Page 54 of Carnival
“What about this?” I lift my eyes up and meet his dark ones.
“This is proof of you being sexually involved with him.’’
My eyes dip down to the video again, and a small smile tugs on my lips as I tap my index finger on the table.
“My birthday is on October 31st,’’ I state.
“And?” He blinks.
“This was recorded on October 30th at ten p.m., two years ago. Meaning, you have a sex tape of a minor on your phone.’’
His brows narrow, jaw clenching. “That’s not—’’
“I don’t care,’’ I interrupt. “You know damn well you can’t use this in court, because if you do, the first thing my attorney will do is question why you were watching a minor having sex.’’
He opens his mouth to protest, but the door opens, and the biggest sigh of relief slips from me. Niko, Noelle’s younger brother, enters the interrogation room, dressed in a professional suit, with a briefcase and a stern look on his face.
“Who the hell are you?” Agent Knightly rises to his feet, and even his partner pushes off the wall, her hand on her gun.
“Nikolas De Santis,’’ he pulls out a business card and slides it over the table. “Her attorney. Let’s go, Rosalie.’’
I don’t waste a second as I stand up, my back cracking from sitting in the same spot for seven hours.
“You cannot take her away.’’
Niko stops in his tracks, then comes to stand by my side. He pushes my hair behind my shoulder and flicks my earring. “I can. These are recorders. If we listen to it and find out you denied her the right of an attorney, anything she said here will be inadmissible in court. Unless you have solid evidence of her involvement in the murders or anything that proves she knew that James Maddox had been committing those murders, we’re done here.’’
He urges me out of the room; Agent Knightly’s voice follows behind me as he promises that this isn’t over. It’s as though a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, and for a moment, as we leave the police station, with everyone staring at us, I’m grateful Niko isn’t speaking much.
“Are you alright?” He asks once we’re in his car, and I slump in the passenger's seat.
“No,’’ I admit. “By the way, these earrings were thrifted.’’
Niko snorts. “He doesn’t know that.’’
“But what if he starts questioning it?”
“Rose, listen to me,’’ Niko takes a quick glance at me before his attention is back on the road in front of him. “You will never, and I mean never, be in that court. It doesn’t matter if he starts questioning it; nothing will ever come of it.’’
I take a deep breath. “Alright. Thank you for coming, Niko. But you people sure took your time.’’
He groans. “I’m so fucking sorry. It took our men a while to give me an actual profile as an attorney, to put me in the system, and to make it seem believable. Noelle is worried sick, and Aria’s ready to kill people.’’
“This situation is very shitty.’’
“It is,’’ he says, and once I spot the familiar neighborhood of Noelle and Hudson’s home, my defenses crumble entirely. I’m happy to be home, and I can’t wait to be inside of the walls that have always made me feel safer than anything.
The front door opens before I even leave the car, and before I know it, I’m roughly being yanked out of the car and pulled into a bone-crushing hug. The familiar scent of lilies calms my nerves more, and Noelle’s hands wrap around me like a shield.
I return the hug, and I don’t even understand what she’s saying. I can only feel the warmth of her body, the reassurance of her hug.
Noelle makes distance between us. “Are you okay, Rosie?”
Her soft voice causes a small smile to break on my face. “I’m better now.’’
Niko follows behind us as we enter the manor, and in the living room is Aria, pacing around before she sees me and comes to a halt. Immediately, she’s inspecting me for any sort of injuries, making sure I’m okay.
Blair and Arlo are sitting on the couch, and I can see the relief on their faces.
