Chapter 14 Monroe
MONROE
I sat down in the sun with Knox as my eyes roamed his body.
He had his jumpsuit rolled down again, with nothing but a tight white shirt covering his upper body.
It was hard for me to take my eyes off him.
His bruises were still very prominent but he looked stronger than ever.
His brown hair was blowing in the light wind and his dark brown eyes looked amber with the sun.
I shook my head and snickered before I opened up my briefcase.
“How are you feeling?” I asked.
“Better now,” Knox said with a grin.
“That happens when you get a bit of sun.”
“Wasn’t talking about the sun.”
I looked up at him and our eyes connected. He had this small little grin on his face that accented the mystery behind his eyes. I giggled and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear, trying to shake off how hard my heart was thrumming in my ears.
Then I cleared my throat and tried to get myself into a more professional mode.
“It’s good to see you upright,” I said. “But now it’s time to get serious.”
“And here I thought yard time was supposed to be playful,” Knox said.
“You have to talk to me now. Your hearing is in two days and there is still a lot you’re keeping from me,” I said.
“I agree,” he said.
“Right now, what we have is circumstantial at best. But Rose is a hell of a lawyer when delivering opening and closing statements, so we’re confident.
Right now, your boots are the biggest piece of evidence we have.
We can prove by the way yours and Blaze’s blood is layered on your boot that you were the first-”
“I gotta stop ya right there, Monroe.”
The sound of my name in his voice prickled the hair on the back of my neck.
“What’s wrong, Knox?”
“Before you go any further, I gotta come clean about some things,” he said.
“Some… things.”
“Yes. I need to tell you the truth.”
I felt my jaw drop open before I reached for a pen and my notepad.
“The whole truth,” I said.
“As much of it as I can give to you,” Knox said.
“If you’re going to tell me the truth, you need to give me the entire thing. Anything you can tell me will help you. I think I’ve more than proven that point.”
“I have no doubt you’ll help me, but it wasn’t because of what you organized while I was in the infirmary.”
I swallowed hard as his eyes held my gaze.
I felt his foot slip towards me underneath the table.
For a split second, the warmth of his leg burned into mine.
It shot a cataclysmic electric shot up my leg, stunning my gut into silence.
Goosebumps littered my body at his touch and I jerked my leg away, crossing my feet at the ankles and tucking them away from him.
But not before a very thick blush rose on my cheeks.
“What are you willing to tell me that you haven’t told me yet?” I asked.
“Blaze didn’t just make some sexual joke about my very young sister that night,” I said. “He threatened her life.”
“He did what?” I asked.
“After the comment about me looking like my sister on my knees, he said the only difference was that she would be facing away from him.”
“I don’t follow.”
“Blaze said ‘You look good down on your knees. Reminds me of your sister. Except she’ll be facing away from me when it happens’.”
“He meant your sister would be down on her knees with her back to Blaze.”
“There’s only one reason to get someone on their knees and still be behind them. And that’s if ya plan on executing someone,” Knox said.
“He said that to you.”
“Yes.”
“Was there anyone else around you that could’ve heard that comment?” I asked.
“There was no one.”
“I thought you said a man by the name of Grave pulled you off him,” I said.
I could see a brief swell of panic run behind his eyes and I knew what he was thinking.
“Knox, who else was there?” I asked.
“No one. It was just me.”
“I know that’s not true. You’ve already mentioned names. Don’t start lying to me now,” I said. “You said you were going to give me the truth. Now spill it.”
“You want the truth? The Black Saddles sent Blaze after me because they were betting on him being a cock. He threatened my sister’s life and they knew that would set me off.
They went digging around in my personal life just to find something to shoot at me.
They were betting on me lunging at Blaze and I played right into their fuckin’ hand!
The only reason we were there was to fucking set some boundaries with some punk ass party crew who couldn't do shit with their lives if they wanted. It wasn’t supposed to turn into some all-out fuckin’ brawl, Monroe.
But what the hell was I supposed to do? That asshole threatened my fucking sister’s life.
A sister that asshole wasn’t even supposed to know about! ”
Knox was slowly rising up from his seat and I could see the guards getting nervous.
I tossed them a look and held up my hand, then waited for Knox to calm his temper.
He had privileges now, that much was obvious.
But those privileges only went so far. He still had to keep himself in check because if it was necessary, we would have to pull guards for character witnesses.
And him yelling at his lawyer didn’t look good.
“I beat the crap out of the boy, yes. But he was alive when I left him. Alive and breathing enough to yell some shit after me when we took off running,” Knox said.
“When ‘we’ took off running,” I said.
I watched Knox sigh as he shook his head.
“You have to tell me who was there with you,” I said.
Knox jutted his jaw out as he shook head.
“If someone saw Blaze still alive when you left, that’s our missing link. Witnesses, Knox. That’s what gets you out of this shithole.”
“Thought you said you had evidence to argue.”
“We do, but it’s a stretch. And with your stubborn streak, your tattoos, and your unwillingness to cooperate, I’m not sure it’s going to be enough for a jury,” I said.
“Then it’s a good thing I got the best lawyers in town,” he said.
He panned his gaze back to me and I shook my head.
What in the world was this man so afraid of?
Because that was what this was. Fear. He was fearful and panicked, so he kept bucking up to me to try and feel powerful again.
He had been stripped of everything that was familiar to him and had no way to protect his family inside here.
“Was it you or Rose?”
“What?” I asked.
“That pulled the strings with the Anderson police. Was it you or her?” Knox asked.
“How do you know about that?”
“Does it matter?” he asked.
“If you have to know, it was me,” I said. “The police are sending me daily reports of how they’re doing. And with what you’ve told me, I’m glad I did it. A daily checkup will make sure they stay safe and guarded.”
I watched Knox nod as he bit down onto his lower lip.
“Why are you so afraid?”
His eyes flared instantly with anger as he whipped them back to mine.
“The hell makes you think I’m afraid?” he asked.
“Your eyes. The way they panic every time I probe you for answers. I’ve seen it two times. When you’re talking about your sister and when I keep asking you who was there with you that night. You're scared, I’m just not sure why.”
“I don’t get scared,” he said.
“Which is a lie. We all get scared. We all have adrenal glands that go into overdrive. It’s a basic evolutionary advantage. You telling me you’ve evolved beyond adrenal glands?” I asked.
Knox chuckled to himself and it brushed a smile across my face.
“I don’t know what more I can do to get you to trust me,” I said.
“It ain’t about trust, Monroe.”
I shivered at my name again. The way he sounded in his low tones as he looked off into the distance.
“It’s about keeping things sacred.”
“What things?” I asked.
“In my world, secrets are key. You keep them to keep people safe.”
“So, you think you’re keeping people safe by not telling me who was with you that night,” I said.
Knox nodded his head curtly as my hand raked down my face.
“Okay. Well, who was there then that is someone you don’t mind telling on. Blaze was there. Some guy named Rex was there. Anyone else?” I asked.
I watched him rack his brain, like he was making a life or death decision.
His eyes squinted off into the distance and his eyes became glassy.
He was losing himself in his memories. Recounting that night from his point of view.
I was familiar with the look and I sat patiently.
Waiting for him to come back to reality and give me something I could work with.
Then, I saw another rush of panic cross his face.
“Knox?” I asked.
“Shit,” he said.
“Knox. Let me in. What’s going on?” I asked.
“I have to go,” he said. “I gotta make a phone call.”
“Alright. I didn’t want to have to do this, but I’m going to,” I said.
I beckoned for the guards and the rushed over, their handcuffs drawn and ready to chain him to the table.
“The fuck you doing?” Knox asked.
“I’m not going to let you tank your own damn investigation,” I said.
“I know you won’t roll over on your club.
It’s why the assistant U.S. attorney will never get anywhere with this investigation.
But you’re not going anywhere until you talk to me.
I’ve tried being nice and I’ve tried being your friend and I’ve tried earning your trust. But we’re down to the wire and I’m not going to watch you sink yourself over some dumbass pride you feel towards people who aren’t around right now. ”
His eyes were pulsing with an angry fire as the guards handcuffed him to the table.
“So, what? I’m gonna sit out here and piss myself until I talk to you?” Knox asked.
“If that’s what it takes. You just remembered something, and you’re going to tell me. Otherwise I’m pulling your defense.”
“I thought you just said you weren’t gonna let me sink,” he said.
“Sometimes it takes almost drowning to realize how good you had it before,” I said. “Now I put on sunblock this morning. Did you?”