Tobias nods, agreeing with me without words. “He blindsided me. Even with your mother spelling out every horrible thing she had done, he still searched for her.”
“My father loved her. He probably still does. He’d never hurt her just for revenge. He isn’t that kind of man.”
Tobias smiles, but his mouth remains tightlipped.
I calm my skyrocketing heart rate before asking, “I still don’t understand what this has to do with me and my dad. We aren’t in danger. . .”
My words trail off when Tobias shakes his head. It was only brief, but quick enough for me to notice.
“Despite what Axel told you, my mom didn’t steal Col’s money.”
“I know,” he agrees, smiling softly. “I’m not here about Col’s missing millions. I’m here because of this.”
My hand rattles when I accept the folded-up piece of paper from his grasp. “What the fuck?” I murmur under my breath when I read my name typed on the arrest warrant. I’m not usually a fan of profanity, but there isn’t a more adequate reply than the one I just gave. “I’m not a criminal.”
My eyes snap to Tobias when he says, “Did you hand a financial ledger to the Ravenshoe Police Department nine months ago?”
Unable to speak through the lump in my throat, I nod my head.
Tobias arches a brow. “Did it have your handwriting in it?”
I should be shutting down this interrogation and demanding to speak to a lawyer, but I’m so interested in where our conversation is heading, I can’t do anything, much less speak.
Spotting my brief nod, Tobias discloses, “So you weren’t just seen in numerous FBI surveillance images attending functions of notoriously well-known members of the underworld. . .”
“I attended as Axel’s girlfriend. I wasn’t there in a business manner. . .”
Tobias continues speaking as if I never interrupted him, “You also handed evidence of the money laundering activities you engaged in a minimum once per week for over a year to a woman who is obligated by law to share what she received.”
My heart falls into my shoes. “I didn’t launder money.” I want to say more, but decide to start at the most concerning part of his confession.
“I didn’t,” I continue to defend myself when Tobias remains quiet. “I used the cash that arrived with the ledger to pay for invoices amassed throughout the week. I didn’t launder anyone’s money.”
My last five words are nowhere near as confident as my first sentence when the routine I followed every Sunday morning smacks into me. I paid for purchases from businesses every week without bothering to check what was brought. I didn’t care what was in the gym bags they handed me, because anything purchased by Axel or his family wasn’t of interest to me.
Jesus Christ—could I have been more stupid?
I move to the stairwell to sit on the first step. If I don’t sit, I’ll fall.
“Am I going to jail?” I ask, my words shaky.
A four by four cell isn’t scaring me. It is the prospect of leaving Ryan and my dad. That is worse than any sentence I could be handed.
The sturdy stair squeaks when Tobias takes the vacant spot next to me. “No, not if you agree to my terms.”
I stop cradling my pounding head to peer at him. “What terms?”
He holds my gaze while asking, “Do you remember the businesses you collected the purchases from?”
I smirk. It isn’t a joyful smirk. “How could I forget them? I visited them a minimum once a week for over a year.” I aim for my reply to come out playful, but my attempts are pathetic. I sound as stupid as I feel.
Tobias bumps me with his shoulder, attempting to quell the panic swallowing me whole. I appreciate his effort, but I don’t think anything could take away my unease.
“There’s the get out of jail free card you’re looking for.”
“That might be a get out of jail free card, but it is also a death sentence. If those men are associated with Col, and I go against them, I’m placing a target on my back.” You can hear the turmoil in my voice.
Concerns for my father’s well-being may have forced me to turn a blind eye to things that should be obvious, but I’m not foolish enough to miss the warning alarms bellowing in my ears now. Col Petretti is a horrible man. Axel and I barely escaped his wrath when we arrived at one of his events thirty minutes late.
