She and Tony ignored me. He crouched down in front of my sister, his face a mask of hostility. “I know.”
“I called Simon afterwards,” she continued, her voice shaking. “I didn’t know what to do. I was covered in blood, and I was so scared, and I called him, and he told me to run. So I did. I did everything he told me to do.”
“Why?” Tony asked.
“I thought he would call the club. I thought he would call you.”
Tony slowly turned his head and glared at me. I knew what he was thinking without him having to say a word. “Okay.”
“Okay?” I repeated. “That’s all you have to say?”
“I have evidence that Alan Sanders was a serial abuser. He had at least four previous relationships that ended with restraining orders and police reports.”
“Then use it,” I insisted.
“I can’t.” Tony’s jaw tightened. “Unless Keys can find them and convince them to testify, the evidence is a risk. If I try to use it in court, the prosecution will ask how I got it. And if they find out, it’s inadmissible. Worse than inadmissible, I would get disbarred and probably end up in a fucking prison cell right alongside you.”
“So what are you saying?” Dad asked.
“I’m saying,” Tony said, his eyes on Sadie, “that I need to put Sadie in that room.”
“NO!” I yelled.
“Simon.” Tony blew out a breath.
“I won’t recant my statement.” I crossed my arms over mychest. There was no way in hell I’d let my sister go to jail because I failed to protect her.
Tony’s jaw tightened. I knew he was ready to lose his shit, but we’d been over this a hundred times. I would not throw my sister to the wolves.
“Why do you have to be so goddamn stubborn?” Tony growled.
My body filled with heat. He stood so close to me I could see the amber streaks in his brown eyes. “I need her in that room,” he pressed. “If I’m going to argue self-defense for either of you, I need her in that room.”
“But I killed him,” Sadie said. “Not Simon.”
“I know,” Tony said. “And I could argue self-defense for you. Even without the abuse being reported, with no medical records, no documentation, I think I could still make a case for self-defense. But if Simon won’t recant, then at the very least I need you in that room for third-party self-defense.”
“What does that mean?” Mom asked, her voice tight.
“I’m going to argue that Simon acted to protect Sadie. That he walked in on Alan attacking her, and he defended her. That’s the only way this works.”
“But that’s not what happened,” Sadie said.
“I know,” Tony replied. “But it’s the only story that keeps Simon out of prison.”
I stood, my hands clenching into fists. “I’m not recanting my confession.”
Tony turned to me, his expression hard. “Simon—”
“I’m not,” I repeated. “I told the sheriff I killed Alan. I’m not taking that back. I’ll recant that Sadie wasn’t there, but that’s it.”
“Then we need to get our stories straight,” Tony said. “Because if you say one thing and Sadie says another, the prosecution is going to tear us apart.”
“Simon—” Sadie started.
“No,” I said. “This is how it has to be. You’re going to tell the truth about what Alan did to you. And I’m going to tell themthat I killed him for it. And Tony’s going to figure out how to make it work.”
Tony stared at me for a long moment, then nodded slowly. “Okay.”
