Page 178 of Valentino

He scribbles down notes. “And what is your relationship to Anna Russo?”

“She’s a friend.”

He smirks as his eyes rise to meet mine. “Are you sure about that?”

“Yes.”

“Do you and she have a sexual relationship?”

“No.” I clench my jaw.

He smiles as if knowing a secret while he writes.

“I’m going to wipe that fucking smile off your face in a minute,” I spit.

He chuckles. “In handcuffs, wow. You must be a magician, Mr. Leone.”

I imagine reaching over the table and breaking his neck with my bare hands.

Focus.

“Who was the man shot tonight?”

“Carlo.”

“Carlo?” He raises an eyebrow.

“Yes.”

“I see.” He scribbles something down. “I understand that you and he used to be close.”

“Yes.”

“No longer?” He raises his eyebrow in question.

“No.”

“Because you stole his girl?”

“Nothing like that. He’s been threatening her and I told her to come and stay with me where she would be safe, but she wouldn’t, so I went to her.”

He continues scribbling down notes. “What happened then?”

“I was in her apartment when I heard gunshots, so I looked out onto the street because I thought someone was in trouble out there. I went on to the balcony as I watched what was going on.”

“What then?”

I shrug. “I’m assuming that in that time Carlo entered the apartment.”

“Where were the gunshots coming from?”

“I don’t know.”

His eyes hold mine and I know that he knows that I’m lying. “Go on.”

“When I walked back inside I found that he had her held in the bathroom with a gun to her head.”

“So, you shot him?”