Page 37 of Vigilante
“Bella, I’m sorry I…I shouldn’t have shouted at you. I just…I don’t know what the fuck I’m going to do. Either way, I lose.”
She grasps my face, her delicate fingers spread over my cheeks. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry, Max. I know this fucking sucks, but if you listen to my idea, I think it could work.”
CHAPTER 21
Julia
The rideback to the city is long. They’re holding Rocco in a temporary detention center, with plans to move him to a permanent facility. While Max has gone to great lengths to cover his identity, someone recognized Rocco by his shirt. It won’t be long before the feds start sniffing around the rest of the family. Which means Max is in hot shit if they catch on.
Max has already disabled and tossed his phone, switching to a burner.
If I had any doubt that I’m dating a criminal, there’s none now.
We’re both quiet. Turning over the anxiety of what’s at stake while the radio plays Christmas tunes. I’m feeling anything but festive.
If they find out that Max is associated, we’re both going down. I had the opportunity to leave, but I’m in this now. And what I plan to do next makes me even more guilty.
Rocco doesn’t deserve the fate of being locked up or worse. And seeing Max this distraught is killing me. The man feels things so deeply, especially for his family. They’re everything to him.
And he’s everything to me.
The detention center is cold and ominous when we arrive. Windowless and made of concrete, the thing stands at least five stories high and is surrounded by several layers of fencing, complete with barbed wire laced in threatening loops along the tops. There’s no escaping here. The place is filled with armed police and guards stationed at every exit and at several looming towers, scoping the ground for anyone out of place. I can feel their eyes on me as I move through the security system. Their guns trained on my body. One wrong move, and I’m toast.
The female guard with a snarl permanently etched on her face, is assigned to pat me down before allowing me through.
Max and I agreed that I would come in here alone. Having him inside this place is asking for trouble. Rocco and Max are clearly related. Just one look at them can confirm it. Someone could connect him to that video and then it’s game over.
“I’m clean, I swear,” I assure the guard. She gives me a bored look and asks me to strip.
Somewhere in my brain, I knew this was a possibility. Though I hoped it wouldn’t come to this. Still, I comply, removing the layers until I’m shivering in the fluorescent-lit room. Her hands go down the length of my body and in every crevice. The white-painted walls seem to close in around me as she checks under my tits, making me hold my arms in the air.
“Okay, now, turn and face the wall and spread your legs.”
“My legs?”
“You heard me, spread them, or I’ll do it for you.”
“A-alright.”
“You can always pick out the newbies. They shake like a leaf.” Her hands find my ass crack, and I involuntarily squeeze. “Relax, or this will only get worse.”
I nod my head and will my body to calm the fuck down.
“She’s clean. You can put your clothes back on.”
I snatch them as quickly as physically possible, trying to push away the feeling of being violated.
It seems like it takes ages for them to bring out Rocco, but once they do, I know it’s him immediately. Even if Max hadn’t shown me a picture before I came in here, I’d still be able to recognize them as being related.
Rocco has the same dark hair and eyes as Max, but his build is smaller, and he sports two distinct holes where an eyebrow piercing used to be on his right side. He has a myriad of tattoos that peek out over the collar of his orange jumpsuit. I know Tasha would cream her pants if I showed her this guy’s mugshot.
He sits down across from me, brows furrowed with confusion.
We pick up the phone at the same time, but before he can fuck everything up, I start talking. “I can’t believe they mistook you for the murderer! Don’t worry, I’m going to tell them how you were with me all night. Are they treating you alright in here? Is there anything they’ll let me get you? Cigarettes? The unfiltered ones?”
He does a good job of picking up what I’m putting down, especially since I used the code word, cigarettes, that Max gave me. One they all agreed on if things went tits up.
“It’s so good to see you, baby.”
