Tessa lets out a breath.
“You want me to take money… and pretend none of this happened?”
“Not pretend,” he says. “Avoid complications.”
“This is a complication,” she snaps. “I went to prison for something I didn’t do!”
“And the county is willing to compensate you.”
“By burying it again?” I cut in.
Hale’s smile thins.
“We’re offering a solution that protects everyone involved.”
“There it is,” I mutter.
Tessa’s voice sharpens. “Protects who?”
“The Reynolds family.”
The words hit like a punch.
Her hands start to shake.
“You’ve got to be kidding me…”
“It’s in everyone’s best interest to resolve this discreetly,” Hale continues.
“You mean him,” she says. “Daniel Reynolds.”
Hale doesn’t deny it.
Doesn’t need to.
I step forward fully, putting myself between them.
“This isn’t happening.”
“That’s not your decision,” Hale says.
“No,” I agree. “But I’ll make sure it becomes hers.”
Tessa looks between us.
Heart racing.
I can see it.
This is what she feared.
Not yelling.
Not violence.
Control.
Pressure.