Page 63 of Release You

“Please. We don’t have much time.” She peeked at the guard. “And Henry, be careful. Someone who can kill the way Jonathan killed your dad and then blame it on someone else with such conviction isn’t right. Your uncle is a sociopath. There’s no telling what he’ll do if he finds out you know that truth.”

I nodded. Of course she was right. Even if she only knew half the story. I couldn’t tell her about Mom. Knowing Mom knew the truth and hadn’t come forward would kill Lisa. Maybe Lisa hadn’t bonded with Mom the way Nikki had, but Lisa loved Mom too. In that short summer they spent at Cavalier Manor, both Lisa and Nikki had found a home with us.

“I know. We’ll be careful.” I stood, and Nikki took my place.

“What did she say?” Nikki asked.

“That we better not screw up.” I laughed.

Nikki narrowed her eyes at me, not buying the nonchalant act for a second. She gripped the phone as Lisa spoke. I leaned on the wall, feeling a few pounds lighter, and exhaled. After everything that happened, Lisa didn’t hate me or blame me for any of it. She was happy to see Nikki and I were finally together.

My chest tightened. She’d been in this place, knowing she was innocent, knowing there was no way out for her. What had made Lisa, after fifteen years of resignation,contact Nikki? What had given her hope again? Had it been the parole hearing? Or something else entirely?

CHAPTER 21

Our Broken Memories

Nikki

“What did you tell him?” I asked Lisa.

Behind me, Henry leaned on the wall, waiting patiently. I couldn’t even imagine the guilt he felt seeing Lisa in this place. I wanted to hold him, let him release everything he’d bottled up inside for years. But that would kill Lisa. To see how affected we were by all this. No. The best thing to do was to keep a cool head.

“I asked him to take you away from here.” She held up her hand when I opened my mouth to protest. “But he’s right. We all need to see this through to the end. Do you really believe Jonathan killed Henry’s dad?” Her lip trembled before she got it between her teeth. She was also trying to hide how scared she was. I nodded, and she continued. “Do you know why I sent you that letter last month? Because Jonathan came to see me. He wanted to know if I knew where Tessa kept her jewelry. He said there might be a way to prove I didn’t kill James.”

“What?”

“I told him I had no clue.” She pointed at the sapphireresting on my clavicle. “I recognize that necklace. Where did you find it?”

“Tessa’s security box,” I said.

“He was lying, wasn’t he?” She shook her head in disgust. “Was he just trying to get his hands on Tessa’s money…and your money? He told me that if I helped him, he would sell me Hotel Cavalier. He said he was certain you’d find the proof we needed in the hotel tunnel. The one we used to hide in when we were kids, remember?”

I nodded. “That tunnel isn’t there anymore.”

“He didn’t give a shit about us. He just wanted more money. I’m such an idiot. I got you into this for nothing.” She buried her face in her hands.

Jonathan had played her, but why?

“Not for nothing, Lisa. Henry and I have a plan. None of this is your fault, okay? I promised I would get you out of here, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. Do you trust me?”

“I trust you with my life.” She placed her hand on the glass panel. “Be careful, Nikki. If you get in his way, Jonathan won’t think twice. After all he’s done, who knows what else he’s capable of.”

I had a pretty good idea. “I can take care of myself. You know that.” I smiled at her, hoping it was enough to put her mind at ease. Lisa didn’t need to know Jonathan had already sent someone to hurt Henry.

“It’s time,” the guard said.

She nodded and hung up the phone. I sat there as she left the room, no doubt feeling worse than before she talked to us. I sure as hell felt worse. After the door shut, Henry placed his hand under my elbow and escorted me out of the prison.

“What did Lisa say to you?” Henry asked when we got in the car. “Please don’t lie to me. I can handle it.”

No more lies. We needed to stay together and stick to ourplan. “As it turns out, Jonathan visited Lisa a month ago and told her there was a way to prove she was innocent.”

He shot me a glance with his eyes full of surprise before he turned his attention to the road and pulled out of the parking lot. With each passing day, he had let me in more and more. My heart melted every time he let me see how he felt.

“What?” He shook his head. “Why did he ask for two hundred and fifty thousand dollars?”

“I didn’t think about that. He has your family’s money, so why would he need a quarter of a million dollars? That’s small change for him,” I said.

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