Page 110 of Torin

“How can he do this?” she whispers against my chest. “He’s gone too far this time.”

Alexandria gets to her feet. “How much of that was true?”

“None of it,” Hannah says.

“And Bennett?”

“He hasn’t done anything. All he did was support me. Encourage me. He told me about the cabin in case I ever needed somewhere to go.”

She gives a short, bitter laugh.

“Which is exactly where I was heading when Orson ran me off the road.”

Alexandria’s attention sharpens.

“Alexandria’s a lawyer,” I tell Hannah. I don’t think she knows.

Hannah turns to her. “So, what does this mean for Bennett?”

“The first thing he needs is a good criminal defense lawyer. If they’re claiming they found evidence on his laptop, his lawyer needs to know exactly what they say they have.”

“It’s bullshit,” Hannah says. “There’s no way he’s been secretly recording me. That’s just… fucking weird.”

“Then they’re going to have to substantiate it.”

“My father doesn’t need to substantiate anything. He controls the sheriff’s department.”

Alexandria considers that. “Why is he so desperate to get you back?”

“Because I know too much.”

“I found evidence of things he’d been doing. Corruption. People he’d paid off. Things he thought I’d never find out about. I was writing an exposé.”

“And he found out?”

“Yeah. That’s when everything changed. He realized I wasn’t just his difficult daughter anymore. I was a threat.”

My bear surges inside me.

It doesn’t give a shit about evidence or sheriffs or the law.

Hayes threatened my mate.

Every instinct I possess is screaming at me to get in my truck, drive straight to his house and deal with him myself.

Gunnar switches off the TV.

Hannah stares at the blank screen.

“You think you can help Bennett?” Gunnar asks Alexandria.

“I know a couple of good criminal defense attorneys in town. I can make some calls.”

“They’ve framed him,” Hannah says. “They’ll have fake evidence. Fake witnesses. My dad controls everyone.”

“I don’t know about everyone. But Bennett has rights. If they’re claiming they have evidence, his lawyer gets to see it. Every photograph. Every recording. Every forensic report.”

“And if it doesn’t exist?”