Page 62 of Wicked Brutal

“I know.”

“No, look at me.” She does. “We’re not letting him turn you into the criminal in this.”

Her eyes stay on mine. “Okay.”

I look back at Arthur. “So we need custody.”

“We need a legal mechanism that allows Tobias to leave with Ally and prevents Roman from simply demanding his return.”

“What gets us that?”

“Evidence.”

Of course.

I lean back. “We have evidence.”

“We have pieces.”

Dad turns his laptop toward us. “We have enough to know Roman is controlling Ally’s life. We have enough to know he’s arranged this marriage. We have enough to know Tremblay concerns the hell out of all of us.”

“Concerns you.”

Dad looks at me. “Ryan.”

“His wives are dead.”

“We know.”

“He specifically wants Ally untouched.”

“I know.”

“He made a fucking arrangement with her father for her!”

Arthur cuts in. “And Ally is eighteen.”

I look at him. “Which means?”

“Which means the law already gives Ally the solution to her own situation. She says no.”

My laugh is ugly. “That’s fucking convenient.”

“I didn’t say it was fair.”

“He can terrorize her for eighteen years, arrange to hand her to a man twice her age, and because she technically has the legal right to walk out the door, everybody shrugs?”

“No.” Arthur’s voice stays calm. “But a judge deciding whether to interfere with Roman’s parental rights over Tobias is going to ask a different question. Is Tobias unsafe.”

I nod. “Yes.”

“Then we prove it.”

Silence. That’s it. That’s the fucking nightmare. We prove it. Not know it. Not feel it. Not look at Tobias and understand exactly what Roman has built around those kids. Prove it.

Ally looks toward the study door. From the kitchen, Tobias laughs, and Mom says something about glitter being permanently banned from her house.

Dad mutters, “She bought the glitter.”