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Neither was Val. She gently pulled Elijah back when he struggled to free himself from her hold. “No,” she murmured. “No closer. Try and you’re going upstairs. I’m not kidding, Elijah. This is one of those times where you have to do as I say.”
Elijah huffed. “Fine.”
Jace blanched at the sight of Elijah, then hung his head. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Elijah squinted. “I can’t see him. I don’t have my—” He broke off when Val fished his glasses from her pocket and handed them to him. “Thank you.” Glasses in place, he studied Jace. “Can you look at me?”
Jace looked up, cringing as if he was expecting a blow.
“Please say ‘run,’ ” Elijah requested softly.
Jace shuddered out a broken breath. “Run,” he whispered.
“It’s him,” Elijah said. “The driver. He was the one who told me to run.”
Mid-City, New Orleans, Louisiana
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1:30 A.M.
Val thought she should have been more surprised that Jace Gates had been the driver, but it all made sense. She’d never really believed that Dewey Talley had been the driver.
If Jace was telling the truth, Dewey Talley was dead. Hearing him say so had been a shock. She’d hoped for so long that Talley was dead, but now that he was?
She felt... robbed. I wanted to do it myself. She certainly didn’t want Corey Gates to be the one she thanked. But that was a topic for later. Probably during her next appointment with her therapist. For now, she was here to protect Elijah Cardozo. She brushed some hair off the boy’s forehead, more to soothe herself than to soothe Elijah. He leaned back into her anyway.
“You were the driver?” Kaj asked, sounding not very surprised, either.
Jace nodded miserably.
“Why?” Elijah said. “If you didn’t want to, then why did you?”
“I didn’t know, not until Rick told me to stop the van. I...” He dropped his gaze. “I didn’t know what to do and Rick... He’s my brother. I couldn’t leave him there, but I couldn’t hurt you, either. Rick wasn’t going to hurt you. I swear it. But it was still wrong and I’m sorry. Please.” He was crying again. “I don’t want to go to jail.”
Kaj looked at the boy with uncertainty. Whether it was doubt as to Jace telling the truth or doubt about having him charged, Val wasn’t sure. Maybe both. “There will be consequences, Jace,” he murmured. “That could mean jail.”
Jace bowed his head. “I know. Just... don’t send me back to Corey. Please. I’ll go to jail, but please don’t send me back to Corey.”
Elijah squatted down, squinting at Jace. He was ten feet away and Val wanted to make it twenty. But Jace seemed docile enough and Burke had him restrained.
“You didn’t know what Rick was planning?” Elijah asked. “Why were you driving him in the first place?”
Jace closed his eyes. “Rick made up this email and printed it. Said that it was from Corey and that he said we should do what it said. But...” He sighed wearily. “I’m not smart. I can’t read. I didn’t know why we were there until...” He shrugged.
“Until it was too late?” Elijah guessed and Jace nodded. “Why can’t you read? Don’t you go to school?”
Jace’s cheeks turned a dark, blotchy red under the dirt that streaked his face. Val knew that he was fifteen, but he looked younger in the face. Maybe thirteen. His body, though... If the kid wore a mask, he’d pass for an adult with no problem. He was tall and broad, but skinny.
He’ll grow. He’ll get taller and broader and bigger.
She shoved the thought away. That might have been true, but for now he was a fifteen-year-old kid. A scared kid, unless he was a very good liar.
Jace looked away in shame. “I went to school, but... it didn’t take. Dianne homeschooled me for a while and Rick did all my work. When he gave me the paper to read, I just pretended that I knew what it said.”
Elijah turned to Kaj. “That makes a difference, Dad. It has to.”
Kaj shook his head. “That’s not our call to make, son.”
Elijah’s lower lip trembled. “What’ll happen to him?”
