Page 373 of Filthy Elites

I roll on my back, still with his arms around me, so I can look at him. “What kind of stuff?”

“Legal stuff.”

I sigh. “I don’t suppose you’re suggesting we do government homework together.”

His lips tug up, but he looks sad. It’s the only smile I’ve ever hated. “Nothing I can get the nerds on, unfortunately.”

“What’s wrong?” I ask gently, reaching up to caress his face.

He presses his hand against mine, trapping it against his skin. “I need your help with something, and you’re not going to like it.”

A wave of dread rolls over me. “What is it?”

“Did you talk to the cops today?”

I shake my head. “I’m supposed to go back tomorrow.”

He nods, his thumb absently stroking my skin. “I fucked up a few things the other night. Part of it was because she was there, part of it was you. Working on my own, I wouldn’t have made these mistakes, but when you do shit like this with other people, it’s easy for things to go wrong.”

I’ll have to take his word for it. I’ve never committed crimes with anyone before.

“Anae rolled over on me. I expected she would, but the problem is… If they run tests on the clothes you wore that night, they’ll find bodily fluids.” His gaze drifts to the bruises he left on my jaw. “You have my fingerprints on your face. Maybe there were glove fibers in your mouth, or… inside you. Anae’s telling them she didn’t act alone, that I kidnapped and assaulted you, and if they investigate…”

“They’ll find out you did,” I say softly.

He holds my gaze for a moment, then drops it and nods.

If she goes down, he goes down with her.

How poetic.

“You got caught in your own trap,” I murmur.

His jaw tightens, but he neglects to comment. “There’s another option,” he tells me. “Her mom’s lawyer met with mine today. They said if you don’t press charges, if you say it wasn’t really a kidnapping and you went with her voluntarily but then shit went sideways, a lot of the charges can go away. She can plea down to a stay in a psychiatric facility, and she’ll stop screaming about my involvement. They won’t have any reason to run tests on your clothes, and since you’re not going to do anything with that rape kit… As long as you maintain that I wasn’t there when you go over your new statement tomorrow, this can all go away and I don’t catch a charge at all.”

My tummy drops and I frown. “You… want me to lie about everything?”

He shakes his head. “It’s not what I want. It’s what I need.”

“Dare, I can’t just—” I shake my head, vaguely disbelieving. “She wanted to kill me. If she gets out, she will try again.”

“No, I know. Obviously, I wouldn’t let that happen. I told the lawyers there was no deal if she got off completely. I don’t want to go to fucking prison, but I’m resourceful, I’d find a way out of it. The deal I worked out still keeps you out of danger. Anae will be getting inpatient treatment hundreds of miles from here. She won’t be back at school this year. She won’t graduate. She’ll actually have to do senior year all over again next year.”

With Hannah?

“No.” I shake my head. “I can’t.”

“Aubrey.” He stares at me. “I know it’s not what we wanted and it fucking sucks. I did all that work, you think I wanted it to go this way? But there’s really no other option here. I’m your boyfriend; it’s not unbelievable you’d lie to protect me. If they investigate Anae’s claims, I’m completely fucked.”

“So, I tell these lies, and she gets a slap on the wrist, basically? She helped kidnap and assault me, wanted tocarveme like a holiday turkeyafterwatching you rape me. She wanted to have me seduced and my heart broken over a goddamnshirt,and then she wanted to viciously kill me which sheactually tried to do, and you really think what I should do islie for herso this psycho fucking bitch doesn’t have to serve time for her crimes?Really, Dare?”

His jaw locks. “I’m not saying it’s ideal, Aubrey, but the alternative is that I go down with her. Is that what you want?”

“Of course it isn’t.”

“Then this is what we have to do. I did all this shit to protect you, and now, as unpalatable as it fucking is, I need you to do this for me.”

This is so fuckingunfair.

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