Page 99 of Into the Light

“What the fuck?” Mr. Ortiz barked out as I stood and slipped next to him while Walsh piled in next to Ember.

“We’re here to show you our innocence.” Walsh took out the photos of the woods the day that he was there. “There is clearly one set of tracks on the rock based on the mud prints.”

“That proves nothing. You could’ve washed your own footprints out.” Mr. Ortiz made a swipe motion with his hand as if he didn’t want to hear anything else.

“It does though,” I encouraged, probing him so I didn’t have to whip out the other paperwork, even though that was a far cry from what would happen, with his track record.

“Come on, Rain.” Mr. Ortiz tsked. “I should have given you more lessons because your leadership skills are atrocious.”

He said it in such a smug way that for a moment, I even believed it.

“No,” Ember said, and Walsh placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her, but nothing would deter her from speaking her mind now. “You don’t get to say that about Rain. He has spent the last year tirelessly working to find out what happened to Ash. So you don’t get to call him a bad leader.”

“Why are these peasants here?” Mr. Ortiz looked at Ember and Walsh and scoffed.

“Sir,” Walsh began. “I am trying to tell you—”

“Ash killed himself.” I straightened up. It was time for me to stand up for Ember—for myself. “Whether or not you want to believe it and you want to acknowledge your role in his mental health struggles that’s up to you, but I will not have you speaking to Ember like that.”

Mr. Ortiz narrowed his eyes at me before the corner of his lip twisted and he huffed in anger. “I see what is happening here.”

“Which is?” I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at his fucking disgusting face, grateful that he will no longer be in power for that much longer.

“You are fucking the whore. She wants to know what two stepbrothers feel like, so she took you—” Still sitting, I pounded him in the face—consequences be damned.

Mr. Ortiz stood up, the table in the center of us went flying toward Ember and Walsh. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Walsh jump over to shield her body.

“Stop,” another powerful voice with a deep low timbre echoed from the other side of the diner. “Sit down, Ortiz.”

“Dad?” Ember said from beneath Walsh’s body.

“Get up, Walsh,” Mr. Solis demanded, and he jumped off Ember, who exploded out of the booth.

“I didn’t need you to do that.” She huffed, and I couldn’t help but smile.

“We will not be referring to the children as whores, especially mine,” Mr. Solis barked at Mr. Ortiz, and I couldn’t help but to see how immediately the attitude shifted on him . . . like he was scared?

Seemed so impossible because his entire life Mr. Ortiz made everyone cower around him. He was tall, broad-shouldered and his strong jawline that looked like it could literally eat anyone who walked his way only added to his menacing presence.

“Sit down.” Mr. Solis pointed to a table in the center of the diner.

“What’re you doing here?” Mr. Ortiz demanded before Mr. Solis held the chair out again. Ember walked toward the table where she sat next to her brother. I sat on the other side of her and only squeezed her thigh, making sure she was okay.

She gave me a quick nod, as if confirmation that everything was all right between us—with her.

“Please listen to him,” I begged, and Mr. Ortiz glanced at all of us before obliging and sitting in the empty chair next to Mr. Solis.

“You are in on this little reunion?” Mr. Ortiz asked.

Mr. Solis shook his head. “I had no idea that this was happening. I was told to come here to meet my children for dinner, but I suppose that isn’t happening.” He glanced around at the empty restaurant. Even Sue had scurried away from us.

“What is this about?” Mr. Solis asked, looking between both of his children before landing on me. I could have sworn he lifted his chin at me, a gesture that looked so similar to the one I gave Ember. I responded with a nod.

“It’s time,” Walsh told me.

I reached into my backpack to grab the infamous paperwork before I first laid out the bank statements on the table. Knowing I was presenting this in front of Ember’s dad would make it worse for him because someone bore witness to what was happening, his enemy, nonetheless.

“What are you showing me?” Mr. Ortiz grabbed the papers and looked at them. Walsh, Ember, and I all remained silent as Mr. Solis picked up another document.

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