Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
TWO WEEKS LATER
Luca
I was sitting in my office when a call came through from Gary Dilbert, Attorney, and owner of Dilbert & Associates. He was calling about Ariana. I made good on my promise and told him she was an excellent employee and he’d be a fool not to hire her.
I kept busy, buried myself in my work, went to strip clubs with Brad, and drank more than I should have. Olivia barely spoke to me the past couple of weeks, which was to be expected. I was sure Ariana told her everything. Not having her here at the firm killed me, but it was for the best. The more I saw her, the harder I fell. But it didn’t stop her from being on my mind 24/7.
Today was Sam Butler’s birthday, my partner at the firm. I was throwing him a party with about fifty people at Rose, a bar in the Peninsula Hotel. After Ariana had quit, I was questioned by the other partners. They wanted to know what happened. I didn’t say too much, but they already knew because they knew me. The party was going great, and everyone was having a good time drinking and mingling. I was sitting at the bar finishing off my scotch when an attractive woman with long brown hair sat beside me. I smiled. We started talking, and I bought her a couple of drinks.
Ariana
I was putting everything about Luca Russo behind me. I had quit my job and started the hunt for a new one. But not until after I stayed in a state of depression for a week, eating nothing but junk food and binge-watching Netflix.
When I dragged my ass out of bed, showered, and got dressed, it was one p.m. Just as I was putting on my shoes to run some errands, my phone rang. When I looked at it, I noticed it was Luca calling. I took a deep breath and went to hit the decline button, but I didn’t. Against my better judgment, I answered it. Why the hell I would answer his call was beyond me.
“Hello.”
“Ariana, it’s me. I need your help.” His voice was low, and I could tell something was wrong.
“What’s wrong, Luca?”
“I need you to come down to the police station.”
“Why?” I asked nervously.
“I’ve been arrested.”
“Arrested? For what?”
“Murder.”
My heart dropped to my belly, and a wave of nausea swept over me, prohibiting me from responding.
“Ariana, I need you to come now.”
“I’m on my way.” I swallowed hard.
I grabbed my purse frantically and hailed a cab to the police station. My heart was pounding out of my chest, and I found myself in a nervous state. What did he do? I arrived at the station and was taken back to the interrogation room where Luca was. When I walked in, all eyes diverted to me.
“Who are you?” a tall, brown-haired, blue-eyed man dressed in a suit asked.
“She’s my lawyer,” Luca spoke.
I looked at Luca and then back at the gentleman in the suit.
“Ariana Williams, Mr. Russo’s attorney.”
“Wow. It’s nice to meet you, Miss Williams. I expected his lawyer to be some old guy pushing seventy.” He smirked. “I’m Detective Jacks.”
“Why have you arrested my client?” I asked in a commanding tone, ignoring the fact that he had extended his hand to me.
“For the murder of a call girl named Gina Burroughs. Her body was found by the cleaning staff when they entered the room to clean it. She was lying in bed, naked, with her throat slit and a stab wound to the heart. Mr. Russo was the last person to see her.”
“And? That doesn’t prove he had anything to do with her murder.”
“True. But the bloody knife we found in his hotel room with his fingerprints on it and the shirt he was wearing the night before with her blood on it does.”
I looked around the room for anything to vomit in.
“Also, there was evidence of sexual contact,” he spoke.
I looked over at Luca. He stared me straight in the eyes and never looked away.
“DNA?” I asked.
“There was no semen, but the medical examiner said sexual intercourse had taken place.”
“I need a moment with my client,” I spoke.
“We’ve already been in contact with the district attorney, and she is charging him with second-degree murder. A bail hearing has been set for Monday at nine a.m.”
As soon as he left the room, I sat across from Luca. I needed to collect myself and be prepared for what he was about to tell me.
“I didn’t kill that woman, Ariana,” he firmly spoke.
I took in a deep breath. “Tell me what happened.”
“I was sitting at the bar when she sat down next to me. I knew her. She was a client of mine from a year ago. She told me she needed some legal advice and suggested we return to her room. She seemed nervous. I finished my drink, and we returned to her room to talk. After that, I don’t remember a thing. The next thing I knew, I was woken up by a loud bang on the door of the hotel room I was in, which by the way, I have no clue how I even got there or why I was there, and when I let them in, they asked me some questions, found the knife and my blood-stained shirt, and arrested me. I’m being set up, Ariana.”
“By whom?” I shook my head.
“I don’t know. You need to contact the emergency judge and get the bail hearing today. I cannot stay in here,” he pleaded. “It will either be Judge Harrison or Judge Smith. Both of them know me, so you shouldn’t have a problem. I didn’t kill her, Ariana.”
As I stared into his eyes, I believed him. He was telling the truth, and I needed to do everything I could to get him out of this mess. As I got up from the table, he grabbed my hand.
“The D.A. hates me, and she has a vendetta against me. She will push for no bail using every excuse in the book to keep me in jail. Use her hatred towards me to your advantage.”
I nodded my head and walked out of the room. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. The emergency judge on call was Wyatt Harrison. After explaining who I was and whom I represented, he agreed to an emergency bond hearing, set for six o’clock, after he had his dinner. I was sitting in the station waiting when the lovely district attorney approached me.
“You’re the one representing Luca Russo?” she asked with a raised brow.
“Yes. I’m Ariana Williams.”
“You have got to be kidding.” She smirked. “You can’t be more than mid-twenties, which means you’re fresh out of law school.”
“I am.” I smiled.
“He’s no fool representing himself, so he must be coaching you, and that’s how you got this emergency bail hearing.”
“Believe what you want, Miss Graham. I’m here to defend my client and get him out of this place as soon as possible. I want the charges reduced to involuntary manslaughter.”
She let out a loud laugh. “Are you kidding? Your client’s fingerprints were all over that knife that killed Gina Burroughs. He has her blood on his shirt, and he was seen leaving with her from the bar last night. Your client killed her, returned to his room, and passed out. His blood alcohol level was through the roof, not to mention the empty scotch bottle found beside his bed in his room. The charges stand at second-degree murder, Miss Williams, and that’s me being generous. I could charge him with first-degree murder.”
Judge Harrison arrived, and we all met in one of the conference rooms. Miss Graham was vicious, and it was clear how much she hated Luca. But I fought back and hard. She pushed for no bail, claiming flight risk. I pushed harder.
“I’ve known you and your grandfather for many years, Luca. Due to the nature of the charges, I’ll grant bail in the sum of three million dollars.”
“But, your Honor,” Miss Graham angrily spoke.
“I’ve made my decision, Wendy. Mr. Russo will not leave the state or the country. He’s not stupid, and you of all people know that. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going home.”