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“You think I give a shit?” he spat.
“It doesn’t matter. You don’t matter,” I said, sliding my hands into my pockets. “And I’d wager you aren’t going to have a great time in prison, you know, because those important people you couldn’t shut up about will hear that you got picked up. What do you want to bet they aren’t going to want someone who knows all their dirty secrets running around trying to get immunity and plea deals in exchange for their names?” I could almost feel the terror strike him. “If I were you, I’d learn to sleep with my eyes open, mother fucker.”
I nodded at Detective Li, “He’s all yours.”
The officers ushered Malcolm down the hallway quickly, and once the elevator doors closed, I went to Jim’s office. I walked in and saw Nat sitting in a chair, sobbing as Jim rubbed her back.
“Spencer,” she said, looking at me sorrowfully.
She reached her arms around me as soon as I knelt next to her, and I held her tightly, letting her crumble into my arms.
I had no idea where things would go from here, but at least that bastard would be behind bars, and she knew the truth. There was nowhere to go from here but up.
Chapter Forty-Three
NAT
Everything felt like a sick joke when I was first brought into Jim’s office and introduced to the FBI. I felt rage, nausea, and horror at everything my dad readily confessed to Spencer.
I don’t know why I was surprised by his confession. Did I think he wasn’t capable of killing my mother? After all, this was the man who’d broken my jaw when I was thirteen years old because I told him our bread was moldy. The man who’d choke my siblings and me until we were unconscious and who punched us anywhere that clothes could cover so our teachers wouldn’t see our bruises and call the police.
Did I expect him to say something to redeem himself or insist he’d never do something so horrible? What did it say about me that a part of me hoped none of it would be true?
“We’re almost to Malibu,” Spencer said, his voice sounding a mile away.
I turned, and everything still felt like it was in slow motion. Nothing felt real, not even the skin on my hands as I rubbed them together to find comfort in the touch.
“Where?” I said, confused.
“Bree’s place,” Spencer said. “They’re staying at the beach house this month again. I figured you’d be most comfortable with your closest friend after all that.”
“Yeah,” I said softly.
“Nat?”
“Yeah,” I said, feeling disconnected.
“I’m sorry you had to witness that.” He sighed while I leaned my head against the seat’s headrest and looked at him. “I wish we never asked you to see what your dad had to say.”
“I know,” I said, knowing he felt sick about what happened today.
“The only thing I know to do to make this right is to bring you to your best friend.”
“Thank you.” I turned to stare out the front window where the ocean came into view. “I don’t want to talk but thank you for thinking of bringing me here.”
“Nat,” Bree’s voice rang through my head. It seemed like I’d just told her to let me rest, so I couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t leave me alone.
“Please, Bree,” I said, turning over and facing away from the blackout curtains of the room. “I just need a few more hours of sleep, and then I’ll tell you about what happened.”
“No,” her voice was stern, snapping me out of my foggy state. “You’ve been like this for almost a day. I won’t allow you to hide in here and let this eat you up.”
“What?” I said, forcing myself to sit up, feeling woozy and weak. “I just got here.”
She exhaled in relief. “No, babe,” she reached over and brushed the loose strands of hair from my face. “Spencer brought you here yesterday. Every time I come in to check on you or bring you food, you send me away. You’ve been out of it. I know this has been a very long month for you, so I was fine with you just sleeping it off, but it’s been long enough.”
I faintly smiled. “It’s easier to sleep these days because my nightmares are more pleasant than my reality.”
She chuckled, “Your reality is only as bad as you allow it to be.”
