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“When the time comes for you to prove you’re not a crank, and that everything you have to say about Anton is true, you won’t be alone. You’ll have many corroborating accounts from people who have never met you and have no reason to lie for you.”
Unbelievable.
Speechless, I stare at Ingram, a smile growing on my face.
“By the time this is over, we’ll hopefully have even more. From the Masters themselves,” Ingram adds. “But for now, we could send what we have to Anton as a threat, to tell him to stay the hell away from you, or else this all goes to the press.”
“Let’s do it!” I say. “Fuck Anton. Let’s just send this to the press now! The whole fucking world will be beating down his doors, and the Masters will be totally fucked too. It’ll be the end of all of them.”
Ingram takes my hand and sits us down on the bed. He takes one last look at the aerial footage, then slips the phone into his pocket.
“Kate, I understand this might upset you. There’s only one thing keeping me from doing it: I’d like to help Jamison and Colette.”
Oh.
I should have known.
“If not for them, I never would have gotten off the island alive. Protecting you is my top priority, but I owe them.”
He’s right — that is upsetting. If it wasn’t for Jamison, Anton never would have taken control of the Masters. Jamison could have kept this all from happening in the first place — and that says nothing about his many abuses of power, as well as his abduction and imprisonment of Colette. Shouldn’t he be punished for a lifetime of exploitation and crime?
“What are you going to do for them?” I ask.
“Give them a chance to disappear. The world will know what they did — I won’t keep their secrets, but they helped me — us. They deserve something in return.”
Yeah, like a comfortable jail cell instead of a shallow grave.
“If we go after Anton too soon, Jamison and Colette could die. So could all of the Masters. I want to take them alive, so we can make them answer for their crimes. Isn’t that what you want?”
That’s true. They deserve extensive public trials and life sentences, not a quick death from their implants. But Jamison shouldn’t be let off the hook.
“I get that Jamison means a lot to you and that we wouldn’t be here if not for him. But think of all the thousands of people who were hurt because of what he’s done. Should they be denied justice?” I argue. “If we shield him from the consequences of his actions, we’re no better than he is.”
Ingram crosses his arms in front of his chest.
“What about Colette?”
“What about her?” I reply. “She’s an innocent. She should go free — her and all the other courtesans.”
“Colette won’t go anywhere without Jamison. She loves him. If he goes to jail, she’ll have nothing.”
“She’ll have her freedom.”
“She doesn’t want that!” Ingram huffs. “She wants her master.”
“That’s too bad! Jamison’s crimes can’t go unpunished. He can’t get away completely.”
Ingram sighs.
“Jamison isn’t like the others. Colette sees the good in him.”
Yeah, but she’s lived like a prized pet for most of her life. She’s grown used to it, including overlooking Jamison’s misdeeds. Even as a prisoner, she’s benefited from his empire.
“Has he ever bribed a politician to get his way?” I ask.
Ingram nods.
“Hundreds of times.”
