Page 125 of Torin

For several seconds, he just looks at me.

“That’s quite an offer.”

“I’m not finished.”

His eyebrows lift slightly.

“In return, you get Professor Bennett released. You tell the District Attorney he had nothing to do with my disappearance. You withdraw every allegation you made against him, and you make sure the charges are dropped.”

“And what will you tell them?”

“Whatever I need to. I’ll tell them I left home voluntarily. That Bennett thought I was in danger and was trying to help me. That he never kidnapped me or held me anywhere against my will.”

My father leans back in his chair.

“You understand that after everything you’ve said, people are going to have questions.”

“Then I’ll answer them.”

“Including questions about the allegations you made against me?”

“Yes.”

“And what will you say?”

I force myself to hold his gaze.

“That I was wrong.”

Something in his face relaxes.

“All right.”

I stare at him. “All right?”

“You’ve made your terms very clear.”

“I want Bennett released today.”

“I understand.”

“And this ends here. You don’t investigate him. You don’t go after his job. You don’t find some other way to punish him for helping me.”

“Agreed.”

“You’ll speak to the District Attorney now?”

“Yes.”

Relief washes through me. Bennett is going to be released. His name might never fully recover from what my father has done to him, but at least he won’t be sitting in a cell because he tried to help me.

My father gets to his feet.

“We should make sure we’re telling the same story before we speak to him.”

I stand too.

“About Bennett?”