“Look.”
“Fitzpatrick had the original owner, a man by the name of Michael Laundry, arrested and tried for embezzlement. When the land went up for auction, Felix scooped it up. I wouldn’t put it past them if the case was bogus and completely fabricated.”
“We got him. That’s the connection. Felix couldn’t get the land without Fitzpatrick, but Fitzpatrick couldn’t clean up the city without Felix. He leverages that arrangement straight to the New York Attorney General’s office and then straight to the top.”
“Holy shit!”
“What?”
“Look at this.” Tobias passes me another folder. “It seems Felix kept evidence. Lots and lots of evidence.”
My fingers flip through pages, transcripts of phone calls. Screen shots of texts. It’s everything.
“He was probably blackmailing him.”
I’m still in shock. “We got him.”
I knew the encrypted files had to be important, but this is more than I expected
“We do.”
“Now what?” I ask.
“We need to come up with a plan. It’s not enough for us to know. We need to take him down.”
55
Skye
Despite how hard I try, I can’t help but feel nervous. I know I will be safe here, but I can’t help but feel that something might go wrong. What if I never have a chance to confront him? What if the computer doesn’t work? What if Jaxson didn’t set up the feed right?
It might be over the top to have all the evidence we’ve gathered playing during this celebration of the attorney general’s accomplishments, but Tobias thought this would hit him where it hurts the most.
His ego.
To me, it feels like my heart will burst out of my chest.
This isn’t like the last gala I attended. Yes, I’m dressed to the nines, wearing a long purple dress with a slit up the side that exposes my leg, my hair is done up, and long diamond earrings dangle down my neck. But this time, instead of searching for the person who killed my family, I’m about to take him down.
Tonight, the party is being held in a grand ballroom with a beautiful chandelier. It has floor-to-ceiling windows that look out into the city. It should take my breath away, and it usually does, but tonight, I can’t breathe enough to enjoy the sweeping views.
People are everywhere, some on the dance floor and some at tables. My gaze moves throughout the space, looking for my target. He’s standing at the far wall, talking to a group of people. Attorney General Fitzpatrick.
Walking into the crowded room, I head in his direction. As I walk, my skin pricks with awareness. My eyes dart around to find Tobias, and when I do, I almost falter. Our gazes lock. He looks at me so intently. The blue of his irises is not visible from this distance, but still, it would be easy to get lost in them.
He nods his head, a silent sign that he is here. Yet again, he’s making sure I’m okay. I nod back and continue toward the devil himself.
Making my approach, the attorney general sees me. He’s quick to smile and hold out his hand. Every part of me screams to pull away, but another part of me doesn’t want to give any hints. I want to see this bastard’s face as I serve the damning blow. So, I extend my hand and shake his, squeezing as hard as I can.
He eyes my hand curiously, pulling out of my death grip.
“How are you, Skye? I can’t imagine how hard it is to be here tonight after just losing your father.”
Inhale. Exhale.
“I’m okay,” I say with a fake smile. “It is very hard.”
“He was far too young to die,” he says in a concerned tone, shaking his head as though he gives a damn.
“Yes. He was. But there is one thing that came out of this . . .” I lead, and his forehead scrunches. “There is nothing like a dying man’s confession.” His face freezes at my words. “When you have nothing left, you want to absolve yourself of sin. Do you have anything to absolve?”
Fitzpatrick’s face turns a dark and angry shade of red. “This is highly unprofessional, dear.”
“I am not your dear. But now it’s your turn to pay.” I narrow my eyes and glare at him.
“I don’t know what you are going on about, but if you will excuse me—”
He’s about to step away when the monitors set up around the space turn on, all the evidence of his treachery and bribery playing for everyone to see. Then pandemonium erupts. Police enter the building and surround him. He tries to step back, but there is no place to go.
His head snaps to me. “You ungrateful little bitch. Everything you have is because of me.”
“No, everything I have is despite you. You will die in prison when I’m done with you.”
He lunges for me, but an officer storms him, pinning him against the wall.
“You are under arrest for the murder of Tobias Baros, Matthew and Stacey Gilbert—” One of the officers starts to run down the list of everyone in Al’s that day.
And another one steps up with handcuffs in his hand. “Please come with us,” he orders.
“I will have your badge.” I watch as Fitzpatrick turns to another officer. “This is all a misunderstanding.”
No one listens, and as he’s pulled back, his screams become more desperate and more pleading.
When the police officers shuffle him away, familiar arms wrap around my stomach. The smell of his cologne infiltrates my senses.
“Time to go.” His words tickle my neck.
“Where?” I ask.
“Anywhere. As long as I’m with you.”
56
Skye
The first place we go is home. Not to Tobias’s house but to Reddington. To my father’s grave. A few days have passed since the gala and since Fitzpatrick was arrested, and the world knows what he did to rise so high. His political aspirations are now dead.
He’s going to jail for a very long time.
Hand in hand, we’re here to say our goodbyes. To tell my father how we did right by him, how he will be proud.
Standing in front of my father’s grave, Tobias drops my hand and steps up. He speaks for a while, but I don’t hear the words. All I hear is his promise to always take care of me.
From where I’m standing, I see the way he looks up at the sky as he talks, and seeing that move makes my heart fill with so much love. He’s found peace in the sky, and I hope I can give him the same.
When he’s done, he moves closer to me, places a kiss on my lips, and then steps away to give me my space.
It’s my time now. But I’m not ready to say goodbye. My throat burns from the sobs lodged inside me. A raw, primitive grief works its way through me as my teeth chatter. Closing my eyes, I will myself to remember the good times, and I do. They come back to me with laughter and smiles, and most of all, love.
I can see him grin at me when I would get an answer right. His eyes when he was proud. I can smell the jam in the air when he made the snack that my mom used to make for me when I was sad.
Tears roll down my cheeks. Swiping them away, I take a deep breath, and then I kiss my finger and place it on the tombstone. “I have so much to tell you. I hope you aren’t angry, but I stole your files.” I can’t help but laugh because I know him, and he wouldn’t be mad. He would tell me how proud he was of me. How smart I was to put everything together. “I figured it out. Tobias and I got them. We got them. I just want you to know I don’t blame you. I never did. I know you felt it was your fault, but it wasn’t. It was never your fault. Thank you for taking me in. I love you for giving me the love I needed, always.”