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“This case hinges on your testimony. I can guarantee Mr. De Santos can come up with the money to make any of your financial troubles go away. And if you think I’m generous, double-crossing me isn’t an option. I have more than enough favors I can call in.”
Luca yanks the recorder out of my hands. “I think we heard enough. Certainly, in this day and age there’s so much technology that can put words together to suit whoever is framing Ani.”
Caroline looks up from her computer. “One step ahead of you. I have three experts who have agreed to examine the tapes.”
“This comes with risks, Penn,” I say. Caroline and I know it. “If they can’t prove it’s been tampered with, then what is stopping any one of these three from turning it over to the DA’s office?”
“Not going to lie, you’re right. But it’s worth the risk.”
I flip through the written testimony of all three witnesses, their stories identical.
“Has Tuck uncovered anything? What happened to the original tape? I had it locked in my safe.”
Penn begins to bite his lip, looking down at the hardwood floors. “Ani, this was the one from your office in the safe.”
“I don’t understand, I just don’t understand.” It’s not evident to me that I’m crying until tears fall onto the papers in front of me. “This is too big for one person. Who could break into my office and my safe? Besides Harry—there’s got to be another person involved.”
My voice catches Shaelyn off guard, and it’s my first indication I’m yelling. I’m not simply yelling. I’m screaming at Penn, tossing papers everywhere. When Luca’s strong arms wrap around me, it’s the first time since this nightmare happened that I feel safe. He picks me up off the floor and carries me to his room.
“Luc, I’m going to lose everything, my career, my freedom but most of all, you.”
His fingers rake through my hair, massaging my scalp. “No, baby, you won’t lose any of those things, I promise you. And most of all, you’ll never lose me.”
He holds me, his touch a constant on my body. In him, I find peace and refuge, and after several more minutes of crying in his arms, I find rest.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-FOUR
An hour passes before I feel as though I can leave my baby girl. I don’t want to move, because as much as she’s scared, my fear of losing her is real. But there’s too much to work on, and I won’t rest, not fully, until these outlandish claims are dropped and I’ve rained holy hell on those responsible.
I find only Penn in the living room, both Caroline and Shaelyn gone. “What the fuck are we going to do, Penn? Whoever planned this had to have started with the claims landing me in deep litigation. And Harry fucking Lane. Ani came to me early on, her intuition telling her something wasn’t quite right with him. He came off as a bumbling idiot, which he isn’t. This has Garrett Greene written all over it. The tapes have had to cost a lot to alter. Not to mention it was in her safe. Do you have anything, Penn, anything at all?”
He turns his head to one side then the next, stretching, a long, deep breath dispelled.
“I have a lot that I’m working through in my mind and a couple leads. Tucker Owens is back at the office. He’s dusting her space for prints. Caroline is distraught, her fear is that we suspect her. She’s loyal to Ani. But everyone else, I’m attempting to eliminate. He’s also setting up a camera to capture anyone coming back to cover up more evidence. This is complicated and won’t be an easy fix.”
An alert from his phone pulls at his attention. “Bristol and her parents just arrived. They’re in a hotel tonight. I told her it was a good idea to let Ani rest.”
I don’t have the energy to ask him what is going on with Bristol. It’s not a priority, not like Anisten is.
“I’m going to get out of your hair. You’ll find me at the office tonight if you need me. Plus, I’ll continue to push to get the ankle monitor off.”
I throw one of the empty coffee cups on the floor. “That fucking monitor is the biggest slap in her face in this whole nightmare. When they put it on, I could see her visibly shrink into herself.”
Placing his hand on my shoulder, a silent pledge of solidarity, he begins. “We’re going to get through this, Luc, I promise you.” He’s out of the door, and when I walk back to my bedroom, I stare at the vision in my bed. She’s kicked the covers off, and all I can see is the fucking ankle monitor.
She stirs just enough that the light from the hall must wake her. “Luc, baby, please come to bed.”
I’ve never denied her, so why would I start now?
* * *
My phone buzzes next to my bed. “Luc, baby, your phone.”
Somehow in the shitshow of yesterday, I’d slept hard with Anisten near me.
“Go back to sleep, Heaven,” I order and she rolls over, pulling the covers with her. I don’t glance at my phone before answering it. “Hold on,” I command, and in my nudity I leave the bedroom, my bathrobe in my hand. “I’m back.” I move the phone to my line of sight and as I’d guessed, it’s Penn.
“We’ve located Harry Lane. Both he and his wife were found dead in their hotel room first thing this morning. They had tickets booked to the Maldives, a non-extradition country.”
