Chapter 40
Chapter Forty
Ariana
As I sat there and watched Charlie try to lift some prints from the earring, my phone rang, and Luca was calling.
“Hello,” I answered.
“I miss you. Where are you?”
“At the crime lab talking to Charlie.”
“Why?” he slowly asked.
“I’m having Gina’s earring tested for fingerprints.”
“Ariana, how did you get Gina’s earring?”
“From Jessica Butler.” I bit down on my bottom lip.
“She just handed it over to you without any questions asked?”
“No. Not really.”
“Tell me you didn’t steal it.”
“Maybe.” I continued biting my bottom lip.
“Ariana! Jesus Christ, what have you done?”
“Your grandfather told me that I may have to do things that may be unethical. And don’t you even go there, Luca. I’m pretty sure you’ve done some shady things in the past to help your clients.”
“That’s not the point! What the hell are you trying to prove?”
“Anything I can. I’ll call you later.”
“Ariana—” I heard him yell as I hung up.
“There are two prints on this earring and a partial print. I’ll run them through the system now, but I will warn you, it could take hours for something to come up.”
“Then let me save you some time,” I spoke. “One of those prints belongs to Jessica Butler, and the other one belongs to Gina Burroughs.”
“If you’re so sure about that, then let’s see. You’re right. One does belong to Gina Burroughs. As for the other print, it’s a definite match to Jessica Butler. But this partial print will take some time. I’ll call you if something comes up.”
“Thanks, Charlie. I owe you.” I smiled.
“Just keep Luca out of prison.”
“I’m trying.”
As I left the forensics lab and stepped onto the elevator, I ran into Detective Jacks. Shit.
“Ariana, what are you doing here?”
“Nothing.”
“So, you’re just hanging around the station for the hell of it?”
“Yes.” I smiled.
“I see. Have you reconsidered having a drink with me?”
“No.”
The elevator doors opened, and we both stepped out.
“Suit yourself, Miss Williams. The offer still stands at any time.”
“Even when hell freezes over? Have a good day, detective.” I held my hand up and waved goodbye as I walked away.
I headed home, and when I walked through the door, Luca stood there with two dozen beautiful long stem red roses in his hand.
“Happy birthday.” He kissed me.
“Luca, they’re beautiful! Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, sweetheart.”
“You’ve done enough for me already,” I spoke as I set the roses down and wrapped my arms around his neck.
“I could never do enough for you.” His lips brushed against mine. “Now, we need to talk.”
“If this is about the earring, I’m not discussing it.”
“Well, part of it is. What you did was risky, and you could have gotten caught. But I probably would have done the same thing if it were me.” He smiled as he stroked my cheek. “Another thing, I did some checking on Wilson Garrett.”
“You did?”
“He’s been suspended indefinitely from the police force.”
“Why?”
Luca let go of me and went into the kitchen.
“He was charged with a misdemeanor assault on Royce Worthington. It wasn’t the first time he’d been charged with assaulting someone,” he spoke as he poured us each a glass of wine.
“Wow. Talk about abuse of power.”
“He was suspended three months ago after Internal Affairs finalized the investigation. He left Jersey and moved to the Bronx.”
“Still doesn’t give us a clue as to how he and Sam are connected,” I spoke as I sipped my wine.
“No, it doesn’t, but I don’t want to discuss this case or work anymore.” He walked over to me and took the glass from my hand, firmly gripping my hips. “All I want to do is take you out for a wonderful birthday dinner and then spend the rest of the night making love to you.”
“Sounds amazing, but I need to talk about this case. If I don’t, I’ll go crazy. And if I go crazy, then you won’t have an attorney defending you in court tomorrow.” I smiled.
He sighed as he pressed his lips against my forehead.
“Fine. We can talk about the case.”
“Do you still love me?”
“Of course, I love you.”
Luca
We enjoyed a nice dinner, talked about my case, and then came home and made love into the wee hours of the night. Neither one of us could sleep. Ariana tossed and turned all night, as did I. I was worried about tomorrow. She didn’t write down her opening statement, and that bothered me. The last thing I needed was her fumbling in front of the jury. The jury wouldn’t take her seriously if she didn't show confidence.
I watched her as she lay next to me. Her chest slowly moved up and down with every breath she took. The luckiest day of my life was when she walked into my firm. I was in love with her, and having to put her through all of this killed me. She was my rock because I didn’t know what I’d do without her. My life was hanging in the balance, and she was the only one who could save me.
It was time for us to get up and get ready for court. A feeling of uneasiness resided inside me because this was something I had no control over. I couldn’t control the jury because I wasn’t arguing my case, and I certainly couldn’t control Ariana. She had her way of doing things. Ways I tried to tell her needed improving. But she wouldn’t hear anything I said, which added to the anxiety I felt.
I took in a deep breath as court began. The district attorney gave her opening statement, making me out to be a cold-blooded killer, and now it was Ariana’s turn. I watched as she took in a deep breath before standing up before the jury. Brad looked over at me and shook his head. He still didn’t agree about my decision and the fact that Ariana left him out of a majority of the case, even when I told her and him to both work together.
I watched her movement and her body language and listened to her tone as she gave her opening statement. It was enduring yet forthright. She was poised and confident, spoke freely with ease, and there wasn’t nervousness about her. I was on trial for murder, and the only thoughts running through my head were how many ways I would fuck her tonight.