The Fall(53)

“How do you know, Sofia?” I grabbed her arm, her skin probably bruising under my fingers. “How do you f*cking know?”

“Because you are standing here considering an alternative.” She didn’t pull away even though I was sure I was hurting her. “Let me be the alternative.”





It wasn’t easy to hear your own father say he wanted you dead.

I’d always suspected he’d do whatever it took to further his own interests, even if it meant getting rid of me. I just never thought he had the guts to actually do it. Turns out, I was right on that part. He wanted me gone, but he didn’t want to get his hands dirty.

But Michael was conflicted. His instincts were telling him one thing while the humanity he’d tried to deny was telling him something else.

And I knew.

In order to save myself, I was going to have to save him first.

I had to believe both of us would make it.

Slowly the gun moved away from my body, his hand still gripping my arm.

“Fuck.” He shook his head, and pushed me away. “FUCK!” The chair he’d been sitting in flew across the room in a fit of rage. “Fuck, f*ck, f*ck.” He backed further away, widening the distance between us.

If he was trying to scare me, he was doing an awesome job of it, but my feet refused to move. Watching him freak out in front of me as his body flexed in agitation. His eyes darkened as his hand raked through his hair.

“So, what’s the alternative then, Sofia?” He stalked closer, the light catching on the rise and fall of his bare chest. “Because I’ve got nothing right now.”

“My father will assume you’ll kill me.” I forced my eyes up to his. “So they won’t be able to predict what we’ll do next.”

“We?” He said the word like it didn’t quite fit in his mouth, his brows knitting in confusion.

“Yes, we.” My eyes connected with his as my hand slowly reached out to his fingers. “Give me the gun, Michael.”

“I won’t kill you, Sofia, but you aren’t getting my gun.” He looked down at the forty he was still palming and lowered it onto the desk. “I’ve not totally lost my mind.”

“Well that’s a start.” I tried to smile, which was ironic seeing as there was little about this situation that was actually funny.

“So, what’s the plan?” He folded his arms across his chest and waited for me to respond.

It had been the first time he’d ever asked me for my input, and I had a hunch he didn’t make a habit of asking people their opinions.

“Leverage.” I pointed to the desk and to the computer sitting on it. “Give me a few days, let me get some evidence together.”

“I told you, I won’t be a rat.” His jaw tensed.

“You won’t be, I will.” I took a breath. “Not that anyone will actually know it’s me, the information will be sent to various sources anonymously. And then I’ll disappear. At least then, it will be worth it.”

There was no way I could go public, and it had nothing to do with being afraid for my life. Well, not totally for that reason, anyway.

“The information is going to be illegally obtained, which means that unless it’s discovered by someone not connected with the investigation, it won’t be admissible in court. I’ll take myself out of the equation. They may have suspicions, but they won’t be able to prove it’s me, and by that time I’ll be gone anyway so it won’t matter.”

My father had shown me how to play the system before I’d even learned to drive, but there were two sides to that coin. How we played it now only I would decide. And there would be so much evidence there was no way all of it could be suppressed. Not without a huge public outcry and backlash from constituents.

“And how will you disappear?” He smirked, not offering any other commentary.

“That’s the we part. I’m going to need your help.” I bit my lip, knowing there was no way I could do this successfully without his assistance. “I know you hate that I looked at your files.” I lifted my hands defensively as I started talking faster. “But you have been living without an identity since you were fourteen. Nothing exists that ties you to the person you once were. Help me do the same.”

“You want to disappear?” He stalked closer, watching me intently. “Then you will have to be willing to do things on the other side of the law. You think you can do that? That your God will forgive you?”

“Yes. Whatever it takes.” I didn’t hesitate.

Whatever I did or had to do would hopefully be justified in the end. It was the only thing that mattered. That one way or another, my life would have meant something. Something good. Something positive. It had to.

“You have no idea what this is going to involve.” He shook his head and for a second I was convinced he was about to say no. “But fine, I’ll help you.”

I could have cried with relief, my body sagging as the tension eased out of it.

“What are we going to do about my father?” The call had been pretty clear and while there hadn’t been an agreement reached one way or another, he wasn’t the kind of man who liked waiting.

“You better start working your magic; you think you can get what you need in a couple of days?” Michael tipped his head toward the computer. “This isn’t going to be cheap either.”