Page 89 of Slow Burn (The Boston Beauties)

‘Not yet,’ he said grimly.

I kissed him. ‘Come on, I need you to be positive.’ I took his hand in mine and placed it on my stomach to the small bump that was forming. ‘Please keep positive, we both need you to,’ I whispered as he looked into my eyes, and I saw his pain, the loss, and heartache I’d already put him through.

‘I’m here, I’m not going anywhere,’ I promised.

He nodded. ‘I love you so much, we are going to do everything to keep you safe and back home where you finally belong.’

I smiled and kissed him one more time before I put on my sunglasses and his Bruins baseball cap to exit the plane. I was Jessa Cameron; I not only had a new name, I was a new woman, one who knew who she was, what she wanted, and how to fight back. I was strong, independent and confident. I was home, and I was ready to fight for justice.

We drove to an office building downtown and were sequestered into a private room with a two-way mirror. For a long time, I sat there alone before Abby came in with a middle-aged man in a three-piece suit.

‘Miss Cahill,’ he greeted me, extending his hand to me. ‘District Attorney, David Fitzpatrick.’

‘It’s actually Mrs. Cameron now,’ I said, holding up my left hand to show both my engagement ring and wedding band.

‘Oh,’ he said, looking to Abby who nodded. ‘Since when?’

‘The day before yesterday,’ I responded with a smile on my face. Yes, I was being questioned by the DA but was still giddy and happy about my small little wedding. More so, that I was Drew’s wife.

He looked at me with a smirk. ‘Well, that’s convenient for your husband.’

‘Isn't it,’ I dryly commented, knowing exactly what he was getting at. If he was called to testify, he could take the fifth.

I wasn’t getting the warm feels from the guy. Abby said we could trust him, but I wasn't sure at the moment, and looked up to Abby, who’s didn’t seem bothered in the least by this.

‘So Abby here is arguing her case for immunity for you and Breton based on the information you and your cousin have passed to me detailing your own investigations and subsequent results on the Taggart family.’

‘She’s a great attorney and Breton is brilliant; we are both lucky I’m so fortunate to have such cousins.’

‘Yes, that she is.’ He opened a file with some notes. ‘However, there are some charges, you have broken laws, cost millions in search and rescue efforts that could have been used elsewhere…’

‘Which I intend to pay back.’

‘Good.’

I spent the next few hours answering the DA’s and his team’s questions, using the story Breton and I had come up with.

The narrative we were feeding them was that I hadn’t left the country, Breton had gotten the confession in Morocco. My backstory was that I had been traveling around Arizona, California, New Mexico and ended up in Las Vegas. I had been living out of an ole VW camper and renting AirBnB’s along the way—which Breton had all the proof for. Whatever they asked, I had pre-arranged answers that matched up with Breton’s. The answers protected me and to some extend Breton also. After a few hours, I was left in the room along with Abby and allowed to order food.

I was so hungry and tired, but I also knew that I couldn’t let on as to why. Not yet. I couldn’t implicate Drew and myself. I needed to be cleared before that happened. It was very late when the two detectives came back with Abby.

The DA sat down. ‘Due to circumstances, we will need you to surrender your passport, and wear an ankle monitor.’

‘Why, am I being arrested?’

‘No, if you were, I’d be reading you your Miranda rights,’ the DA told me. ‘It's very unusual I’m taking this on, but due to the expected publicity… This is going to get a lot of media attention, it will not go without notice that you have indeed broken laws, used taxpayers money and resources.’ He paused. ‘The public will want to see action from my office, they will not be happy to see a rich girl being let off and getting special treatment.You have the means and resources to disappear—clearly, you have already done it once. Given what you have already been through and the information provided to us, we are willing to cooperate, as you and your family are. In speaking with colleagues, this is fair, at least until we have an opportunity to validate the information.’

‘How long will that take?’

‘It’s hard to say, could be a few days, a week, or month, I really don’t know,’ he told me. ‘All depends on the resources we have to allocate to it.’

‘Have you arrested Julia?’

‘She’s been taken in for questioning earlier this morning before you even landed.’

‘Don’t release her.’ He looked at me. ‘Please, she killed Josh,’ I begged, and for the first time today, I broke down, everything finally catching up to me.

Abby crossed the room and held me. ‘It’s ok, Jessa,’ she whispered, and I felt her body turn. ‘Can we get that ankle monitor now? I think it’s time that she be allowed to go home and rest.’

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