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“But I do have Savannah’s.”
He raised his brows and folded his arms, but he said nothing.
She kept her voice even. “Did you tell her about the loan?”
“Yes, and she told me about the bottles.” His voice was stony and grim.
The blow made her close her eyes. It had to have seemed like the ultimate betrayal to Savannah. “What are you going to do?”
“The three of us need to have a long talk, Jess. But not tonight. This evening is a celebration, and I don’t want you ruining it.”
“Of course not. I want Savannah to be happy—you must know that.”
“Must I?”
“Absolutely!” Heat rose in her chest. “I love my sister!”
He leaned forward. “Then act like it!”
She put her hands on her hips. “What do you want me to do?”
“For starters, help us get out of this loan. Savannah’s not going on some cushy research sabbatical while the university implodes. You know her better than that. She’ll stay here and fight. And I’ll be by her side. If you love her, you will be too.”
It was true. Savannah never backed down from a battle if she was convinced she was right. She would stay at TGU until the bitter end. Something deep in Jess refused to abandon her sister, no matter what the cost. She licked her lips. “If... if you wind up meeting with Hornbrook, be careful what you say. He has hidden cameras and microphones all over his office.”
Surprise crept into his face and his voice softened just a little. “Thanks for the tip. Is there anything else I should know?”
She sighed. “Just that it really will be impossible to get out of that loan. Hornbrook had LeBoeuf & Bingham draft the documents. You’re familiar with them?”
Hez made a face like he’d just bitten a lemon. “They’re very good at what they do.” He looked at his watch. “I’ve got some paperwork I have to send out before I leave to get ready for tonight. We’ll talk tomorrow.” He paused. “You’ve got some big decisions to make.”
She nodded. “We all do. See you tonight.”
She left the Justice Chamber and walked to the parking lot, the late-afternoon sun warming the back of her black leather jacket. She almost looked forward to the conversation with Savannah and Hez tomorrow. The truth was finally out and they could talk about it. No more lies and evasions. They knewwhat she did, and now she could tell them why. It wouldn’t be an easy conversation, but it would be honest.
How would the conversation end? Jess still wanted justice, of course. She wasn’t going to give up on airing all the Legare dirty laundry and making Pierre pay for his crimes, but did that have to mean destroying TGU? She used to detest the place, but she was beginning to see it through the eyes of her sister and son. They adored the traditions, the crumbling ivy-covered buildings, the students, the greedy doves, and even Boo Radley. On cue, the fat old bull gator roared from Tupelo Pond.
Jess smiled—and in that instant she knew what she needed to do. She couldn’t keep fighting this war, not with Savannah on the other side. She couldn’t just quit either. Her place was with her sister, but how could she get there? She was about to cross some very powerful and dangerous men. What would they do to her? To Simon?
She felt the eyes of the wooden Messiah on her again as she reached Hez’s Audi. This time, though, the eyes held hope rather than accusation. Maybe there was a way to make things right, even if she couldn’t see it. Maybe he could.
She got in and pressed the ignition. Brilliant light and overwhelming sound enveloped her.
***
Though she was nearly out of time, Savannah paused in her rush to finish her day to admire her engagement ring glowing in the late-afternoon sunlight. Tonight should have beenas perfect as her ring, but she wasn’t sure what to say to Jess after the discovery of everything her sister had done to ruin TGU and Pierre. The depth of her sister’s desire for revenge was impossible for Savannah to understand, but she had no choice but to deal with it. How did she even begin to unravel what had been done?
A deep boom sounded from somewhere outside, and she turned that way in time to see several panes of glass hurtle from their window grilles.
She instinctively cowered back as the flying glass knocked over her family pictures and broke into dozens of pieces on her desk. Her ears still rang from the blast or whatever it was, and she rushed to the window. The parking lot was on the other side of her little garden, and she nearly cried out.
Hez’s car was in flames.
Some kind of explosion had left it a twisted carcass that was almost unrecognizable.
She was barely aware of turning and running out the door for the exit.Please, Godechoed over and over in a silent prayer that Hez was all right. But how could he have survived that kind of devastating blast? She couldn’t think beyond the fear compressing her chest. This couldn’t be happening.
She had to get to Hez, but though she ran as fast as she could, it felt like her feet moved through mud with the seconds ticking by like minutes. Maybe he’d been blown clear. They could deal with a broken bone or two. Surely that was all it was. But as she neared the car, her breath caught in her throat.