Leo was still out cold. I held his hand, my heart heavy with regret. I never should have called him.
"They're not getting away with this," I whispered through gritted teeth.
Hot tears dripped onto his pale, still hand.
I checked myself out of the hospital and dove headfirst into trial prep. I was going to make sure Amber, Tommy, and Dave ended up behind bars—personally.
The next few days were a blur—racing between the police station and the hospital, fueled by anger and purpose.
Soon, the trial date was set.
Just before it began, I got an unexpected visitor.
"Frank? What are you doing here?"
My feelings toward my old mentor were all over the place. But something told me he wasn't here with good news.
"Sue… how did we end up like this?" he began, his voice heavy. "I remember when—"
I cut him off. "Yeah, how did we?"
I stared him down. "Who is Amber to you? How could you throw away your values—your responsibilities—for her?"
He looked broken. "Sue… she's my daughter."
I stood frozen.
"I never married. Later in life, I found out I had a child. I just wanted to protect her. I left her mother because of it."
My mind went blank. "What?"
"I never thought she'd go this far. But if she goes to prison… her life will be over." His voice cracked. "Please, Sue. Don't report her. Can you let this go?"
I let out a bitter laugh. "You think covering for her is protection? All you've done is enable her—paved her way straight into a life of crime."
I turned to leave, but he grabbed my arm.
"I'll sign anything you need! I'll give you whatever it takes to win your next big case—just name it!"
I pulled away without another word. His pleas fell on deaf ears.