Page 125 of Not Your Little Girl Anymore

The mood I was in is replaced with raging confidence, and it’s taking everything in me not to cuss her out.

“You’re not supposed to be here,” she spits, keeping her tone stern. Jules adjusts the door so there’s only a sliver of a crack, which leads me to believe she’s hiding me from my baby sister.

“I came by so we could talk.”

Jules shakes her head. “We can talk with my lawyer present, and he sure isn’t going to be happy when I tell him you are now breaking the order in place.”

“I’m not leaving until we have a civil conversation,” I shrug.

A laugh barks out of her. “We will never have a civil conversation. That’s not something you’re capable of.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Summer look at me, but I ignore her. My jaw cocks to the side while my body heats with anger. The intense shift causes Summer to place her hand on my arm and step forward.

“Ms.,” Summer begins, lifting her hand for my aunt to give her last name. My aunt doesn’t, rather glaring at me with hate blasted all across her face. It’s amusing, nonetheless.

“OK,” Summer says, dragging out the last syllable. “Let me introduce myself. I’m Summer Raleigh. I’m sure you heard of me. Officer Charles Raleigh’s daughter.”

My aunt blinks, keeping her expression solid. “I’m not sure that I have.”

“No? Well, I’m sure you know the officer who was responsible for Alec’s cases, right? Considering you were his guardian at one point. Yeah, that’s my father.”

Summer waits for my aunt to give her something to go on. It takes a little longer than I’d like.

“I’m sorry, I’m not sure what you’re trying to get at here, but if you don’t leave now, I will call the police,” Jules threatens.

Summer chuckles a little, sarcasm mixed. “You see, my father arrested Alec under faulty indications. He recently lost his badge for tampering with evidence in Alec’s cases. All of his cases. On top of that, he was charged with murder. The drugs that were found in Alec’s possession were planted there by my father.”

Summer hasn’t wasted a single second. She’s tossing everything on the table for my aunt to indulge in.

I watch as Jules’s eyes widen. She adjusts her posture so that she stands taller, wanting to look like this isn’t affecting her any. A smirk pulls up on my mouth, satisfied that Summer is getting to her.

“You need to leave now.”

My teeth grit. “We’re not going anywhere. If you want to call the police, by all means, do so.”

“Jules,” Summer says, catching her attention. “You see, we know you wanted the restraining order to ‘protect Callie.’ However, the restraining order is faulty because no legal proof exists to prove that Alec is a threat. We’re asking you nicely to lift the restraining order, so Callie can be reunited with her brother.”

The crease between her eyebrows deepens, and she gives a stank look. “He is not coming near Callie.”

I chuckle. “Except you can’t stop me once I drag you to court and show them the proof of my tampered case.”

Jules’s arms cross at her chest, and she pops her hip. “I’d love to see you try.”

I take a step forward with clenched fists, but luckily, the touch of Summer’s hand stops me in my tracks.

“Listen. You must know that my father had been in this town long before I was born. That’s…” She taps her chin with her index finger, calculating how many years her father has been here. “Over twenty years ago. Now, because my father was here that long, that means I grew up here. I know every person my father was connected with. I’ve seen and been to every office in this town… I know every lawyer. And ma’am, I have not only my mother’s death benefits… but I have my father’s investments, and now that he’s, well, you know, in prison.” She shrugs, ending it there.

The color from Aunt Jules’s face drains, and her eyes grow worried. Summer’s head tilts as she studies her carefully for long beats.

“Holy shit…” Her fingers press against her lips. “You knew.”

My head shoots in the direction of Summer, confusion rising. “She knew what?”

Summer ignores me, pointing at Jules. “You knew my father set Alec up, didn’t you?”

My stomach drops, anger prodding inside of me. She fucking knew? I watch Jules carefully with disbelief; her expression is tight, filled with guilt, only proving that Summer is right.

“You fucking knew!” I shout. “What? Were you in on it the entire time to get rid of me? Couldn’t stand the thought of looking at the only other male in this family that reminds you of your brother, I bet.”

---