“Sadie,” Todd says.
“Just stop it, Todd,” I say as I stand up and wipe my face. “Stop trying to save me.”
“Sadie,” he says softly, turning me to face him.
“If I don’t get ahead of this, all of you go down with me,” I say tearfully. “Paul is my problem. My abuser. My victim. If I fight the charge, I’ll get the death penalty.”
“Sadie,” he says again, cupping my face.
“Stop,” I cry and shake my head. “I just wanted him to stop hurting me.”
Todd wraps his arms around me, and my legs give out as I am instantly brought to hysteria. He hugs me tightly on the kitchen floor as I sob uncontrollably in his lap.
“Shhh. Sadie. I want you to hear me, okay?” he asks softly. I nod and try to calm myself.
“It’s very simple,” he says, cupping my chin to force me to look at him. “When he calls for you… You go.”
“W-what?” I ask, wiping my face.
“Give him what he wants and show up,” he says with a smile. “The only way to get close is to play his game, right? No one has been able to find him, so let him come to you.”
“But he will…” I start to say.
“He will die, Sadie. That’s what will happen,” he says firmly. “He will pay for betraying you. He will pay for threatening you. If that doesn’t work, we all pack our shit and get the fuck out of this country.”
“You’d run from the cops with me?” I ask with a tearful smile.
“Yes,” he laughs. “If we all go down, Mason will end up someone’s bitch in prison.” I laugh heartily, and Todd hugs me.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper.
“We all knew what we were getting into when we helped you, Sadie,” he says. “So let us help you get out of this, okay?”
“Okay,” I say. “Only because I don’t want Mason to get butt raped in prison.”
“Why do you always pick on me?” Mason asks as he pulls me up to stand, then hugs me.
“Because the weak ones are the easiest to target,” I sniffle and wrap my arms around him.
“You get a pass this time because I don’t like seeing you cry,” he says before kissing me. “No one is going to prison, okay?”
“No, because I’ll jump off something very tall first,” I say with a frown.
“That’s not funny,” Mason scolds.
“Good thing I’m not joking. I’m not going to prison, Mason,” I say seriously.
“Sadie, no one is going to prison,” he says simply as he walks me into the living room. “Do you trust us?”
“Yes,” I sigh.
“Then understand that we will figure this out. If the cops had done their goddamn job, none of this would be happening right now,” he says.
“What do I do then?” I ask. “Just sit around and wait to see if someone arrests me?”
“He will reach out again,” Jake says. I turn to face him and narrow my eyes at him.
“And how do you know that?” I ask with a clear accusation in my voice.
