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TIME TICKS BY SLOWLY until a guard comes and lets me know that my lawyer is here. I jump down off my bunk and allow him to put the handcuffs on me. We go down multiple hallways before ending up in a small conference room. My dad and our lawyer, Finn Bradford—the best defense attorney in the country—are both sitting there, and I've never been so relieved to see them.
The guard removes the cuffs, and the first thing I do is go hug my dad. He holds me tight and pats me on the back, whispering that we're going to fix this and that everything will be okay. I'm not sure I believe him, but I keep any doubts I have inside. Once I'm done, I shake Finn's hand and take a seat.
"How are you doing, Jace?" Finn asks.
I huff sarcastically. "I've been better, clearly."
He nods slowly. "Understandable. Trust me when I say I'm doing everything I can to get you out of here. I have one idea that we'll go over in a minute, just as soon as—"
The door opens and Carter's dad walks in. "Sorry I'm late. It takes forever to check into this damn place."
"It's fine. You're here now," my dad tells him.
My brows furrow as rage fills me. "What the fuck is he doing here?"
The look on my dad's face tells me he has no idea what I'm so mad about. "He wants to help."
"Bullshit he does!" I shout. "He knew I was going to get arrested this whole time."
"Jace—" Mr. Trayland tries to put his hand on my shoulder, but I shrug him off.
"Don't fucking touch me!"
The guard bangs on the glass—a warning for me to settle down, but I'm not going to let him act like he gives a shit. Not after what he did.
My dad looks at his best friend since childhood. "Is that true, Jamie?”
Finn interrupts. "As much as I respect you both, this is not the time for this. We need to focus on this case, and I need Trayland's input. So, can we focus and deal with this later?"
Both my dad and Mr. Trayland agree, and Finn opens up a folder in front of me. It's filled to the brim with pictures, phone records, screenshots of text messages, but the one that grabs my attention the most is the one he tries to avoid letting me see.
Auburn hair is splayed out on the concrete, stained red with blood. The sun-kissed skin that was always covered in the finest silk. And the brown eyes that used to call you in like a seductress now void of the life they once held.
"Jace, you're being charged with Second Degree Murder. Do you understand that?"
I nod, but don't say anything.
"Now I've looked over this case, and the evidence they have is pretty damning, but I need to hear your side of it. Even your statement to police from that night is marked as uncooperative."
I know it is. I remember that night well. They shoved me in an interrogation room and went at me for hours, trying to pull the events of what happened on that roof out of me, but I never said a word.
I couldn't.
Finn reaches forward and puts his hand on mine, forcing me to look at him. "I'm asking you this as your lawyer, as your friend, and as the person with your best interest. Okay?" I nod once. "Did you kill Davianna Sorrentino?"
That's the winning question, isn't it? Did I kill her?
The question alone is one I never thought I would be faced with. After all, I was the kid who had the world in the palm of his hands. Or at least that's what I thought.
Finn, my dad, and Mr. Trayland all stare at me, waiting for my answer. I take a breath and let the tension drain from my body the same way Dr. Litman showed me at our last appointment, and then I answer.
"No."
In unison, all three of them sigh. Finn looks pleased, which I'm guessing is because he didn't want to have to defend a guilty man, but he would have if he needed
to. He's not only our lawyer, but a close family friend who would do whatever he has to in order to help us.
"Okay." He nods. "Then what I suggest we do is fight extradition. It's a long shot, but I think your chances at getting out on bail are a lot higher in California than they are in Florida. Especially since I don't know what kind of connections Mr. Sorrentino has over there, but from what I've seen, he's rather powerful."
