AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Three. A girl and two boys.”
The smoke wafted toward me, stinging my nostrils. We should have met at a bar. I needed a stiff drink right about now.
“Is there anything you wouldn’t do for them?” I asked pointedly.
“Not a damn thing.”
I wrapped my fingers around the thick metal railing that was cool to the touch. “Until I was fifteen, I had no idea what that was like. Really until later if I’m being honest. It took me quite some time to realize that all fathers are not monsters.”
“You’re doing this with or without me,” he concluded.
“Justice needs to be served. I can’t let you put an innocent man away for my crime,” I said smoothly.
He sniffed, a corner of his mouth lifting. “Donato? Innocent?”
“He is in this matter.”
“Then I guess this is where I take you in.” With one last drag, he flicked the cigarette to the sidewalk and ground it out with his shoe. He pointed his chin in the direction of the city.
“Isn’t this the part where you read me my rights and cuff me?” I asked wryly as I pushed off the railing.
“I’ll do it in the car. And I won’t cuff you until we get to the station. Somehow, I don’t think you’re a flight risk.”
We pulled into an underground garage,and I regretted not taking one last breath of fresh air in the park. It hit me that I didn’t know when I’d see the outside world again. Until I was certain that Donato was cleared of my father’s murder, I wouldn’t try too hard to get out. In fact, I’d do all I could to stay in.
Agent Alvarez doubted me, but I had to trust that he’d go with it. I had the motive. More motive than anyone else. That was going to have to do until I found some concrete evidence to point in my direction. I’d been working on it, but with a crime that happened so long ago, definitive proof didn’t come easy.
I stood tall as we ascended. Alvarez loosely handcuffed me, and I followed him out of the elevator onto the sixth floor lobby, which was all gray. Gray walls. Gray carpet. Gray ceiling. All in varying shades. The hallway and the holding room in which I was placed were no different.
Alvarez shifted the cuffs so that they were in front of me. They were frigid against my skin, as if none of my warmth had seeped into the metal. I tested the resistance. Being restrained made me itch to be loose. How had Vivian tolerated my ties, my belt, her stockings wrapped around her wrists? She relaxed in my binds, but this was nothing like that.
Agent Alvarez left me on my own, and I sank into the cold metal chair. The feet scraped against the laminate floor, and the sound echoed through the room. I tested the resistance of the cuffs again, the links between them clanking as I pulled. Panic began to build.
I inhaled the stale air, attempting to steady my nerves. This was what must be done, I told myself over and over. I couldn’t let another man pay my penance…especially not Donato. Not after everything he’d done for me.
My phone vibrated against my chest from the inside pocket of my suit jacket. If I wanted, I could answer, but whoever it was would have to wait. I needed to concentrate on what was at hand. Forget about the outside world.
What if it’s Vivian? Or Muriella?
I lifted my hands and awkwardly fumbled for the now still phone. It took me four tries to get it out, and once I saw it was only Donato, I regretted my wasted effort. I dropped the phone on the steel table and sagged in my chair.
My foot tapped a restless rhythm on the floor. What if Vivian or Muriella needed me though? I hadn’t expected to be taken in on the spot. “Goddammit.”
“Already regretting your choice?” Agent Alvarez filed in with another man in a dark suit, both of them wearing skinny ties. His demeanor had shifted. When we’d been alone, he had almost felt trustworthy. Almost. Now, he appeared smug and completely unsympathetic. Like I was a murderer.
“There was no choice,” I said, picking up my phone and spinning it in my hand.
“I’ll be needing that.” He pointed his chin at the cell phone, but didn’t take it. “This is Agent Sampson.”
I acknowledged the other man with a flick of my eyes before returning them to Alvarez. Sampson had a notebook laptop under his arm. Both of them took a seat in the chairs across from me.
“Would you like coffee? Water?” Sampson asked. Ah…now he was the good cop. “I’d offer something stronger, but it’s against procedure.” A practiced smile graced his lips.
“Nothing,” I answered in a clipped tone.
If it affronted him, he showed no sign, simply setting up his laptop. Alvarez placed his phone on the table, pressing the screen a few times.
“You’ve waived the right to have an attorney present. Your statement is being written and recorded,” he said. I glanced at the red light on the camera in the corner of the room and wondered who else was watching on the other side.
