Chapter 7 - Julian's Plea
I didn't expect the phone call from the county jail.
“You have a collect call from an inmate at the Federal Detention Center. Press 1 to accept.”
I pressed 1. Chloe, sitting across from me, raised her eyebrows. I put the phone on speaker.
"Elena?" Julian’s voice was ragged. The smooth, confident baritone that had once whispered sweet nothings in my ear sounded broken.
"What do you want, Julian?"
"Please," he begged. "My lawyer says I'm looking at twenty years. My mother cut a deal. She gave them evidence against me to get a reduced sentence."
I felt a cold wave of disgust. Even knowing what they were, it was shocking to see how fast they turned on each other. "There's no honor among thieves. Why are you calling me?"
"Because you know where the backup drives are," he pleaded. "The ones with the politicians' names. The governor. If I have those, I can leverage a plea deal. Please, Elena. For what we used to have. I did love you."
I laughed. It was a sharp, bitter sound. "You didn't love me, Julian. You loved the fact that I looked good on paper and didn't ask questions. But you were wrong about the second part."
"Elena, I'm begging you—"
May you like
"I gave those drives to the New York Times an hour ago, Julian. There are no deals left to make. Goodbye."
I hung up and blocked the number.
