GABRIEL
I'm pacing outside the council chamber, the weight of impending verdicts pressing down like a heavy fog. Caleb's by my side, looking as if he's gearing up for a fight, which, knowing Caleb, he probably is.
"You think they bought Leo's act?" I mutter, kicking a pebble across the courtyard. It skitters and stops, a small journey ending too soon, kind of like how I feel right now.
Caleb snorts, his gaze fixed on the chamber doors as if he could will them open with sheer annoyance. "Please, that guy could sell ice to an Eskimo. But sell the council on his sudden change of heart? I have my doubts."
I can't help a bitter laugh. "Yeah, from tyrant to saint in one courtroom drama. Should've brought popcorn."
Caleb chuckles, then turns to me, his expression sobering. "But seriously, Gabe, what's our play if they side with him? We can't just hand Mia over like she's... property."
The mere thought has my blood boiling, visions of Leo's smug face fueling my rage. "Over my dead body," I sa
