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“Hello?” I answer frantically, hoping it’s Squealer.
“Alexandra.” The male voice on the other end of the line turns me cold.
“Dad.” I swallow the lump in my throat and try to sound normal.
“Do you want to explain why I’ve had to find out from the sheriff at the Colorado Springs police department that my daughter was involved in an incident which resulted in an ATF Agent dying?”
“I’ve just come home from the hospital. I was about to call,” I lie. Calling my parents is the last thing on my mind. Right now, my priority is figuring out how to get Squealer off a murder charge.
“So what happened?” Dad sounds stern like he did when we were kids. Me and my brother's careers always meant more to him than we ever did. I figured it was why Danny chose to send me the files on Hawker, even though our father could have done much more with them. My father would have seen them as career suicide and buried them, but now I’m starting to doubt Danny’s action. Did he send it to me because he was scared of Dad finding out? Danny never explained what he wanted me to do with the file. Just asked me to keep them safe. I’ve based a lot on assumptions. What if Hawker is telling the truth?
God, I hate myself for even thinking that.
“I killed him.” The words seem to fall out of my mouth, but I don’t regret them. I might as well start as I mean to go on, there's no way I’m letting Squealer go to prison for this.
“What do you mean you killed him?” Father chokes mockingly.
“I killed Hawker because he killed Danny, and last night he killed the woman who Danny was in love with. I had the evidence I suspect Danny got murdered for, and Hawker took my friend as bait so I would have to hand it over to him. He killed her. So I killed him.” I stare at the wall in front of me. I’m gonna have to turn all my emotions off, starting from right now. I stand a much better chance than Squealer. I can, at least, plead self-defense.
“So do you want to tell me why there is a member of a biker gang in custody claiming that he was the one who pulled the trigger?” Dad asks, and after all I've been through these past few hours, I find myself no longer afraid of him.
“That might have something to do with me being pregnant with his baby,” I answer matter of factly. There’s a long pause on the other end of the phone, and I wonder if my dad’s had a heart attack.
“Jesus Christ, Alex, please tell me this is a joke.”
“I’m not laughing,” I respond blankly.
“And this man who knocked you up, he’s prepared to go to jail for you?” My dad checks.
“It appears so, but I’m not gonna let that happen.”
“That's exactly what you're gonna let happen,” he spits back down the phone at me. “This is your career we're talking about, Alex. What are you without the force? You’ve worked so hard to be where you are. You were too stubborn to carry your own family name because you wanted to do it all on self merit, and now you're prepared to let all that go to waste because of a few stupid mistakes. You let the biker take the blame, you abort his bastard child. Then you get the hell out of that town, do you understand me?”
“I killed someone,” I reiterate. “I’m not gonna let an innocent man go to prison for it.”
“Oh, something tells me he’s not so innocent. Let’s not forget he’s a member of the Dirty Souls, Alex. What were you thinking getting involved with someone like him?”
“I was trying to get justice for Danny.” I burst into tears. I don’t want to show weakness, but this phone call is the last thing I need right now.
“I can’t let you make a mistake like that, Alex—”
“Well, you haven't got a choice. I’m a grown woman. I make my own decisions.”
“Think of my… of your reputation.”
I hang up the phone and head straight to my bedroom. I feel sicker than ever, and I don’t know if it’s the baby or my nerves.
I have a quick shower and change my clothes. Then pulling on Danny’s college sweater, I grab my cell and head out the door to drive my squad car to the station. I can’t go to Colorado Springs. They’ll still be holding Squealer there. So I head to my own station.
Lucille rushes toward me when I open the door, flinging her arms around me and squeezing me tight.
“Are you okay, honey, shouldn’t you be at home resting?”
“I’m fine,” I shrug her off. “I really need to speak to Roswell.”
“Roswell isn’t here. He’s over at Colorado Springs. They found a lot of evidence against that agent at the scene of the crime, you're a hero, Alex.”
“Okay, then, I need to speak with the person in charge of the case. I was meant to go to the other station to give my statement, but I can’t go there. I need someone to come here and take it. Can you arrange for that to happen?” I ask her, trying my best to stay calm.
