Page 57 of Broken Daddy

She ran her hand over her face. “I’m fine. I’m just tired. It’s seven weeks until my showing.”

A big smile filled his face. “Dee-dee, that’s great. Have you got enough money for transporting everything?”

She nodded happily. “Yep. I paid the deposit and the rest is due on arrival of my stuff at the gallery. I’m really doing this. I’m going to make enough money to get away from him.”

“Good. You listen to me. You take that money and you move as far away as you can,” he told her fiercely.

She shook her head immediately. “That’s not happening. I’m not leaving you.”

“I’m in this place for another ten years at least. Maybe more.”

It wasn’t fair. It was a waste of his life. And for what? A bungled fucking trial.

He’d only been in here for three months . . . how were they both going to handle him being in here for another ten years?

Devi felt tears well up, but she forced them back.

“It’s not fair. You didn’t do this, there is no way you would ever kill Marcus.”

They were best friends and they had been since they were little. She knew that her brother would never harm him. But the cops hadn’t cared about that. All they cared about was making a quick arrest.

No one else believed in his innocence. No one but her.

“I was found at the scene with his blood on me,” he pointed out.

“You were trying to stop the bleeding.”

“It didn’t look that way to the cops.”

“Because they’re idiots! They saw you standing over the body and decided you must have done it.” Agitation filled her. “They didn’t even bother to look for anyone else.”

“I’m not just anyone, little sister,” he said soothingly. “I’m in a gang.”

“We both know you didn’t do it.”

“Yeah, but you can’t blame the cops for thinking that I did it. I was there. I had blood on me. I didn’t see anyone else around. And the text that I received from Marcus somehow disappeared off both his phone and mine.”

Yeah. That was the real issue with his explanation. He’d gotten a text from Marcus that he was in trouble and he’d sent him a pin where he was. But when the cops checked both phones the messages were gone.

She didn’t understand how that could happen. How could those messages just disappear?

“Someone set you up,” she said quietly.

“I know. But there’s no way to know who.”

There could be. She just had to put her mind to it.

“Don’t,” her brother said firmly.

“Don’t what?” She gave him an innocent look.

“I know that look, Devi. And you made me a promise, remember?”

Drat. He’d made her promise not to interfere.

“We never go back on our promises, do we?”

Devi swallowed heavily. “I can’t stand you being in here. You did nothing wrong.”