Beneath the Shadow of Maine
Copyright© 2026 by MF Bridges
Chapter 7: Rumors and Reprisals
By the next day, Havana had turned venomous. Word spread that the Americans blamed Spain for the explosion. Spanish authorities, desperate to prove their innocence, swept through the city with a new ruthlessness. Every Cuban with rebel ties was a suspect. Every American was a threat.
Lucía woke to chaos—her father’s study ransacked by Spanish police, her mother weeping in the parlor, her brother’s whereabouts unknown. Captain Ruiz arrived, his face grave.
“You must be careful, Lucía,” he warned. “Your family is under suspicion. The Americans are looking for scapegoats, and the rebels for martyrs.”
She nodded, her mind whirring with panic. She thought of Michael, of their kiss in the garden, and felt a strange mix of guilt and hope.
Meanwhile, Michael found himself summoned by his editor at the Hotel Inglaterra.
“Harper, this is the story of the decade!” the man barked. “Our readers want blood. Give them villains. Give them heroes. And don’t spare the Spanish.”
Michael recoiled at the order. “It’s not that simple. We don’t know who’s responsible.”
His editor sneered. “That’s not your job. Your job is to sell papers—and right now, Havana wants a war.”
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