Cane blinked rapidly, thick lashes fluttering, in total shock. “Is that how you see me now? As a criminal?”
“No, Cane. But I know that everything you have now came from what you used to do and who you were involved with. That guy I saw on the news—El Jefe? If he’s coming to you, it means you’re still involved, and it means I should be as far away from you as possible. If that’s not the case, then tell me I’m wrong.”
“You are wrong,” he scoffed. “All I do is help him make money, Kandy. That’s it. He invests in my company, and in turn, I double or triple his investment. To the world, he is just a private investor. No one outside of you, Lora, and Derek knows who he is to me. Kelly has an idea of it because she snooped around in my closet and saw a few receipts, but she doesn’t know for sure.”
“So you don’t sell drugs to anyone?”
“Not anymore. Not for a long time.”
“And you’re sure you’ve never killed?”
“I’m positive,” he answered firmly, and relief swirled through me. His eyes dropped then and all of his features pulled together, like he was agitated. He sat beside me, running a hand over his face.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Did your parents tell you about the deal they made with Kelly?”
“No. They just told me it was a non-jury trial. They didn’t really want to involve me in the details. I gave my written testimony, Mom made me record what happened and how I felt, and she handled the rest. I just had to sign some stuff.”
He cursed under his breath.
I leaned in closer. “What, Cane?”
“They should have told you what went down.” He shoved his fingers through his hair. “They struck a deal with them. They accepted $50,000 and a restraining order good for twenty years, but in exchange, Kelly is only doing four years in a psychiatric facility.”
I closed my eyes, sucking in a breath. Frankie had warned me about this, but I didn’t think it would actually go down that way, and it didn’t make me any less angry. I thought surely she would get jail time—that maybe someone would see that she didn’t deserve to be set free, that she was dangerous.
“The judge was shitty, Kandy. He was bought off by Kelly’s mother. Had it been a fair, open trial, he wouldn’t have been able to give her such a short sentence. But without a jury, and both sides—in this case, your parents and presumably you—being in agreement, the judge was able to exercise his discretion.”
“But it’s not fair!” I yelled. “She knew what she was doing when she carried that knife in her hands!”
“They drug tested her; she wasn’t on anything. They think she just had a mental breakdown.”
“About what?” I wheezed, pushing off the bed. God, the words hurt—the truth and reality of the situation hurt. “She tried to kill me, and she’s the one who is given a slap on the wrist for a fucking breakdown? What about the fact that I can’t fucking sleep because I have nightmares about her trying to kill me, huh? Or the fact that it took me nearly a month and a half before it didn’t hurt to move, which was a pretty clear reminder of how she attacked me? Or even the fact that I’m probably never going to have kids because of her!”
“Wait…WHAT?” Cane’s voice was so loud that my tirade became a washout. My eyes stretched wide as I pulled my lips in and pressed down with my teeth. I said too much. Damn it! This wasn’t how I wanted to tell him. God, why did my temper always take control?
Cane stood up, brows furrowed as he looked at me. “What the hell do you mean ‘you can’t have kids because of her?’ What are you saying?”
“It’s nothing. I—it doesn’t mean anything.”
“Like hell it doesn’t, Kandy! If you have something you need to tell me, tell me! No more secrets, remember?”
“Fine!” I dropped my head, running my hands over my face. “I…went to see a doctor. Mom took me. He ran some tests, checked my uterus, mostly where the wound was, and told me that she’d damaged it so badly that I may not be able to carry a child.”
“What?” he breathed. “How is that—You told me about the pregnancy, but I thought…w-where exactly did she stab you?” His voice was full of pain, and it didn’t help that angry tears were building up in his eyes. I stood up and lowered my pants, showing him the area that was now just an angry dark-red line.
Cane’s eyes fell to it briefly before rolling back up to mine. He studied my face. The longer he looked at me, the harder it was to keep my tears at bay. They streamed down my cheeks, and I choked on a sob.