eh" he joked
"You'd have a riot on your hands on both sides of the river. Be careful"
"Aren't I always"
"You dropped your pocket watch and didn't even notice.....you snapped didn't you. Lost control. Your mind went back to the trenches. Fighting for your life."
"In a way. It was me or him, Rach. I had no choice. A man that causes the look that young lass had in her eyes when she spoke of him....well, I'm not loosing sleep. Now, go to bed! I hear Betty up, I'll warm a bottle, I'm awake now anyway." He laughed guiding her out of his room.