Chapter Twenty-One
Simon
I pulled into the driveway just as the sun started to dip toward the horizon. It had been a long day at the salon, and all I wanted was to fall into Tony’s arms and let him tell me everything would work out.
But he couldn’t promise me that.
“Simon?” Mom’s voice was gentle. “You okay, honey?”
I nodded, though I knew it wasn’t true. “Yeah. Just... tired.”
She reached over and squeezed my hand. “Your father’s probably pacing a hole in the floor by now. Let’s go inside.”
We walked up to the front door together, stepping into the familiar warmth of my own home. It should have been comforting; should have been reassuring having my parents close.
But all I felt was the weight of everything pressing down on me.
Dad was in the living room, standing by the window with his arms crossed. He turned when he heard us come in, and the tension in his shoulders eased slightly.
“There you are,” he said, walking over to pull Mom into a hug. Then he looked at me, his expression softening. “How’d it go at the salon?”
“Fine,” I said, setting my keys on the counter. “Busy. Mom helped.”
“She always does.” Dad smiled at her, then looked back at me. “Any word from Tony?”
I shook my head. “Not yet.”
The silence stretched between us, heavy and uncomfortable.
I was about to say something to fill the quiet when headlights swept across the front window, and I heard the rumble of a motorcycle.
My heart jumped into my throat.
I moved to the window and looked out, my pulse hammering.
Sadie’s car pulled into the driveway and stopped, Keys’ motorcycle behind her.
“Oh my God,” I breathed.
I was out the door before I even realized I was moving, my feet hitting the driveway as Sadie turned toward me.
“Sadie,” I said, my voice breaking.
She took a step toward me, her eyes filling with tears. “Simon.”
I closed the distance between us and pulled her into my arms, holding her so tight I was afraid I might hurt her.
But I couldn’t let go.
“You weren’t supposed to come home yet,” I whispered in her ear.
She sobbed against my shoulder, her hands clutching the back of my shirt. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I said, even though it wasn’t. Even though nothing about this was okay.
Behind me, I heard footsteps, and then Mom’s voice, choked with emotion. “Sadie?”
Sadie pulled back from me, wiping at her eyes, and looked past me to where Mom and Dad stood on the porch.
“Mom,” she whispered.
Mom was down the steps in an instant, pulling Sadie into her arms. Dad followed, wrapping both of them in a hug, and for a moment, we all just stood there in the driveway, holding each other like we could keep the world at bay.
But we couldn’t.
I looked over at Keys, who stood by his motorcycle, watching us with an unreadable expression.
He didn’t say a word. He just stood there, his eyes never leaving Sadie, as if he were afraid she might disappear if he looked away.
“Let’s go inside,” Dad said, his voice thick. “Come on.”
We all moved toward the house, Sadie sandwiched between Mom and Dad, and I hung back, falling into step beside Keys.
As we entered, Mom guided Sadie to the couch, sitting down beside her and taking her hands.
“Sadie, honey,” Mom said gently. “Why didn’t you tell us? About Alan. About what he was doing to you.”
Sadie’s face crumpled, and she looked down at her lap. “I... I couldn’t.”
“Why not?” Dad asked, his voice breaking. “We would have helped you. We would have—”
“I was ashamed,” Sadie whispered. “I didn’t see it at first; I ignored the red flags for so long.
” She sniffled and said, “I kept telling myself that if I just acted better, dressed better, behaved better... lost some weight... he’d stop hurting me.
” Her voice broke, and she covered her face with her hands.
Mom pulled her close, stroking her hair. “Oh, sweetheart. No. None of this was your fault. None of it.”
I stood by the doorway, my arms crossed, watching my sister fall apart. Knowing I was the reason it went on so long.
I’d known what was happening. I’d tried to talk to her. Tried to convince her to break up with him. I’d known what Alan was doing to her, but I didn’t try hard enough to stop it. Now she was here, broken and terrified, and I still didn’t know how to fix it.
Keys stood against the wall, his eyes locked on Sadie.
He didn’t move, didn’t speak, but his presence was a constant, silent weight in the room.
His hands flexed at his sides, as if he wanted to reach for her but was holding himself back.
His gaze softened when she looked up, her tear-streaked face turning toward him for just a moment before she looked away again.
“Why did you come back?” I asked, my voice quiet.
Sadie looked up at me, her eyes red and swollen. “Because you took the blame for me.”
“I told you to run,” I said. “I told you to stay gone.”
“I know.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “But I didn’t know you were going to... I didn’t know you’d tell them you did it.”
“What did you think I was going to do?”
“I don’t know!” She stood abruptly, her hands shaking. “I wasn’t thinking, Simon! I was terrified, and you told me to run, so I ran. And then Keys found me and told me what you did, and I—” She broke off, her breath hitching. “I couldn’t let you go to prison for me.”
“So you came back,” I said.
“So I came back.”
The room was silent except for the sound of Sadie’s ragged breathing.
Then the front door opened, and Tony walked in.
He stopped in the doorway, his eyes sweeping over the room, moving from me to my parents, finally landing on Sadie. His eyes narrowed at my sister, and I pushed off the wall, ready to defend her against whatever bullshit he thought he could spew in her direction.
He ignored the look on my face and turned to Keys.
“Keys,” he said, his voice clipped. “Outside.”
Keys didn’t move. His eyes remained on Sadie.
“Now,” Tony barked.
Keys hesitated, then finally turned and walked toward the door. Tony stepped aside to let him pass, then followed him out onto the porch.
I moved to the window, watching as Tony pulled a manila envelope from his bag and handed it to Keys.
Keys opened it, scanned the contents, his expression darkening as he read whatever Tony had given him.
Tony said something I couldn’t hear, then pointed at something in the file, and Keys nodded once before turning and walking back to his motorcycle.
A moment later, the engine roared to life, and he was gone.
Tony came back inside, closing the door behind him.
“What was that?” I asked.
Tony didn’t answer. He walked past me, his focus on Sadie.
“Sadie,” he said, his voice hard. “We need to talk.”
Sadie looked up at him, her face pale. “About what?”
“About what you’re going to say on the stand.”
“Tony—” I started, but he held up a hand, cutting me off.
“Simon, sit down.”
“Don’t tell me to sit down in my own fucking house,” I snapped.
“Sit. Down.” His voice was steel. His eyes hardened as he glared at me, anger radiating off him. I glared back at him, but I sat.
Mom and Dad exchanged a glance, and Dad stood, moving to stand beside Sadie. “Mr. Gallagher, I don’t think—”
“With all due respect, Mr. Nelson,” Tony interrupted, “this is a legal matter. And if your daughter wants to keep your son out of prison, she’s going to need to listen to me.”
Sadie’s hands twisted in her lap. “What do you want me to say?”
“The truth,” Tony said. “I want you to turn yourself in.”
“Fuck no!” I shouted, jumping from my spot.
Tony’s eyes cut to me, sharp and unyielding. “Simon, you’re looking at a murder conviction. And unless we can prove that Alan Sanders was a violent, dangerous man who posed a threat to Sadie, the jury is going to see you as a jealous killer who murdered a man in cold blood.”
“That’s not what happened,” I said.
“I know that. You know that,” he growled, pointing at my chest. “But the jury doesn’t fucking know that.” Tony turned back to Sadie. “I need you to tell them. I need you to tell them what Alan did to you. I need you to tell them why you killed him.”
Sadie’s breath hitched. “I... I can’t.”
“You can,” Tony said. “And you will.”
“Stop,” Mom said, her voice sharp. “You’re scaring her.”
“Good,” Tony said. “She should be scared. Because if she doesn’t confess, Simon is going to spend the rest of his life in prison.”
“That’s enough,” Dad snapped, his voice rising. “You don’t get to come into our home and bully our daughter—”
“This isn’t your home,” Tony said, his voice cold. “And I’m not bullying her. I’m trying to save your son.”
The room fell silent.
Sadie looked up at Tony, tears streaming down her face. “I killed him,” she whispered. “I killed Alan.”
“Sadie,” I hissed.
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 my chest. 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 them that 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.”
“Okay?” I repeated.
“Okay,” Tony said. “We’ll make it work.”