Inferno

~176~ Do It

Ellie's POV

I got the call from Alex and it isn't good. I decided that Mason needs to know now, so he has time to make his decision. Nothing has been done yet and there's still time to back out. Alex can't leave work right this second, so I decide to go up to Mason's classroom and talk to him.

I pass Lance in the hallway. "Hey boss!" I smirk at him.

"Hey yourself" he says, giving me a high-five as I pass.

"I'll be back in a few" I say to him over my shoulder.

I get up to Mason's class and I wait for him to notice me. He's really into his lecture so he hasn't noticed me yet.

"Not that I'm not enjoying staring at the hot nurse, but you ever going to pay attention to her, West?" a kid asks with a smile.

Mason looks at me and rolls his eyes. "You could have interrupted me" he smirks.

"Nah. I was enjoying learning about the Industrial Revolution" I smile.

He chuckles and looks at me, waiting for me to tell him why I'm here.

"Can I borrow you for a minute?" I ask him.

He nods. "Read the next chapter while I'm gone, guys" he says over his shoulder.

He comes out and shuts the door.

"So, did you hear I was hot?" I joke. I'm just stalling. I don't want to tell him.

He snorts. "Not the first I've heard it from students...Or teachers" he chuckles.

"What's wrong, Ellie?" He asks, reading my face.

I sigh and shake my head. "Alex is ready. They got the last bit of evidence they needed an hour ago" I say softly.

He closes his eyes and stays like that for a minute.

"How bad?" He finally whispers.

"You would just get them. You won't even have to go to court to fight" I say simply.

He nods. "What is it?" He finally asks.

"Embezzlement. A lot. This would put him away for life" I say, looking hard at him. He is completely destroyed.

"Mom?" He asks quietly.

"Whether she knew about it or not, I don't know. But her signatures are on a ton of documents. This will put her away for at least 20 years" I say sadly.

"Damn it" he says, darkly.

"There's more" I say after letting this sink in for a minute.

He just looks at me.

"He's put some of the funds in accounts with Josie and Dylan's names. He's using them too. Alex will take care of that, though" I say.

He nods. "What about me?" He asks.

I shake my head. "Alex has found nothing" I say.

"When do I need to make my decision?" He asks after a minute.

"Alex needs to know by 5. This case is insane, so if you want it to all go away, he can make it happen, but it needs to happen quick."

He looks at me hard and he's fighting tears. "What do I do, Ellie?" He chokes out.

I sigh. "I can't answer that, kid" I say softly.

"I'm supposed to ruin my mom and dad's life, and uproot my brother and sister from everything they know?" He spits.