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"Please, Lana. Let me help you."
I don't say a word.
Niall presses his lips together and inhales deeply through his nose.
I know I'm testing his patience, but the last person I want representing me is Parker and Joey's father. Not just because it's them, but because they're so wrapped up in the truth of this that I can't confide in their father. I don't even think it'd be legal for him to represent me if he knew of their indirect involvement.
"Dwight can handle this."
"Dwight still represents you. He and I are working together on your case. But right now, I'm the one who's here," Niall explains calmly. "I was able to fast track your case and get the probable cause hearing moved to this Tuesday. I'm going to request that the court release you into your mother's custody, but with your previous arrests, and the pending armed robbery charges, that's very unlikely." Hardened lines form around his mouth as he contemplates his next words.
"What?" I demand, dreading the worst.
"A girl called into the station last night, claiming that a friend of hers was pushed down a flight of stairs."
My feet fall to the floor with a heavy thump. Niall's brow creases at my inadvertent reaction.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"An officer I know personally informed me that the suspect described sounds a lot like you. The detectives assigned to the case want you to come in for questioning."
I don't respond. I try not to react. But his bright blue eyes stay on me, absorbing the tension in my jaw and flicker in my eyes. I can't risk letting this man see through me.
"Do you know anything about it? I would hate to be blindsided by this later if I agree to bring you in."
"What happened to the girl? The one who was pushed down the stairs?" I ask, my chest tightening.
"She's in a coma," he explains solemnly. "They're not sure if she'll make it."
All of the air is sucked out of my lungs as I fold forward, setting my hands on the table to keep myself upright. Parker said she was okay. Did he lie? Or did he not know how badly she was hurt?
"She regained consciousness briefly after she was brought in and started calling out for ..." Niall's reads directly from his notes, annunciating each word with a hint of confusion. "My. Fairy. Princess."
He glances at my shaking hands. I yank them off the table and cross my arms tightly against my chest again.
"I won't tell them anything if you bring me in. So don't even bother."
"They don't have much to go on. The caller never came in. So I'll decline the interview request for now." Niall's voice is careful and calm. "Lana, you have to tell me something about the armed robbery. I promise that everything you say will remain between us. Dwight doesn't even have to know if you don't want him to. No one will hear the truth if that's what's best."
I study him as he studies me, wondering if he'll still hold this promise if his loyalty is tested. Loyalty to his family. Loyalty to Vic's family. All to save me, a girl he doesn't even know. He focuses on me with fierce sincerity, a sort of intense protectiveness that I've never had directed at me before.
"I can tell you what happened at the convenience store, but I can't tell you the name of the guy with the gun."
"It's going to be difficult to prove you didn't have anything to do with it if I can't give them the name of the person who did," he explains, frustrated by my terms. "Why do you insist on protecting him?"
"It's not him I'm protecting. It's everyone who was with me that night."
Niall leans back and stares at the papers in front of him, a contemplative expression on his face. The conviction reflected in his eyes when they turn back up to me makes me very aware of why he can afford that suit. It's the look of a man who knows exactly where the lines are and how to cross them without taking a step.
"Tell me what happened inside the store. Nothing about before you entered. Or after. Only the details of the robbery itself."
I take a deep breath and do something I've only done a few times in my life--and I don't mean tell the truth, because that's the only thing I can do. This time, I tell the entire truth, and only because it won't make a difference. I'm so used to keeping the details to myself because most of the time, people can't handle unabridged honesty. But today, Niall Harrison hears exactly what happened inside the dingy convenience store ... every second.
And when I'm done, he steeples his fingers and presses them against his lips, contemplating my options.
"You left together?" he asks.
"Yes."
