Rules of Loving

22. the truth comes to light

       The loud ringing of a phone causes my eyes to spring open. I sit up from the couch feeling an instant ache on my neck.

       "It's mine," Julieta who was sleeping on the bed stares as she too sits up and answers her phone.

       I rub the ache on my neck and shoulder before stretching my hands up and letting my bones crack. Julieta looks up from her phone as she ends the calls.

       "What was it?" I ask.

       "It was my dad," she says with a quivering lip. "H-He wants me to come down to the station to say goodbye before they take him away. He confessed everything."

       "Confessed? As in he was really in on all of this?"

       Julieta nods as one tear followed by another slip down her cheek. I get up from the couch and walk over to her. I engulf her in a hug and rub her back gently.

       "I don't want to go alone," she whimpers. "Will you come with me?"

       "Of course," I nod. "C'mon let's go before they take him."

       Julieta slips on her heels and we walk toward my car. She seems shocked by the sudden news that her dad in fact was part of a mafia and possibly the murder of Gina.

       "You ready?" I ask as we reach the station and Julieta nods. I give her hand a comforting squeeze before we step out of the car.

       I am scared to go inside and bump into Mia, but I also know that Julieta needs me. So, I try my best to stay strong. The station is mostly empty with a few officers around.

       "I am here to see Fred Killian," Julieta tells the cop at the front desk.

       Disappointment dawns on me when I can't find Mia anywhere in sight. Despite everything, my heart still yearned for her, even if it was just a glimpse.

       "Julieta!" Fred exclaims as he spots his daughter and I. "Quinn, I am so sorry for taking part in putting the blame on you."

       "It's alright," I state in a calm tone even though I wanted to lash out at him for dragging my name through the dirt.

       "It's true then," Julieta asks in a hurt tone. "Dad, why did you do it?"

       Fred presses his lips together trying to stop the swelling tears. He looks down at the ground ashamed.

       "I needed the money and Daniel said he could help me ou-"

       "Wait, Daniel is part of this too?" I ask and Fred nods.

       "He's the mastermind behind all of this," Fred continues as he holds onto the steel bars. "He used his directing career as a way to cover up his true business. He travelled to different countries to expand his business. He is El Tiburon. I accepted to be part of his mafia, but I didn't know about the sex trafficking. When I found out, I told him I wanted out but he refused, he said I was too deep in the water now. So, he made sure the evidence that the investigators found also incriminated me."

       "So, he is the one that killed Gina?" I ask and Fred hesitantly nods.

       "I joined after the this whole Gina incident, so I don't really know who she is, but my best bet is that Daniel killed her." Fred replies. "Quinn, they did not let me finish my confession. As soon as they heard me admit to being part of the mafia, they locked me up, but they need to know."

"Need to know what?"

"Daniel mentioned a name when we were looking at Mia's portfolio for the movie. Elena." Fred explains. "I think he knows that Mia isn't really Mia, but an undercover cop. I heard Theo mentioning something about Mia and William going to Daniel's party tonight for more evidence. If he sees William and Mia finding anything that pins him to this whole ordeal, he won't hesitate to kill them."