Page 34 of The Fighter
“Okay, but before I do, you have to promise me that you won’t stop me from investigating.”
“Investigating what?”
“Dina’s death. She was Khan’s and Magni’s sister who died when she was fifteen, just one week after being married. I found her case last week and I don’t believe it was suicide like it stated. Last night I was reading through her old diaries and I came across her telling that she overheard her parents fighting. It turns out that Khan isn’t the son of Marcus Aurelius.”
My hands flew to my hair. “Who in their right mind leaves explosive information like that in a fucking diary?”
“A twelve-year-old girl.”
“Give it to me.” I reached out my hand. “How did you even get your hands on it to begin with?”
“No.” She pulled her hands away. “It’s my research. Mila gave me permission to read her aunt’s diary and I had all the notes on the wall in my room, but I was afraid someone might walk in and see it. You can’t have it.”
My tone grew deeper. “You don’t understand what you’ve stumbled upon. If people find out that Khan isn’t the rightful heir to rule the country and that Erika was unfaithful to Marcus it will be the biggest scandal this country has ever seen.”
“Why? What does it matter? Khan is already the ruler. It’s not going to change anything.”
“Fuck yes it will change things. You don’t understand the ramifications if this comes out. Khan won’t be able to stay the ruler and if he doesn’t surrender power freely, there will be a rebellion.”
“You can’t know that.”
I lowered my voice. “No ruler has ever surrendered power freely, Raven. That diary could set off a new civil war.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I doubt it. Really? War?”
“Just because there’s been peace for decades now doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen again. We could face a bloodbath and just to be clear: if Khan loses there’s a big chance his entire family will be killed. That includes Mila.”
She gasped. “You’re not serious?”
“As your boss, I’m demanding that you hand over everything you have and forget you ever saw it.”
“No.”
“Raven, it’s not up for debate. I’m confiscating this.” I took the research from her and stayed firm when she got mad. There was no way she could comprehend the magnitude of what she had discovered, but I did. The danger was not only that this information might get out to the public, but also that Khan and Magni would discover that Raven knew about it. Would they trust her to keep quiet, or take precautions to silence her? No one could know about this and I would take it to my grave to protect her!
CHAPTER 10
Confronting Erika
Raven
When I came home Friday night after Leo had confiscated my research, I was hell-bent on not letting him stop me.
He might have all my notes, the diary, and the article, but I had access to a key witness, and all day I had been thinking about how to approach Erika.
Mila had gone with the rest of her family to visit Laura’s twin sister, but I couldn’t wait for her return on Sunday before talking with Erika about what I had learned in Dina’s diary.
That’s why I joined the older woman after dinner in the library, where she was playing a game of cards by herself while watching a show on the entertainment center.
“Erika, do you mind if I join you?”
She smiled. “Not at all. Would you like a game of cards?” Erika was always very stylish, but today she wore a large knitted sweater that looked more cozy than fashionable.
“Not really. What are you watching?”
She waved a hand through the air. “It’s a dating show.”
I sat down next to her and looked at the large screen. “What’s a dating show?”
