“Did you make that same offer to the Valentine family? Is that why they are all dead? They wouldn’t take your deal?”
“We are here to discuss Aspen,” Lucas cuts him off. “The Valentines have nothing to do with this.”
Nathaniel’s eyes become slits. “Sure, they don’t. I wonder if the rest of Corium agrees with that. Not to mention everyone we work with. Your family might be powerful, but there is an end to your reach, you know?”
“Are you threatening me?” My father raises an eyebrow.
“Of course not. Simply pointing out the truth.”
“Good thing our family just expanded, solidifying one of our allies with a marriage.” My father grins.
“Ally? Even if Mather wasn’t dead, he would have hardly been of any help to you.”
“Clyde Mather wasn’t Aspen’s biological father,” Lucas tells everyone at the table. “I am.”
What the fuck?
I expected a lot coming into this, but Lucas telling everyone Aspen is his daughter was definitely not on that list.
“You are her father?” Nathaniel sputters.
I look over at Aspen to find her staring at Lucas with her mouth gaping open and her eyes wide as can be. She definitely is just as surprised as I am.
“Yes. Aspen is my biological daughter. Nic is her uncle, and though we agree she has broken the rule, we are also willing to rectify her action in another way. My family is willing to offer you part of our territory.”
“That won’t bring my son back.”
“Neither will killing her,” Nic Diavolo says. Speaking for the first time, his voice deep and penetrating. Where my father is ice cold, Nic reminds me of the devil, cunning, and ruthless. His dark hair is slicked back, and his features, though a little weathered, you wouldn’t be able to tell based on his psyche. “But letting her live will give you and your other children peace of mind.”
“Piece of mind?” Nathaniel scoffs.
“Yes, because it means that I won’t come after your family for killing the heir of the Rossi empire,” my father adds.
“And what about the rest of you?” Nathaniel addresses all of the founding members. “Do you think we should let her live? How would that look to the rest of the students and their parents?”
“This is a blind vote,” Lucas explains. “No one has to tell you what they are voting for.”
“I guess then there is only one thing left to do. Let’s vote.” Nathaniel leans back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Let’s begin.” Lucas nods and gets up from his chair. He grabs a large metal bowl from a display case hanging on the wall and starts walking around the oval table. “If you agree to let Aspen live, simply write an L on the paper. If you think her punishment should be death, write an X on the paper.”
Each founding member pulls out a piece of paper and quickly scribbles something on it before folding it up. I try to make out what everyone is writing, but of course, there isn’t much of a different hand motion between X and L, making it impossible to know.
I reach for Aspen’s hand under the table, interlacing our fingers. She gives my hand a little squeeze, and when I glance her way, her lips form the words, “I love you.”
Lucas moves around the table one more time, letting everyone throw their paper back in. When he returns to his seat, he dumps all the papers out, showing everyone the empty bowl.
One by one, he unfolds each paper, and with each sight of the L scribbled down, I can breathe a little easier. The first five papers are votes in our favor, which means we’re halfway through. Maybe one of those five was Brookshire’s vote. There is no way to know. Lucas could open his last. Or someone else could betray us. The votes are anonymous. Would there be a way for us to find out? Fuck, why didn’t I think about this before?
By the time we have only two left, I want to scream at Lucas to go faster. In my mind, he is moving in slow motion, though I know that’s not true.
The ninth paper reads an L. Only one left.
I tighten my grip on Aspen’s hand. This is it. The last vote.
Lucas unfolds the tenth paper. My lungs burn, and I realize I’ve been holding my breath.
L, it’s an L.
Air fills my lungs, and I feel like I’m taking my first breath after being underwater for hours. A weight is lifted off my chest, and I lean back in my chair with a huff.
We did it. Aspen is safe.
39
ASPEN
I can’t believe this. It’s all over. It’s really over.
I killed Nash. I made sure to tell everybody who could hear that I wasn’t sorry and would do it again. But they’re going to let me live. I was ready to die, or so I told myself, and now I’ve been granted my life back.