Chapter 28

NOVALEE

I didn’t like being surrounded by cops. The last time I saw this many men in uniform was the night they arrested Kato. Two of them dragged him out of the hospital while another two held me back. I screamed and tried to reach out for him, but I couldn’t reach him. Then they handed me over to child services. Maw Maw had to fight to get me out of foster care.

The judge said she was too old and that the crackhead foster home I was in was a better place. I think the only reason they let her take custody was because I smacked a cast iron frying pan off that guy’s head and threatened to beat my social worker. That was a fun week.

No one asked what I wanted, because I didn’t matter. I was just the sister of a murderer. The system sucked. I didn’t trust child services, I didn’t trust judges, and I sure as hell didn’t trust cops. If I had it my way, they never would’ve been called. Unfortunately, someone not only heard the shot but saw Simon holding a gun to my head. So, now I was stuck in the diner answering questions.

“Are you sure you didn’t know him?”

The uniformed man taking my statement was the very definition of irony. Sargent Calder was the same cop who arrested my brother.

“Nope,” I shook my head. “Never seen him before in my life.”

He looked up from his notepad. “And no one else was there?”

“No, it was just the two of us.”

I wasn’t lying to protect Romeo or Simon, I was just refusing to cooperate. Why should I help them? No one listened to me two years ago and now Kato was in prison. If they had done their job right, then Atlas would’ve been charged for Veda’s rape and it would’ve been admissible. But they weren’t concerned with that. They just wanted the publicity closing the case would bring them.

“Miss,” he sighed. “The witness saw three people.”

“Well, your witness is wrong. Did he come from the bar by chance, cause half those guys can barely make it home, let alone know what they saw.”

The bar behind the diner wasn’t what one would call a fine establishment. It was the kind of place people went to to spend their paycheck and forget about their shitty lives. No one walked out of there sober.

“What about Romeo Mancini?”

“What about him?”

“He was here when we arrived.”

That was a little harder to argue, but not impossible. “He was here for lunch.”

“He was here for lunch?” Sargent Calder arched his brow. “Romeo Mancini?”

I gave him a nonchalant shrug, “he likes the gumbo.”

“And your cook will corroborate this?”

“Daryl spends his day in the kitchen. He doesn’t interact with the customers.”

“But he would remember making gumbo?”

“Maybe?” Damnit, a flaw in my plan. No one liked the gumbo. Not even a starving man would eat that crap. Why were they even questioning me about this? I was the victim here, or did they forget that?

“Alright Miss…”

“Ford.” I said when he stopped to look through his notes.

How inept were the police in this town? This guy couldn’t even remember my name. One would think he would remember the crime of the century that he made the arrest for.

How dumb was this guy. Half the notes he’d been jotting down were misspelled. Huh? Maybe he had a kid in my school?

“Miss. Ford,” Sargent Calder said as if knowing my name was an inconvenience to him. “Do you really expect me to believe that Romeo Mancini just happened to be here when a stranger held you at gunpoint.”

I mean he couldn’t spell, so… “yes.”

“Really?” The arch in his brow deepened.

“That’s what happened.” I insisted.

“You’re lying.”

“Yeah,” I looked him in the eye. “Prove it.”

He huffed out a sigh. “Listen Miss…”

Again?

“Ford.” I said a little louder.

He didn’t even bother to acknowledge my name this time. “I’m just trying to do my job.”

No he wasn’t. He was trying to railroad someone else so he could feed off the media frenzy. I was not going to help with that.

I sat back and crossed my arms. “I told you everything I know.”

“Let’s see,” he flipped through his notes. “According to you, you were taking out the trash when a man you didn’t see, grabbed you, held a gun to your head, fired a shot in the air and ran away.”

Okay, I probably could’ve made that more believable. But I had to stick to my story now. “That’s right.”

“If you didn’t see him, how did you know it was a man?”

That one was a little hard to come up with an explanation for.

Okay, Nova, think.

Nothing was coming to mind. When all else failed there was only one thing left to do. Argue.

“I didn’t say it was a man.”

“Yes, you did.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“I have it right here.” He pointed down to his open notepad.

Actually what he’d written down was male assant, which I assumed meant assailant.

“You must’ve written it down wrong.”

“No,” he insisted. “I wrote down exactly what you said.”

That was a bold faced lie. Not once in my life had I ever said the word assant. In fact I was pretty sure that wasn’t a word at all.

“Listen Bob…”

“My name is George.”

So, he expected me to know his name when he didn’t know mine?

“Whatever Greg , it’s not my problem if you assumed my attacker was a man.”

“I didn’t assume any?—”

I held up my hand, cutting him off. “Don’t blame me for your sexist views. What, you don’t think a girl can hold someone hostage? Because a girl could totally hold someone hostage.”

“I never said that…”

“But you admit that you’re sexist?”

He took offence to that. “I am not sexist.”

“Well, I’m not the one who assumed your criminal was a man.”

This was going so much better than I thought. I didn’t think he was sexist and I did say it was a man, but the flustered look on his face made me want to snicker. Poor bastard was trying not to say the wrong thing.

“I did not… you said… I was…”

This was what I would call a win-win situation for me. No matter which way this went, I wouldn’t have to talk to this guy anymore.

“I’m going to have to insist on another officer. Clearly you have a problem with women.”

“Is this because I arrested your brother two years ago?”

Oh, so now he knew who I was. “I don’t know John . What do you think?”

“It’s George.”

“I don’t care.”

He huffed out a sigh. “Your brother killed someone. I was doing my job.”

“If you were doing your job then you would’ve investigated my sister’s rape.”

“We found no evidence that your sister was raped.”

Bullshit. All they had to do was look at her. Her jaw and hipbones were shattered. “Fuck off Jim .”

“George,” he corrected again. “And I’m not going anywhere until you tell me who attacked you.”

“You’ll find him in the hospital in room 1063 where my sister almost died.”

I could see the frustration in his eyes when they rolled up to mine. “You’re not doing anyone any favors by keeping his identity secret.”

“Fine,” I huffed. “It was Atlas Mancini.”

He looked at me.

I looked at him.

“Atlas Mancini is dead.”

“I guess you better go dig him up then.” I suggested.

A loud voice boomed through the diner before Sargent Calder could respond, “get the fuck out of my way.”

Gio.

Never thought I’d be happy to see him.

Gio charged forward, pushing people out of his way. The second he was within reach, I jumped up and threw my arms around him.

“Thank God you’re here.”

“It’s okay Baby, I got you.” his arms wrapped tightly around me and I fell into his embrace.

My mind let go of everything it had been holding. The feel of the cool barrel pressed against my temple, my heart pounding against my ribs, and the sinking sensation that this was it, I was going to die. I clung onto Gio as if he was the only safe space I had. In this place he was. His embrace was my solace.

“I got you,” he whispered while nuzzling his nose on the top of my head and taking a deep inhale. “I got you.”

I don’t know if he was trying to reassure me or himself, and I didn’t care. I just wanted to stay here with my face buried in his solid chest. We were in a room full of cops and the only person I trusted was a criminal.

Sargent Calder had other plans. “I still have more questions, Miss. Ford.”

Now he remembered my name.

Pulling my face away from the safety of Gio’s chest, I shot Sargent Calder a glare. “This guy won’t let me leave.”

“She’s done.” Gio growled. “No more questions.”

Sargent Calder rolled his unimpressed stare up to Gio. “And who are you?”

“I’m her fiancé.”

The sergeant’s gaze dropped back down to me. “You’re engaged to a Mancini?”

I didn’t respond. I was done talking to him.

“Guess your sister wasn’t raped after all.”

And that was when I kicked a cop in the balls.