Page 32 of Save Room for Us

“I did.” I held up the Ziploc bag containing a sandwich, then a bag of chips.

Even though I had my back to her, I knew she was smiling, because whenever her pretty ass smiled, it was all of a sudden warm as fuck, and I felt that shit right now.

WILLIS, COMPTON, & SHEPPARD LAW OFFICES…

“Aight. You ready?”Bashar sat on the edge of his desk.

“I think so.” I looked around his expansive and plush office. The wall was decorated with all types of degrees, awards, and certificates while his desk had photos of his family.

It smelled good in here, like fresh laundry mixed with his cologne.

“Aight. I need you to remember that when I’m asking you this, I’m just trying to prepare you for cross. This is not your brother-in-law trying to be an asshole.”

“Alright.” I simpered, exhaling heavily as he picked up a sheet of paper.

“So, Miss Chase, you say that the plaintiff abused you almost daily. Is that correct?”

“Yes, that’s correct.” I nodded.

“Why didn’t you go to the police?” Bashar frowned.

“I called the police before, but they did nothing when they came to the house, only told me I couldn’t make him leave, and there was no proof he’d hit me but to call back if he did it again.”

“Okay, and did you call when he did it again?”

“No, but that was because I was afraid?—”

“So the police told you to call back if he hit you again, and you didn’t?” He rose to his feet, towering over me as I sat in the comfy chair in front of his desk.

“I just said it was because I was scared. I didn’t trust the police to help me, and he beat me after they left the last time.”

“Okay.” Bashar nodded, using a tone that said he didn’t believe me. I had to remember this wasn’t him like he’d just explained. “How long did you date Mr. Pete?”

“Um, for about?—”

“Sorry, what I wanna know is did you ever engage in consensual sex with the plaintiff?”

“Of course?—”

“Yes or no answers for the moment, Miss Chase.” Bashar lasered in on me.

“Yes.”

“How many times would you say?”

“I don’t know how many times exactly.”

“Can you give me an estimate?”

I swallowed the lump in my throat as I thought about it. “I guess maybe like fifty times.”

“Wow.” He chuckled. “So you had consensual sex with the plaintiff fifty times, give or take, yet it was only after you got arrested did you claim he raped you.”

“I didn’t claim anything. He did.”

“So was it rape the fifty-first time… or?” Bashar looked me over, and when he noticed my expression, he sighed. “I hate todo this, Stazi, but this is the shit them muthafuckas gon’ ask. The whole point is to paint you out to be a liar.”

“Okay.”

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