Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Luca
My alarm went off at six a.m. Rolling out of bed, I threw on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, grabbed my suit and my bag, and headed to the gym for a workout before diving into a full day of work.
“Hey, bro.” I smiled as I saw Brad over on the weight bench.
“Ready for a killer workout?” he asked.
“Always ready.”
I was forty-five minutes into my workout when I looked over and saw Ariana walking my way. What the fuck was she doing here?
“We need to talk,” she spoke.
“How did you know I was here?” I wiped my face with a towel.
“Olivia told me you come here on Thursday mornings.”
“And this little talk couldn’t wait until I got into the office?”
“No.” She smiled.
My eyes looked her over from head to toe. Black business suit and stiletto heels. My cock was enjoying it as much as my eyes were.
“Next time you come here to talk to me, wear some tight yoga pants and a sports bra.” I smirked.
She rolled her eyes as she grabbed hold of my arm and pulled me over to the corner.
“The bartender. Have you checked her out?”
“What bartender? What are you talking about?”
“The one who works at the Bleu Room? The same one who has a thing for Stephan.”
“No. Why would we check her out? Plus, the security tapes already showed he was there at the time of the murder. What does the bartender have to do with this?”
“Because I think she was the one who killed Mrs. Michaels.”
“WHAT?”
“She’s in love with Stephan, and my guess is that Vi, the bartender, couldn’t stand seeing the two of them together anymore.”
“How do you know all this?” I cocked my head.
“I went to the bar last night. I have all the information in my folder.” She patted the bag that hung from her shoulder.
“Go and get inside the Bentley. I’m going to take a quick shower and change. I’ll meet you there, and we’ll drive to the office together to discuss this further.”
“Okay.” She gave a small smile and headed out of the gym.
I walked into the locker room with a smile on my face. There was a great chance Ariana did it. She found something that could provide reasonable doubt.
“Why was Ariana here?” Brad asked as I quickly showered.
“She may have some information that could prove useful in the Michaels’ case.”
“You’re kidding.”
“No. I’m not.” I glanced over at him. “She’s waiting outside for me with the file. When you get to the firm, come straight to my office.”
“Will do, Luca.”
I dried myself off, put my suit on, and climbed into the Bentley. A celebration would be in order if this information proved useful and could set my client free. The type of celebration that would put Ariana in my bed for an entire night with a bottle of champagne and a lot of rough sex.
“Tell me more about this bartender,” I spoke.
Ariana pulled a file folder from her bag and handed it to me. Taking it from her, I opened it and began reading all her notes. Her handwriting was impeccable, just like her looks.
“She called Mrs. Michaels a whore?” I arched my brow.
“Yes, and she also said that she deserved to die and that Stephan was too good for her.”
“Does she have any priors?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t get that far. I left the bar at midnight, and when I got home, I wrote everything down and then went to bed.”
“You did good, Ariana.” I smiled. “Thank you.”
“Just doing my job.” She smiled back.
As I walked down the hall, I stopped by Sheila’s office.
“I need you to pull up everything you can on a Violet Cole. She’s a bartender over at the Bleu Room.”
“Sure thing, Luca.”
About an hour later, as I was sitting in my office, Sheila walked in and threw a file on my desk.
“Violet Cole was arrested five years ago for attacking a woman outside a Greenville, North Carolina bar.”
“Let me guess.” I smiled at her. “The woman was the girlfriend of someone she was interested in?”
“You are correct, Mr. Russo.” She smiled back. “She beat her up pretty bad. According to the boyfriend, he and Miss Cole had a one-night stand, and then she proceeded to stalk him shortly after he told her that it was only a one-time thing. He got a restraining order against her, so she went after the girlfriend. Assault and battery charges were filed, she was sentenced to one year in jail, got out after six months for good behavior, and was ordered to take an anger management class, which she completed before leaving the state.”
“And the fine citizens of New York were the lucky ones to be graced with her presence.” I sighed. “Call the district attorney and see if she’s available today. With any luck, we won’t have to go to trial at all.”
“I’ll make the call right now.”
“Thanks. Do me a favor on your way out. Tell Ariana I need to see her.”
Sheila gave me a nod, and a moment later, Ariana walked into my office.
“What’s up?”
“What are you doing tonight?”
“I was going to go look for furniture for my apartment.”
“Great. I’ll go with you, and then we’ll grab some dinner.” I cheerfully smiled.
She let out a light laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
“You want to go furniture shopping with me?”
“Yeah? Why not?”
“You just don’t seem like the furniture-shopping type.”
“I didn’t know furniture shoppers had a type.” I smirked. “Everybody shops for furniture in their lifetime, including me.”
Her eye narrowed, and the corners of her mouth slightly curved upward.
“Okay. But I’m sure you’ll be bored.”
“I highly doubt that. I don’t think boredom would be an issue, being with you.”
“Trust me. I’m not that exciting.”
“I tend to disagree.” My brow raised as a small smile made its way across my face. “I know a great furniture store we can stop at. In fact, it’s not too far from here.”
“Sounds good, but I hope they aren’t expensive because I’m on a budget.”
“I’m sure you’ll find something within your price range.”
“Excuse me, Luca,” Sheila spoke as she poked her head in the doorway. “The D.A. said she’ll see you if you can be at her office in fifteen minutes.”
“Thanks, Sheila.” I got up from my chair and buttoned my suitcoat. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a meeting with the district attorney about Miss Violet Cole.” I winked.