Page 70 of Twist Me

“Do you think she knew who killed her?”

Pharaoh clenched his fists, smashing one of them down onto the table, making me jump. “I’m positive that she knew the person. She’d been acting strange for a while. She kept talking about a case she was working on and how something strange was going on. She told me she couldn‘t tell me but to be careful.”

“Her report said she was stabbed in the back multiple times,” I confirmed. “It would make sense that she knew the person, maybe even trusted them. If she’d been nervous about people in general, it would have to be someone she knew and trusted to let into the house.”

I thought about something on the case file.

“What were you before you…?”

Roe smiled at that, his eyes remorseful and sad. “A professor.”

Judas piped up, walking over to us all. “He was a damn good one, too.”

“You loved Ariah and your daughter. You would never hurt them. Please don’t keep punishing yourself. Let me help you, Pharoah.”

He glared at me and then stared at each of his brothers. Goliath met each of their eyes, too.

Judas smiled, chuckling and clapping his brothers’ on the shoulders. “Look’s like you boys are flying the coop.”

“Judas, we’re not leaving without you,” Pharaoh argued. “Hell, if I leave at all.”

Goliath pinned Pharaoh down with my eyes, grabbing his shoulders. “No, brother. You are. You have our little niece to care for. You deserve to be her dad, man.”

That made Pharoah sigh, and I could see he was fighting tears in his eyes.

Reaching out to squeeze Pharaoh’s arm, I said, “I will call Micah. I may have already started the exoneration process.”

Pharoah shook his head. “Why did I expect you to listen?”

I shrugged and smiled. “Beats me. But honestly, you have missed so much of Xenia’s life. You deserve to be sharing those moments with her. Dressing her up for prom, scaring off her boyfriends with your protective father face, and getting the life back you gave up.”

Goliath and Judas nodded, their faces cementing the silent demand.

Pharaoh looked down at the little ‘X’ tattoo on his wrist. He rubbed it with his fingers.

“What if she doesn‘t want anything to do with me? I have basically been absent her entire life. To her…I am nothing more than a stranger if not the monster she’s been told I am.”

Now, the tears fell freely down Pharaoh’s cheeks. The strongest men I had ever met embraced him and let their brother cry.

“Roe, she is lucky to have you as a dad. Rumors and lies will never take her love for you away.”

“She doesn‘t even know me!”

Judas said, “She doesn‘t have to know you, man. You are her dad, and you’ve loved that little girl from these prison bars her whole life.”

“Yeah, bro, you have the rest of your lives to learn about each other. She may not know you now, but she will love you forever.”

Judas smiled tightly, looking right at me. “You know anything about me, Little Sleuth?”

My face fell. “No. Everything I’ve seen on your case is airtight and matches the accusations. But I haven‘t stopped looking. I promise.”

Goliath took a stray lock of my hair and put it behind my ear, shocking me.

“Well, looks like you made good on your promise after all…but I am not going anywhere without both my brothers, Zee.”

I nodded in agreement because I knew this…I also knew that I couldn’t leave without him. Somehow, this annoying asshat had made me realize I needed him to be free, or I would never truly be free myself.

I laced my hand into the giant’s before me. His eyes snapped to mine before squeezing my hand back.

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