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“I’m going to take care of it.”
I sighed at my father’s reassurance. My entire life he’d been cleaning up my messes. It was time I took responsibility for something. For once in my life, I needed to stop running.
“I killed Callum.”
The phrase bounced off the quietness of the room, and both my father and the lawyer sucked in a breath.
“Let’s have a quick chat before we get started,” the lawyer said, but I was not in the mood for games, so I continued.
“They think that Eli did it, but he didn’t. Callum kidnapped Eli and drugged him. Caleb used him to get to me.” This time, I turned to my father. “They confessed to killing Mom and Angel.” My mind raced as I recalled what Callum had told me. “They said you knew their father.”
Immediately, my father stiffened, and I knew there was truth to what Callum said. For a man who skirted the law, my father was a terrible liar.
“If what you are saying is true, we might be able to make a deal.” The lawyer was scratching notes on his notepad.
If I thought my father was stiff before, at this point, I worried his bones would snap from the tension. “What do you mean make a deal?” His voice was soft as he spoke. “You are supposed to be one of the best attorneys on the East coast.”
“I am.” The lawyer didn’t look up from whatever he was doing, which I thought was bold, considering my father looked like he wanted to murder him. “But we have to be realistic.” This time he put his pen down, folded his hands, and looked directly at me. “Carla is covered in blood. There’s a dead body, and the police are out for blood. It also doesn’t help that there’s a witness claiming her boyfriend killed his brother. The best we can hope for here is for Carla to get probation or a slap on the wrist.”
“Eli didn’t do anything!”
“Quiet,” my father snapped. He turned back to the lawyer. “You need to figure out how to fix this. Fast.”
The lawyer sighed and nodded. “I’m going to go and see what information I can dig up.”
I inhaled sharply as I realized how screwed I was. I hadn’t thought about what would happen to me after this. I’d killed Callum in self-defense.
But I’d also killed him, and I would have done it even if he hadn’t had his hands around my throat. It was an odd realization to come to.
My father took my hand in his own, drawing me away from my thoughts. “You are freezing,” he muttered, rubbing his thumb over the top of my hand. “They should have given you a blanket.”
I nearly laughed. Surely my father was joking. I was a murder suspect. The cops weren’t going to help me.
When they’d arrested us, they’d separated Eli and I immediately, probably so that we wouldn’t try and doctor up a story. Not that I would have been capable of such a thing. The cops had taken DNA from my hands and clothing and had taken pictures of my wounds. I’d allowed it, never asking for a lawyer or saying anything.
“How did you know I was here?” I hadn’t called my father; I’d been too numb to think about what to do.
“Eli called Marco.”
Of course he did. Even in the midst of our lives imploding, Eli was responsible. The thought should have made me laugh, but instead, I felt an incredible sadness overtake me.
“I’m going to confess.” The words came out before I could stop them. I knew that my father was never going to allow me to do that, but I was technically eighteen, and he didn’t have control over me.
“Carla…” There was a warning in his tone.
I shook my head. “No,” I told him. “I’m not going to let Eli go down for this.”
“He’s not going to. Marco Blanchi is a sly fish. He’s not going to allow his son to take the fall for this just like I’m not going to allow you to go down for doing what was necessary. You avenged your mother and brother.” A proud smile overtook his face, and the sight of it made me sick. “You did what any daughter of mine would do.”
Those words made me ill.
I didn’t want this life. Killing Callum had saved my life, but it cost me a lot. Even though I was the daughter of an arms dealer who’d made a fortune breaking the law, killing someone, even someone who’d wronged my entire family and ruined my life, made me ill.
The door to the room opened back up and my lawyer stepped inside. There was a long look on his face, and I knew that whatever he’d learned wasn’t good.
“Papa?” I asked, turning my attention back to my father. “Do you think you can get me a coffee?”
“Coffee?” There was a question in his eyes, and I held my breath slightly, sending up a prayer to my mother, brother, and sister that this would work, and that my father would one day forgive me for doing the right thing.
