Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 98264 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98264 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
“I ran home. I…” My stomach rolled at the memory. “I…” Oh, God, where were the words? I couldn’t tell them Ramsey told me to leave. It would make him an accessory or something. No. If I was going to get him out of there, this had to be all about me even when it seemed irrational. “I did it. I swear. You have to believe me.”
He shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Get outta here, girl. Go home. Your brother’s getting locked up for a long time. Don’t tie yourself to a sinking ship.”
"He’s all I have left! You don’t understand. Josh did things to me. And to Thea. And… And…” My breathing stammered.
There was a long silence while I tried to catch my breath, and the two men exchanged pointed glances. Officer Perry shook his head while Officer Nelson looked down at his shoes and scratched the back of his neck.
Officer Perry spoke first. “All right now. That’s enough of that.” He rested a hand on the backstrap of the gun on his hip. “If you quiet down and stop all this nonsense, I might be able to let you see him for a few minutes before transport gets here to take him over to the county jail.”
My back shot straight, and my lungs filled with what felt like my first ever breath of air.
He was still there. Ramsey was still there.
He’d know what to do.
He always knew what to do.
“Okay. Okay. I can do that.” Frantic, I started wiping away my tears and willed the shaking in my hands to still. I smoothed my T-shirt down and tried to hide the evidence of how I was tearing apart at the seams.
The men exchanged mumbles I couldn’t quite make out, and then young Officer Nelson led me down an empty hall, florescent lights humming above us.
“You got about five minutes, so make it quick,” he said, swinging a door open.
He might have said something else, but my eyes, mind, and heart homed in on my brother sitting on a metal chair, both of his hands cuffed to the table.
“Nora,” he breathed, shooting to his feet, his red-rimmed eyes obliterating the tiny fraction of what was left of me.
“Oh, Ramsey!” I cried, racing over to him and throwing my arms around his shoulders. The second his warmth hit me, I dissolved into a puddle of hysterics. “What’s going on?”
When he was unable to return my embrace, he tilted his head to rest on top of mine. “Shhhh, it’s okay. I’m good. Everything’s fine. Just breathe.”
“Please tell me you didn’t really confess.”
His whole body turned to stone. “Nora, look at me.”
Never releasing him, I tilted my head back.
Tears welled in his eyes, but it was Ramsey, so he smiled through the pain. “I did because I’m guilty.”
“No, you aren’t,” I hissed.
“I am. That’s the way it has to be from now on. I killed Josh. End of story.”
I took a step away and stared at him incredulously. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“I love you. You know that, right? I don’t say it enough, but I have loved you since the day you were born. And I know you’re fourteen now and think you’re all grown up, but you’ll always be my baby sister. It’s my job to protect you. I get it, I failed, and I will live with it for the rest of my life. But I can fix it.”
“You going to jail for something you didn’t do is not going to fix anything. That’s creating a whole new set of problems. I was the one behind the wheel of that car. I hit the gas pedal. I made the choice. This is my problem. Not yours.”
He sighed. “It’ll always be my problem because I wasn’t there when he did those things to you.” His voice cracked, but he cleared it and kept going. “I wasn’t there for Thea, either. But I can be here now. The Caskeys are powerful people. They will never rest until one or both of us are behind bars. So let it be me.” His long lashes fluttered closed with a mixture of regret and agony. “I saw Thea tonight. What he did to her. The marks he left.” He let out a low growl, shaking his head as if he could somehow erase the memory. “And now, knowing he did that to you too… Jesus, Nora. You’ve been through enough.”
He was right. I’d been through hell, but it didn’t mean I was going to allow him to take my place in the flames.
“I won’t let you do this.”
“I’m not asking for permission. It’s already done, but you have to keep your mouth shut.”
“I don’t have to do anything!” I yelled.
With his hands chained to the table, he couldn’t stand at his full height, but his large body swelled until it felt as though he were filling the room. “I won’t survive, Nora. If you push this and we both end up in prison and something happens to you, I will not survive it. I promise you that. I just need to know you’re okay. We can visit and write letters. Thea’s going to need you too.”