Worth It

“They fucked up. They fucked up bad. So you’re out, completely, free and clear. My mom,” she paused to roll her eyes, “has kind of been obsessed with Jeremy’s family ever since he was arrested. She hated the way they protected him for so long. So when all this went down, she had an inside track.”



“When what went down?” I asked, shaking my head.



“Apparently Bancroft Walden, Jeremy’s dad, and the head warden at Statesburg where Knox was kept were close golfing buddies. When, uh, when what happened between you and Jeremy happened, there was a video...of the whole thing.”



Knox’s fingers clamped down on mine. “A video?” he echoed, turning gray.



Reese sent him a sympathetic wince, then shared a look with Mason before nodding. “It showed how you didn’t kill them in cold blood, how the entire thing was self-defense, and...well, the warden hid the video so Jeremy’s super dirty lawyer father could charge you with manslaughter and you’d have to stay in jail longer. But after the warden died of a massive heart attack a week or two before you were released, the video was found in his office, and the truth behind that...event finally came to light to other authority members. There is a complete clusterfuck going on in that penitentiary right now, finger pointing, more illegal stuff coming to light, all kinds of things. I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole place was shut down soon. If you wanted to, you could probably sue them for, like, beaucoups of money.”



Knox’s hand suddenly fell slack from mine. I lost my grip on him as he shifted backward. Instead of mentioning anything about taking legal action, though, all he could repeat was, “A video. There’s a fucking video of it?”



“And that’s not the worst part,” a worried-looking Reese reported, bringing her hands to her mouth. “Copies were made and...distributed. My mother somehow got her hands on one. She gave it to me. And before you ask, no, I’m sure none of her resources obtained it legally.”



A strangled sob tore from Knox’s throat. I thought he was going to pass out; he looked so pale. But when I reached for him, he held up his hand, warding me off. His gaze never left Reese. “Did you watch it?”



Mason and Reese exchanged guilty glances.



“Oh...shit,” Knox rasped as he whirled away to pace the room, rubbing his hands over his head. “You saw... you...?”



“We didn’t watch all of it,” Reese rushed to reassure him. “We...couldn’t. It was too awful. We just saw—”



“Enough to know what fucking happened?” Knox snapped.



Mason stepped between himself and Reese. “We only saw enough to know that whatever happened after that point, those bastards deserved it. It was self-defense; they were going to kill you.”



I gasped and slapped my hands over my mouth. Knox seared me with a sharp, wild glance but turned right back to Reese and Mason. “Destroy it. I want that fucking video destroyed.”



“You got it. Absolutely,” Reese was quick to say, bobbing her head rapidly.



Knox nodded too, but that seemed to be all he could take. Mumbling something about how he had to go, he turned for the door and took off, slamming it behind him. I was so tempted to go after him, but I knew he wouldn’t talk to me. And besides, my curiosity was killing me.



I whirled to Reese. “I want that video.”



Her eyes widened, and she opened her mouth before glancing at Mason. But he shook his head emphatically.



Wincing, Reese turned back to me. “That...might not be such a good idea, Felicity. I mean, it’s...wow. Extremely violent, graphic, and disturbing are understatements for what this video shows.” She shivered and hugged herself. “It’s probably best if you don’t see it.”



Pfft. As if that would stop me. “I don’t care what it shows. I have to see it.” It held the key to the new Knox. I knew it. “I need to know what happened.”



Reese looked tempted. But when she opened her mouth, Mason said, “No. He asked us to destroy it, and we should. If I were him, I’d never want it to see the light of day, either.”



“But if I knew a video of something bad happening to you existed, I’d want to see it, too,” Reese argued pleadingly.



“And I would never want you to go through that,” Mason argued. Then he glanced at me. “You’re not watching it.”



“Mason!” Reese yelped, setting her hands on her hips. “You’re not being—”



“Look, I watched the whole thing, okay.”



“You...you what?” Reese shook her head, frowning. “When did you do that?”