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A fake smile plasters itself on my face as I turn around to meet his gaze. He’s headed towards me in a frenzy, a pile of documents in one hand.
“I’ve been thinking of how to get this to the DA’s office...” He holds a file stretched out towards me. When my hands close over them, a small smile creases his lips. “I have this board meeting to attend, and I cannot be late. Could you be a darling and help me get this to the DA’s desk before he arrives?”
For goodness’ sake, I’m just arriving at the office! My eyes dart reluctantly to my wristwatch, “What time does he arrive?”
“9 a.m. You have to be as fast as possible.”
He turns around to walk away, leaving me gaping unbelievably at his receding figure. “I owe you one now Abruzzi! Or is it Donatelli?” He turns to wink at me, then disappears down a hallway.
It’s 8:40 a.m. right now. I have to be quick, especially since I have my own ulterior motive.
My feet pound maniacally against the marble floor as I hurry towards the elevator. I don’t know if Friedrich doesn’t realize the place is off-limits for me but, oh well, he’s the ADA’s secretary.
The clock seems to be in a race of its own, defying me in every way possible and hitting 8:45 a.m. by the time I arrive at the DA’s office.
My heels prevent a full sprint, but they carry me as fast as I can into the DA’s office. By 8:50 a.m., the document is safely on his desk.
I lower myself into his chair, inhaling and exhaling deeply to relieve myself of the shortness of breath I’m experiencing, when I realize I’m once again in front of the DA’s computer.
My fingers hover over the power on button, then click on it. Luckily, the system powers on, but it’s asking for a password.
Without wasting time, I carefully yank the desk drawers, searching for any hint of his password. My eyes flit over a pile of documents, skimming, but I release a nervous breath when I don’t find anything meaningful.
Fuck. This may be my last chance.
I open the rest of the drawers, trying to find something. When my attempts are unsuccessful, I lightly slam my hand on the desk. The keyboard jerks slightly at the movement, and something catches my attention underneath it. I move the keyboard and find a small piece of paper with his username and password scribbled on it.Thank fuck.
My fingers tremble, and I feel a bead of sweat roll down my forehead as I type in the credentials. With each second thescreen rolls, my heart races until it loads and finally refreshes the case management dashboard.
I glance at my wristwatch and gasp when it boldly displays 8:54 a.m. Swallowing nervously, I input the case number. The first thing I see when I click on the case is a warning,this case is sealed.
My breath comes out in shorts as my eyes run over the case notes.I click on themotion filedand nervously wait for the page to refresh. When it does, my breath catches in my throat.
Date of Sealing: July 21, 2020
Filed By: Patrick Howard
Reason Provided: To protect sensitive national security details…
Patrick Howard…My heart tightens in my chest as I recall that I’ve heard the name. He’s Elio’s lawyer. The temperature in the room suddenly goes cold, freezing my blood as the realization dawns on me.
My heavy eyes flicker to my wristwatch, 8:58 a.m.
I quickly revert to the home screen, turn the system off, and hurry out of the office like a possessed person.
Patrick Howard is that lawyer working for the Marino Empire and, since Elio is the don, it means he knows about it. Heprobably ordered him to do it because… he’s somehow involved in the case?
The air leaves my lungs in a rush, and I feel like I’m drowning, gasping for oxygen. My brother wasn’t just some random casualty. It wasn’t a robbery gone wrong. It was even beyond the corrupt politician I’d been chasing in my mind for years.
My husband has a hand in my brother’s murder.
Does he?
My hand flies to my mouth as a choked sob escapes. My chest tightens so hard it feels like I’m being crushed. I try to deny it. There has to be a mistake. Elio couldn’t have killed my brother.
God, I cannot believe I’ve been having sex with someone that could be my brother’s murderer. My hand reaches protectively for my stomach. I’m carrying this man’s baby, for God’s sake.Ourbaby.
My breath hitches, and tears spill freely down my cheeks. How could I have been so blind to the possibility of Elio being involved? How could I have let myself fall for him? And now, the stakes are higher than just my broken heart. I have a life inside me, a life that depends on me to find out the truth and make the right decisions.