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“You never stood up for yourself. You never said anything.”

“I didn’t say anything because I thought you’d despise me even more if I did. All I was trying to do was get on your good side. For you to see we were on the same side.”

He sighed. “But we never were, were we?” He shook his head. “You know, after Dad died, I realized how many mistakes I’d made. How precious the time we had together was. I’d give anything to have him and Mom back.”

“Yeah. Dad was the rock. Without him, the family fell apart. There was no one to protect us.”

“Yes. There is.” He squeezed her hand. “Me. I’ll help you.”

Hope and love bloomed in her chest. She understood now how Owen must have felt when his father supported him in front of the king. Her brother had her back now.

“Thank you.” She squeezed his hand, and tears welled in her eyes. “You have no idea what it means to me.”

He smiled warmly, his eyes watery. He pinched the bridge of his nose and wiped the tears in the corners of his eyes.

“So tell me everything, and start from the beginning,” he said, businesslike.

“Okay.”

Amber told him about Bryan. How he’d gotten into debt with Jackson and become irritable and angry.

“I thought it was his pride,” she said. “That he hated owing anyone anything. But now I think he hated being in business with him. He hated being involved in a crime like that. Bryan was hotheaded, but he was a good man. I think he simply felt guilty that he was helping Jackson smuggle drugs into America.”

“Can you remember any information? Anything he said that might help us find proof?”

“He mentioned Aman Safar, the owner of a teahouse in Kabul. But he didn’t like to talk about anything he did with Jackson. He got so angry and agitated when I asked questions. Anyway, it got worse and worse, and one day he said something about making a deal with the devil.”

Jonathan nodded thoughtfully. “Jackson.”

“Yeah. I realize that now. Back then, I had no idea what he meant, and he wouldn’t say. Soon after, we split up, but I saw him getting more and more irritable.” She looked down at her hands. “Now I think he was trying to figure out how to get out of the business with Jackson. I should’ve been more understanding. But back then, I thought he just wanted to get back together.”

“Stop the guilt, Amber. If you’d known and tried to do something, who knows what Jackson would’ve done to you. Or if you’d even be alive now.”

“Still. Maybe Bryan would be alive now.”

“All right. Tell me what happened the night of the murder.”

She told him, her hands shaking as she revisited the evening, every little detail. How she’d pushed him in front of everyone. How she’d discovered him later in a pool of blood. How he’d told her about Jackson and asked her to stop him. And how Jackson had found her there.

“And then what?”

“I pointed the gun at him, tied him up, and ran away. There were a lot of witnesses that saw me being aggressive towards Bryan. It looked like I killed my ex-boyfriend. Best case, I’d be charged for manslaughter. Worst case, Jackson could pin a murder rap on me and make sure I got the death penalty. Knowing him, I just didn’t think there was any way for me to fight it. I felt so helpless. He’s a freaking major, Jonathan.”

“Yes. I know. It was stupid, Amber. By running, you signed your own guilty plea.”

She sighed. “I’m here now. And I want to fight. First, I need to find Aman Safar. He might come forward and talk. If not, maybe we can find other evidence through him. Maybe even record Jackson in action.”

Jonathan propped his elbows against his knees and leaned forward.

“No,” he said. “Not you. I’ll go.”

“Jonathan, no. It’s my mess.”

“It is. But every time you go through airports and security, you’re pushing your luck.”

She opened her mouth to contradict him, but he waved his hand and continued.

“I’ll call my connections. I know someone in the military police. They might give me an idea of what they have on you and what the charges are.”