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“The DA wants to charge you with attempted murder.”
I blew out a breath and let my head drop forward. My muscles tensed, and already I could feel my first tension headache in weeks. “I know.”
“What did the lawyer say?” Dad asked, his voice closer now.
“He’s gonna talk to the DA, see what he can do.” I lifted my head, meeting his stare. “Just gotta wait now.”
Dad didn’t turn away from me, but I wasn’t prepared to tell him more than that. What was said between me and my lawyer was private. I didn’t need to explain to anyone else what was going on and what my plan was. All they needed to know was that things were in motion, whether that motion was good or bad didn’t matter. It wasn’t like they could do anything about it. I’d beat Knox to within an inch of his life, but now he was awake, it meant he could answer for what he’d done to Elodie. And right then, that was the most important thing. She needed justice for what she’d been through.
“You heard anything about Elodie’s case?” I asked.
“They arrested and questioned him,” Ford said, taking a swig of his beer. “Last I heard his dad was pulling strings to get him bail.”
I ground my teeth together at the idea of him being out on the streets—the same streets as Elodie. “You think he’ll get it?”
Dad snorted. “You want the honest answer, son?” I raised my brows at him, waiting. “His dad knows people. He’ll be out on the streets again if he isn’t already.”
“Fuck.” I kicked my foot out, my boot connecting with the side of the boat and causing it to sway. “Elodie isn’t safe—”
“We’ll make sure she is.” Dad stood, planted his hands on his hips, and stared out at the lake, then back toward the house. You could just about make it out from here, and I wondered whether Elodie was still there. I glanced down at my watch. We’d been gone almost an hour now. “She needs to get back to her normal routine,” Dad continued.
“No.” My nostrils flared, and I reeled my line in. I wasn’t in the mood for fishing, I hadn’t been since the moment it had first been mentioned. “She could run into him anywhere. The school halls, the—”
“Nope.” Ford reeled his line in and threw his empty can in the trash bag we attached to the edge of the boat. “He won’t be allowed back there. He’ll have to keep a certain distance from Elodie.”
I laughed. “You think that’s gonna stop him?” I shook my head, feeling my anger bubbling beneath the surface. “He doesn’t care about the goddamn rules.” I wanted to scream and shout to make them understand Knox wouldn’t just give in. “If he wants to get to her, he will. I’m not takin’ that chance—”
“Is that what Elodie thinks too?” Ford asked, raising his brows at me. “Have you even spoken about when you’re coming back home? You can’t stay here forever. You both have lives. She has her school year to finish out—”
“Mom is making sure she’s got all the schoolwork she needs—”
“So, you’re just gonna hide away here until your court date?” Dad asked. “I suppose it makes sense.” He reeled his line in too, obviously seeing that neither Ford nor I wanted to continue fishing.
“It does make sense,” I fumed, pushing my shoulders back. I was always the one person in the family who wasn’t taken as seriously. I was the youngest, and no matter what I did or said, I was always viewed as the baby. But I didn’t need any of their help. I didn’t need their opinions about what Elodie ad I were gonna do from here. It was our business, not theirs.
“I know.” Dad pulled the anchor up and started the engine. “You can hide away here, and then when you have to come back, you will.”
“Exactly.”
“It doesn’t matter that you could come back to no business. The business you built from the ground up.” He shrugged, and I kept my attention on the lake house as we got closer to it. “It doesn’t matter that Elodie will be gone so long it’ll be even harder for her to come home.”
“You don’t get it,” I gritted out.
“Maybe I don’t.” He pointed at me, giving me the same dad look he did when I was in trouble. Only it didn’t have the same effect it did when I was a kid. “But you haven’t even spoken to Elodie about it.”
“How do you know we haven’t already spoken about it?” I asked, my voice rough. I didn’t want to shout—I hardly ever shouted—but I was on my last nerve. I didn’t need Dad and Ford to come here and tell me what to do. I didn’t need them to tell me and Elodie how to react. We both needed time. We both needed space. Space from home. Space from what would happen in a few months when we both had to face court cases.
“I don’t.” Dad pulled close to the dock and cut the engine. “But from the way you’re acting right now, it’s enough for me to know you haven’t.”
I didn’t say another word as he grabbed the rope off the dock to secure the boat, and as soon as it was tied, I jumped off, fully intending to find Elodie, whether she was back in the house or still in town. I needed to know she was okay. I needed to see if—
“Son.” Dad’s hand grasped my arm to halt me. “We just want the best for you. The best for both of you.”
My shoulders drooped as I stared at him. We were the same height, and although he was in his early seventies, he didn’t look it. “I know. I just…we need to figure this out ourselves. Whether that means we come back next week or next month.”
Dad’s eyes widened. “You know
if you’re not back for Christmas, your mom will have us all drive up here again, right?”
