Page 64 of Broken Empire
“How did he end up on that chair?”
“I…I don’t…” Cori’s voice cracked again. Her face, neck, and chest were bright red, and she looked like she was about to hyperventilate. “I don’t know if he’s alive or not, so I put him on the chair and tied him up just in case. So he can’t hurt me when he wakes up, I mean.Ifhe wakes up.”
“I see.” Killian stepped over to Robert and put two fingers on the clean side of his neck.
“I wanted him dead, Shay!” Cori said, voice rising to a hysterical pitch. “I wanted it, but I… I can’t go to jail. I can’t! I don’t know what to do now. I don’t… I can’t…”
“Cori, calm down,” I said, putting an arm around her. “You’re not going anywhere.”
“I am if he’s dead!”
“He’s not dead,” Killian said, looking over at us. “He’s got a steady pulse.”
Cori’s eyes widened. “I didn’t kill him?”
“No. You’ve just got a very heavy hand. You knocked him out.”
“I didn’t know I could do that,” Cori murmured, shoulders slumping.
“You’re stronger than you think,” I said, rubbing her back in soothing circles. “But don’t worry. You’re not going to get in any trouble.”
A tear rolled down her cheek. “I don’t know what to do now,” she said. “I really do want him dead. I know that’s horrible, but I can’t help it. I just don’t want him to fucking exist anymore. But I can’t…”
She trailed off, and I nodded and squeezed her hand. “You can’t bring yourself to kill him. It’s okay. I understand.”
“What am I supposed to do?” Cori looked over at Robert. “He’s going to kill me when he wakes up.”
I squeezed her hand tighter. “He won’t do anything. We’ll be right here.”
“I’m actually glad you called us,” Killian added. “I need to ask Robert a few questions anyway.”
Cori’s eyes widened. “So… you’re not going to leave?”
“Of course not.” I smiled and put my arm around her again. “We’d never leave you like this.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“Can you get me a glass of cold water?” Killian asked. “It might help to wake him up.”
Cori nodded and slipped out of the room. When she returned, Killian tossed the water in Robert’s face.
He grunted and lifted his head slightly. “What… what’s happening?” he muttered, eyes fluttering half-open. His voice came out slurred, and his eyes shuttered again a second later.
Killian slapped him on the cheek. “Come on. Wake up.”
Robert’s eyes opened, and he twisted his neck to look at Cori. “Cori… sweetheart. Come here.”
“No,” Cori said, hands balling by her sides. “Don’t ever call me sweetheart again.”
“It’s just…” Robert’s head lolled forward again, and he sucked in a labored breath. “It’s a misunderstanding. That’s all.”
Killian sighed and pulled Leah’s phone out of his pocket. “Look at this,” he said, showing him the screen. “There’s already a hundred different news articles online. There’s no misunderstanding. Everyone knows what you and your friends have been doing.”
Robert looked at the screen. His eyes widened, and he tilted his head up to stare at Killian before turning his attention to me. It was like his brain hadn’t fully registered our presence until now.
I folded my arms and stared back at him. “I bet you weren’t expecting to see me again, were you?” I said with a mocking smile.
Robert’s nostrils flared. “You have no idea how fucked you are,” he muttered.
