Page 84 of Dead Love
“Oh, and Kora?” she asked. “Before you go. I set up a coffee and tea date with Andrew at Nectar Latte. You know, like we used to…”
She trailed off, saving me from the words, but I knew what she meant.
Like we had done with Nyla.
“Awesome,” I said, sarcasm zipping through my tone.
She crossed her arms. “You like Nectar Latte.” She looked down her nose at me. “Andrew is one of your oldest friends. He’s a very good catch.”
She must have had no idea that Andrew had known where I was long before my father had ‘found’ me. I got out of the car, but before I closed the door, I leaned down.
“Really,” I said, trying to seem as genuine as possible, “It’ll be great to do something normal for once.” That sounded right. It’s something I should have been saying. It was something my mother probably wanted to hear. “I can’t wait.”
“Good.”
As I made my way toward the entrance to the police station, I listened for the shifts in the engine to signal that Shea was leaving, but the car idled in the parking space, waiting for my return. I didn’t look back. Her glare seared through those thick sunglasses, boring into me. Raging at me for keeping this from her. Angry at herself for letting me.
I held my fists at my sides, then stepped forward and opened the door to the station. Immediately, Sheriff Mike saw me and brought me into his office.
“That’s right. We had an appointment today, didn’t we?” he said. “What can I do for you, Kora? Did you remember anything about your abduction?”
Even if we were blood, it was always business with him. He was a man of the law, and he liked it that way. At one time, I had thought that it was part of what made him a good person. Something to admire. But after I realized how little he actually cared for me and my mother, I stopped trying. The abduction emphasized that. I had disappeared, and yet there was no concern for me, now that I was here. I simply existed. A citizen to protect.
“About that,” I said, “I need to ask you for a favor.” I straightened, and he raised his brows. There was no easy way to put this, so I said it as plainly as I could: “I need you to let Vincent Erickson go.”
Sheriff Mike laughed, his chest rippling with amusement. “Let him go? Are you kidding me?”
“He didn’t kill those people,” I said as confidently as I could. “He didn’t kill Nyla.” Everything inside of me was hot; Ihadto do this. I couldn’t let go now. “I’m dropping the charges. There’s absolutely no reason to keep him here.”
“He kidnapped you,” my father said.
“I told you: he was rescuing me.”
“From a fire thathestarted.”
“Do you have any proof that Vincent started the fire?” My father tilted his head in silence. I knew the answer. “Then why is he still here?”
“The people of Punica feel safer when he’s behind bars.”
“But will they actually be any safer?” I crossed my arms. Nerves fluttered in my chest, throbbing with my heartbeat, but I stayed strong. “You and I both know that the real Echo Killer is out there. And you’re not using the taxpayers’ resources to find the actual criminal.”
He sucked in a long breath. “I see what you’re saying, but I can’t change what’s been done. Vincent chose his path; now he has to see where it leads.”
He had chosen a path that led to me. And whether or not that was a good thing was still to be decided.
By me.
And I needed to see where that path would lead me too. I was done living like this. Vincent might have had some flaws, but he didn’t deserve to take the fall for crimes he hadn’t committed. It killed me to think of him like that.
And then, rebellion took hold of me. Like Vincent was there, supporting me. I knew exactly what to say.
“What about your campaign?” I asked. Mike lowered his chin, his eyes narrowed. “I’m sure it wouldn’t look good to your supporters if your own daughter went and told the press that you werelyingin order to get their votes.” I shrugged as nonchalantly as possible, though my mind was reeling:What are you doing? Blackmailing a sheriff? Your own father? Are you crazy?!But I had to get Vincent out of there. Then, we would be equal. Then, I wouldn’t have this anxiety gnawing at my stomach constantly. Besides, what I was doing was minimal compared to what my father was doing to him. At least, that’s what I told myself. I continued on: “What kind of sheriff lies to his own people?” I cocked my head to the side, my heart beating rapidly. “Only a corrupt sheriff.”
“Kora,” Sheriff Mike said. He flexed his arms at his sides. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”
And maybe he was right, but I couldn’t stop myself.
“Put him in jail for something he actually did,” I argued, “Something that you actually have proof of. I’m fine with that.” Mike furrowed his brows. “But this? The Echo Killer is out there, Dad. And you need to find therealmurderer. Or Iwillgo to the press.”
