Substantiate Innocence (Valiant Dame Series 1) ✓

Chapter 11

When we finally reached my apartment, Carter’s condition had worsened. His body trembled violently, and his breathing was shallow.

“Jam, he’s losing too much blood. Delikado na ’to,” Ara whispered, panic evident in her tone.

I pressed a towel against Carter’s wound, but it wasn’t enough. My hands were slick with blood, and my mind raced with possibilities. But none of them felt like they would work.

I’m the reason they’re all in this mess. Carter is suffering because of me. And if I lose him, I’ll never forgive myself.

I stood abruptly, my gaze sweeping over the room. Everyone was exhausted, their faces etched with worry and fear.

“Wait for me,” I said quietly. “We’re going somewhere.”

Their confused stares followed me as I stepped into the bathroom and locked the door.

Facing the mirror, I let out a shaky breath. My reflection looked back, battered and broken, but resolute.

Grabbing the pocket knife from my drawer, I steadied my hand. Pain was irrelevant now. I bit down on a towel to stifle my scream as I made the first incision under my arm.

Hot tears blurred my vision as blood dripped onto the tiles. My hands shook, but I kept going until I revealed the hidden object buried beneath my skin—a tiny flash drive.

I sealed the wound with glue, swallowing painkillers to dull the ache. The shower washed away the blood, but it couldn’t cleanse the weight of what I had to do next.

When I stepped out, they were waiting, their eyes filled with questions.

“Where are we going?” Ara asked softly.

“You’ll know soon enough,” I said, grabbing my things. “Let’s go.”

They obeyed, though confusion lingered on their faces.

As I led them out, my heart felt heavier with each step. This wasn’t just a fight for survival anymore. This was about choices—mine and theirs. And while I wanted to protect them, I knew I was dragging them deeper into my storm.

Fate had brought us together, but it was also tearing us apart. I couldn’t help but wonder if I was leading them to salvation—or to destruction.

The truck was a blur of motion and fear, the engine’s roar competing with the pounding of my heart. Barry’s voice echoed in the chaos as she urged me to drive faster. My hands gripped the wheel tighter, my eyes focused on the road, blocking out everything else. I could feel the tension building in the air—everyone's anxiety, their fear for Carter, and their fear for me.

Ara was quiet beside me, her eyes distant, but I knew she understood. She knew why I was doing this, but maybe she didn’t agree with it. Pow was absorbed in his tablet, working to cover our tracks, while Barry and Miggy tended to Carter in the backseat, their voices filled with worry.

A police car appeared in the distance, and my stomach dropped. Barry shouted at me to drive faster, the urgency clear in her voice. Pow didn’t even flinch, but his fingers moved quickly, working on the task at hand.

“Tell me once you’re done, Pow,” I called out, my voice tight with the tension of the moment.

“Done!” Pow shouted, and my stomach sank even further. We were surrounded.

I glanced in the rearview mirror, catching Carter’s gaze. His confusion was clear, but his body was limp, unable to offer any resistance. His eyes followed me with a knowing look, and my heart ached. He knew what I was doing, and I could feel the weight of his unspoken words.

"Drive faster!" Barry shouted again, but it was already too late. We were boxed in.

The sound of sirens grew louder as police cars surrounded us, their lights flashing in a dizzying display. I kept my eyes forward, refusing to show fear. My grip on the wheel tightened even more.

When I stopped the truck, the chaos around us escalated. Police officers jumped out of their cars, weapons aimed in our direction. My pulse raced as Miggy cursed loudly, and Ara’s sobs filled the air.

“Jam, the data has already been moved to the micro-flash drive I gave you,” Pow’s voice broke through the noise.
I wiped my eyes, desperately trying to clear the flood of tears that threatened to drown me. Barry’s confused, helpless stare locked with mine, and I saw the slow, painful realization dawn in her eyes. Ara, her face twisted in anguish, squeezed my hand as if trying to hold me together. Miggy’s gaze, filled with resignation, felt like a quiet surrender.

They were all so scared. They didn’t deserve this. They didn’t deserve me dragging them into my mess.

“Ara,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “I’m sorry. But I’ll be okay.” I choked on my words, fighting to breathe. “I just need to make sure Carter is okay,” I said, my throat tightening.

And then, through the haze of confusion, his voice cut through the pain. “Jam…”

I turned toward him, my heart splintering at the sight of the tear slipping down his cheek. His eyes held the same agony I felt, but I couldn’t let him see my fear. Not now. Not when we were so close to losing everything.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, the words trembling with the weight of everything we’d been through. “Plan A didn’t work. We need a new one.”

“But…we can do this together,” Miggy’s voice was soft, but it barely reached me. His words felt distant, like they belonged to someone else. I shook my head, silencing him before the lie could escape.

“No,” I said, the trembling in my voice betraying me. “I need to do this alone. I dragged you all into this, and now it’s my fight. I can’t... I can’t let you suffer for my mistakes.”

The police were closing in, their voices demanding obedience, but all I could hear was the pounding of my own heart, each beat a heavy reminder of how badly I had failed them. The hitman was still out there, watching, waiting for me to make one wrong move. I took a slow, shaky breath, bracing myself for what was coming.

And then Carter’s hand found mine. His fingers, cold with fear, slipped around mine, and I pressed it to my cheek, closing my eyes to memorize the warmth, the touch of everything I was losing. My tears fell freely now, and I didn’t care. I needed to cry. I needed to feel something real, something I could hold onto.

“Live, Carter. Please,” I whispered, my voice raw with desperation. I kissed his palm, tasting the salt of my own grief.

A sob escaped Ara, but I couldn’t let myself be consumed by it. Pain was tearing through me, but I forced myself to ignore it. I opened the truck door with a shaky breath, my heart pounding, my hands shaking. I didn’t hear the police yelling at me; I only heard the roaring pulse in my ears, deafening, suffocating.

I raised my arms in surrender, the world spinning around me, as they yanked me out of the truck. The cold, unforgiving grip of their hands on my arms sent a jolt through my body. The cuffs bit into my wrists, and I couldn’t help but look back at them—my friends. My family. My heart.

But it was Carter’s eyes that kept me anchored, that held me there. He was the reason I kept fighting, the reason I kept breathing.

I mouthed the words, “Thank you,” to them, knowing it was all I had left to give. And then, even as the police dragged me away, I let them see my gratitude. Because it was the only thing I could offer now.