I couldn't breathe.
The email on the screen felt like a betrayal, each line unraveling everything I thought I knew about my brother.
"Katherine." Tony's hand finds my shoulder, solid and warm. Grounding. "Breathe."
I suck in air that tastes like copper. "He's lying... Angelo's lying. Elliot would never-"
"Call him." Tony's voice is calm, controlled. The mafia boss in him handling crisis while I fall apart. "Let's hear his side before assuming the worst."
My hands shake so badly that I could barely pull up Elliot's contact. The video call rings once. Twice.
He answers on the third ring.
Elliot's face fills the screen - eyes red-rimmed, face blotchy like he's been crying. Behind him, his dorm room is unusually chaotic. Books scattered, papers everywhere. His stress tells the whole story before he says a word.
"Katherine." His voice cracks. "I was going to call you. I was - I didn't know how to"
"Did you take money from Angelo Torrino?" The question comes out flat.
