“You used your own twelve-year-old as a human shield against the people you work for.

You made him stand up in a courtroom and pretend to hate his own mother — so that you would trust him, so he could stay close enough to what you were doing.

And what you were doing was washing millions of dollars in dirty money through companies that don’t make anything, for people who kill to keep it quiet.”

For the first time, Lachlan had nothing to say.

And beside him, Linus lowered his head, and the last piece of it settled into place in my chest, complete.

My son had humiliated me in that courtroom on purpose.