He nods.
He picks up one of the papers, eyes moving across the lines. A photo of a man is clipped to the corner. I lean into him and read over his shoulder. The words blur, then snap into focus, and I grab the page from his hands.
The paper reads that my mom used to be part of a gang called the Fallen Saints and that she was under witness protection. Her case officer is listed as Justin Miller. My stepfather.
I look at Judas, then back down at the page.
They put her under witness protection because she had to testify against the President of the Fallen Saints in court. The lines list locations where he deals drugs and weapons, and places where they robbed a bank. At the bottom, there’s the name of the judge who is supposed to prosecute the case.
William Harrington.
Judas flips through the file and pulls out another page, holding it out to me.
“Maria De La Cruz, mother of three…” My voice drops. I scan the list of relatives at the bottom.
One name stops me cold.
“Harper De La Cruz.”
Judas’s eyes lift to mine. “H-h-harper?”
“She’s my... half-sister,” I say, staring at the page. “Did you know?”
He shakes his head.
Then he signs,The President of the gang wanted us to find these files. He never said why. Now I understand.
“Are you a Fallen Saint?” I whisper.
He nods. His hands rise again.That was the only way I could survive.
“The night William fell down the stairs, they found out he was my dad.” I press my lips together. “Somehow, I think all of this is connected. I think he put me in juvie because he knew I knew something. But I know nothing, Judas.” A broken laugh slips out. “I barely remember.”
I remember you,he signs.
He keeps going, slower.
I found a file in Dad’s office. The main suspect in the serial killings from 2000 was Justin Miller. When I saw his face, I knew he was the one who kept me locked in that fucking glass cage. No one could touch him because he was a cop. So I followed him. I promised myself I would slit his throat the same way he did to my parents.
“It was you?” I ask. I press my hand into his palm, grounding myself. “It was you, wasn’t it?”
He nods.
I never wanted Dad to lock you up. But he did. All this time, I thought he did it to protect you.
“What about my mom?” A tear slips down my cheek.
He shrugs, then signs.When I stabbed Justin, I panicked. I called Dad to help me.
“Who killed my mom?” My voice cracks.
He pulls me in before the question can fall apart, arms locking around my shoulders, holding me still. My knees hit the floor. Something hard presses against my side. I shift, reach for it, and my elbow bumps the remote.
The TV flickers and turns on, and my face fills the screen.
“Missing teenager Carmen Harrington was taken from a family home in Del Mar,”the woman says.“The house was broken into. William and Catherine Harrington are waiting fora call from the kidnappers or any information that can bring their adoptive daughter home.”
I look at Judas. “Did you trash the house?”
