Adam steps forward. “This isn’t one dead body found, Eve. They’ve already got your prints on the one that you found, and with a detailed description by another, they’ve got you for two, and they will blame you for the others.” He shrugs. “They’ll say you were working with an accomplice. Most likely Isabella, since she’s ‘missing,’ and you’ll go down for who knows how many counts.”
“They could try and push the death penalty,” Bill suggests.
“I didn’t do this.” She looks at me, her pretty green eyes pleading with me, and it breaks my heart because they look the exact same as the video I watched last night. When she begged Evan to just kill her. “You know that, right? That I didn’t do this?”
“It doesn’t matter what we think you did or didn’t do.” Eve narrows her eyes on Haidyn at his lack of belief in her. “It’s what they can prove, and they have the evidence stacked against you.”
“They can’t prove it, because I didn’t do it,” she grinds out.
“What’s the status on the woman?” Ryat asks.
“Apparently, she was severely beaten and raped, like all the others, but instead of being killed and dumped, they left her to die. The cops were able to get a little information from her before she went into surgery, but she hasn’t woken up yet. Brain swelling. She’s been back into surgery twice since. They’ve got her in a drug-induced coma right now to try and relieve the swelling.”
“She may not survive,” Saint states the obvious.
“There’s always a chance,” Adam adds. “And if she does wake up, they’ll show her pictures of Eve. And I have a feeling that even if she doesn’t recognize Everett, they’ll pressure her to say it’s her. They’ve been wanting to close these cases, and this gives them the advantage to do so.”
“And we can’t allow that,” Bill says.
“You agree with them too?” Eve snaps at Bill.
“I would have done anything to save your mother,” he says softly.
“You’re killing someone’s daughter.” Everett turns to me. “Kashton, whatif I had been killed? Hmm? I was that girl. Beaten and raped, and I survived. She can have a life after this. She deserves a chance.”
My girl can beg me all she wants, but it’s not going to do her any good. “Not at the expense of yours.” It’s not even up for discussion.
“I can talk to her?—”
“Absolutely not,” I snap. Has she lost her fucking mind? She’s obviously not thinking clearly from the drugs that Bill had to give her at Dollhouse for her assignment. I need to call Gavin for another IV. Maybe that will help.
“It wasn’t me,” she shouts desperately. “If you kill her, then it changes everything. It puts all of you on their radar. You become exactly what they’re trying to accuse me of.”
“I’ll take that chance,” Haidyn states, and she bares her teeth at him.
“I know I’m exhausted and all, but what if we’re looking at this the wrong way,” Ryat suggests. “What if she was planted?”
Adam opens his mouth but closes it just as quickly.
“Like a mole?” Haidyn questions.
Ryat nods. “Yeah. You were right when you said it’s odd that they’d leave one alive. Doesn’t sit right. A body gets dumped and found by Eve and then they want to pin it on her? Now you’ve got a woman who describes her perfectly?” He looks Eve up and down. “Bullshit. The girl was either brainwashed or part of the plan.”
“You can’t take that chance,” Eve growls. “She could be innocent.”
“We’ve seen this before.” Adam ignores her. “A woman planted and the ones she was spying on had no clue until things went south.”
“Just furthers the point. She’s got to go,” Bill adds.
“How do you suggest we do it?” Haidyn asks.
“Gavin,” Sin and I answer in unison. Then I explain. “She’s in the hospital. Gavin has access. Just make it to where she never wakes up.” It doesn’t have to be gruesome or lengthy. Just quick and easy. Eliminate the problem.
“I can’t believe I’m hearing this.” Eve’s hands shake as she rubs them down her leggings.
“What if we kidnap her instead?” Sin shrugs.
“Absolutely not?—”
