“Well, I’m not done yet, so maybe wait to decide.” I rub my hand over my face, my arm throbbing with a dull ache.
“Wait, so you went expecting Theo not to be there?” Toot confirms.
“I didn’t want to do anything in front of Theo. That would make him more of an accessory than he already is, and I had to be sure Diane was complicit in shit before I acted.”
“All that shit about her accusing you of having an affair with Josh?” Kruger asks.
“The jealous ramblings of a woman tripping. And also, a complete lie.” I lean my elbows on the table, looking around before I admit, “I heard what they said, what they planned. And when I outright asked Diane if Josh had ever touched Theo or planned to, she looked away and told me no.”
A growl tears from Kruger’s throat. I reach over and grab his hand. “That’s Theo’s to tell us when and if he’s ready.”
“I’ll talk to him,” Midas says softly. Up until now, he hasn’t said a word.
I look at him and tilt my head, a look of knowing passing between us. I swallow before nodding. “Okay, thank you.”
I look back at the brothers who glance from Midas to me. Havoc’s jaw tightens, and G tenses. They say nothing, but they’ve figured it out too. Not wanting someone to say something because Midas might bolt, I jump back in.
“I shot Josh twice. Once in the chest, once in the face. He never woke up. Was never a threat to me. But every breath he took made him a threat to Theo, so I killed him. Ask me if I’m sorry.”
I’m shaking, waiting for their anger or disbelief, but Kruger wraps his arm around me and pulls me closer, careful not to bump my arm. I settle when he kisses my temple, a sharp wave of relief washing over me. I look up and speak the next part directly to him.
“I gave Diane a choice. I could shoot her, or she could shoot up and chase her next high. She didn’t take even a second to think it over. I gave her the stuff and watched as she pumped the fentanyl-laced heroin into her arm. Once I was sure she was no threat to me, I placed the gun in her hand, covered my hand with hers, and shot myself in the arm. I dropped the gun, grabbed a towel, and called the cops.”
Havoc rubs his jaw. “I have so many fucking questions.”
“You told the cops you weren’t armed,” Toot reminds me.
“Which I wasn’t. Not any longer.”
“The gun was the one Theo pulled on you,” Kruger surmises.
“I think I knew even back then I’d need it, so I kept it hidden at the shop. I cleaned it thoroughly, ensuring there were no prints on it, and then wore gloves when handling it. Ipeeled the gloves off just before I called 911, wanting my bloody fingerprints on my cell phone. I hid the gloves in the lining of my bag and got rid of them once I was discharged from the hospital.”
“Where did Theo get the gun, though?” Midas questions.
“It was Josh’s. Registered to him and everything.”
Midas snorts. “Handy.”
“I thought so too.”
“So you had a valid reason for being there, left no prints, and arranged for Diane to OD, making her less than a credible witness if she does pull through. Add in that she aided in breaking the law by allowing Josh back, and a lawyer would tear her account of events to pieces. So why bother shooting yourself at all?” Circus frowns.
“Because it makes her a victim, which changes the mindset of the police when they investigate. When they walked in and saw me and Kruger, they immediately saw our cuts and thought of us as suspects. Delphi was lying in a pool of blood and vomit. It never crossed their minds that it was intentional,” Toot answers for me.
“Exactly. Also, I kinda threw up when the adrenaline crash came. I’m not sure if it was the shock of killing someone or the shock of not feeling bad about it, but that’s why I was sick. I didn’t seize or pass out, but wanted to use it as an excuse. It made me look weak. I wasn’t expecting you guys, obviously, but I knew the paramedics would see my medical ID bracelet and make the assumption. I couldn’t tell you that at the time, though. I’m sorry.” I wince when I look at Kruger’s face.
“That’s what you’re sorry about?”
“Yeah. I couldn’t tell you, Kruger. You’d have stopped me. I also needed you to go about your day as normal. I knew you had a meeting, so you’d be in a place where there were cameras.”
“You were giving him an alibi,” G guesses.
“I had to cover him just in case the cops started looking outside of Diane for a person with a motive.”
Kruger gets up and starts pacing. “What does Theo know?”
“Nothing concrete, but I suspect he knows I killed Josh. As for the rest, I didn’t force that needle into Diane’s arm. She did that to herself. She had more choices than Theo the whole way through this thing, and she fucked up at every turn. The bag of drugs might have been the loaded gun I passed to her, but she turned it on herself and pulled the trigger.”
