Page 157 of Stolen Voices

My brother’s eyes brim with unshed tears as he looks at his wife and new child. He nods their way. “I should thank you for forcing me to go after them. Best decision I ever made.”

We watch Callie place Remy in Rylann’s arms as they chat. Callie’s cheeks blush as she glances my way, and Rylann laughs. They are definitely talking about last night. I smile to myself, loving the way Callie fits right into my family.

“Yeah, it was,” I mumble. Letting go of my reservations and making Callie mine was the best decision I ever made.

“Don’t be a smartass.” Jace snorts and punches me in the arm.

“Just doing my brotherly duty. Speaking of, do you have any news for me?”

“Actually, I do. I heard from a friend of mine who works in the family court office, and there is no documented conservatorship in place for Diana Cartwright in the state of California.”

“Well, fuck. Thanks anyway.”

“No problem. Callie is one of us now. We protect our own, E. I know this is hard, but can I talk to her, see if she knows anything?”

Before I can break down and hug my brother to thank him for all the help and support he’s given me, Callie interrupts us. “Hey, guys. Are you talking about me?” Her gaze bounces between me and Jace.

Threading my fingers through hers, I pull her to my side and kiss the top of her head as my brother coughs uncomfortably, looking at me for direction. I promised Callie full transparency. We are a team, and while she promised to let me take the lead, that doesn’t mean I get to hide the truth from her. This is her life, and she deserves to be a part of the process of untangling it from the viper holding her hostage.

“Yes. But I think we should take this outside.”

Callie easily agrees.

We say our goodbyes to Rylann, congratulating her again before leaving. Jace lets Rylann know he’ll be back and joins us in the hallway. Once outside, I relay the new information to Callie, who looks shocked and angry.

“I don’t understand how the conservatorship isn’t real. Are you sure?” she asks, baffled at the news. “Silla had her lawyer bring the paper for me to review. I saw it.”

Jace explains how the documents might look official, but since he couldn’t find an official record of them with the court, he believes the lawyer forged them.

“You met Silla’s lawyer?”

Callie mentioned a lawyer but not meeting him. Fuck, this could be the lead I need to catch Silla. I know in my gut—I know—she’s behind this. Everything keeps leading me to her. She’s the only one who would gain from Callie’s death. I just need the evidence.

“Of course. Over the years, he’s come over to make me sign documents giving Silla access to my accounts and renew her.” She uses finger quotes as emphasis. “Managers contract. When I didn’t want to sign, he threatened me.”

“What’s his name?” Jace asks, barely disguising his anger. I never loved my brother more.

“David…” Callie taps her lips with her fist, thinking. “Jenkins! David Jenkins. That’s his name. He’s kind of weaselly. He lets Silla boss him around like he’s scared of her or something. I don’t know. Their relationship is weird.”

Interesting. I look at Jace.

He nods and pulls out his phone, tapping away. “I’m on it.”

Now that we have a lead, Jace can figure out where we can find this Jenkins guy. When Jace is done, he thanks us both for coming and excuses himself to return to his wife and baby.

I wrap my arm around Callie’s shoulders as we make our way out of the maternity ward. The multitude of emotions that swirl in her eyes breaks my heart. I give her a moment as she nibbles on her lip, and tries to process everything she learned.

“We’re going to figure this out, princess. I promise.” I kiss the top of her head and press the elevator call button.

“I know. I just… I feel so stupid.”

The elevator opens, and we step into the empty cart. I wrap my arms around Callie’s waist and hug her tight. Tilting her chin up, I’m taken aback at her devastation. She’s on the verge of tears, and there is nothing I can do about it.

I plant a kiss on her lips. “You have nothing to feel stupid about, Callie. Silla manipulated you. You were a teenager. A fucking child. How were you supposed to know she was lying?”

A tear slips from the corner of her eye. “I should have asked you for help sooner. I waited too long, and now I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’m scared, Eli.”

“Nothing is going to happen. We are going to figure out what Silla’s been up to, then we are going to get rid of her,” I declare with confidence.