Chapter 26: The Last Stand

Mercedes sat in the courthouse hallway, gripping a cup of water she had no intention of drinking. The weight of Claire’s words still sat heavy on her chest. Chris and her father sat beside her, but neither spoke.

DeSean stood a few feet away, deep in conversation with Gary and Elsa. His sharp gaze flickered toward Mercedes every now and then, and she wondered what he was thinking.

The tension in the air was suffocating.

Chris nudged her. "You good?"

Mercedes let out a slow breath. "I don’t know."

"That was a cheap shot," she muttered. "Claire knew exactly what she was doing."

Mercedes nodded. She wanted to be angry, to lash out, but all she felt was exhaustion.

DeSean finally broke away from his discussion and walked over, his expression unreadable.

"Walk with me," he said.

Mercedes hesitated, then nodded. She followed him down the hall, away from prying ears.

Once they were alone, he turned to her. "Don’t let what Claire said shake you."