Page 258 of Wicked Brutal

“No,” Dad says.

“Or Roman owes him enough that it doesn’t matter,” Arthur says.

“Could be both,” Callum says. Arthur nods.

For a few seconds the only sound is the clock in the hall. Four fifty-eight. We have school in a few hours. So does Ally. She’s going to put on that uniform with bruises under it and walk into Edgewood like her father didn’t hit her last night. My hands curl under the table.

“There’s one more thing,” I say. “Jane knows Ally’s pregnant. Jane saw her stomach last night. Ally told her the truth. Showed her the ultrasound pictures. Jane knows the baby is mine, and she told Ally to hide the pictures and get out.”

Dad sits back slightly. “Does Roman know Jane knows?”

“No. As far as we know, Roman still doesn’t know about the baby at all.”

“We need to keep it that way,” Kaiden’s dad says.

“Yeah.” I look back at the files. “We do.”

Arthur exhales. “Then we find out exactly what the transaction is. And we get her out before it matters.”

“Tobias too.”

“Yes.”

“And Jane,” Dad says. Arthur pauses. Just long enough. Dad sees it. “What?”

“Jane is an adult.”

“So is Ally.”

“Different circumstances.”

“She stepped between Roman and those kids last night.” His voice rises for the first time in a while. “Got thrown into a goddamn table trying to protect them. We are not leaving her there because she’s harder paperwork.”

Arthur’s face changes. “I didn’t say we were.”

“Then all three.”

Arthur nods. “All three.”

Something settles in my chest. Not relief. Close enough to keep me from losing it.

“We still have the other problem,” Callum says. I know which one before he finishes. “People keep finding out.”

The room goes quiet. We don’t need the recap. A move gets planned. Somebody reacts before we make it. Pressure shifts, and someone on the other side already knows where it’s coming from. Every time.

“Which means what Ally gave Ryan last night stays in this room,” Arthur says. “Anyone we contact gets only what they need. No complete picture — not until we know whether it’s one leak or a dozen people passing information through the same circles.”

Dad’s eyes narrow. “Cassandra?”

“Doesn’t need the specifics yet.”

Dad doesn’t like it. Neither do I. But he nods.

Arthur checks the time. “After five. We need decisions.” He counts them off. The photographs are preserved; he has the originals. Ally documents everything while it’s fresh — somewhere safe.

“At school,” I say. “I can set that up without drawing attention.”

He nods. Jane’s injuries stay with the evidence. He starts on what last night gives us for Tobias the moment the people he needs are awake.