Page 54 of Hold Me
Raphael laughs, lets go of Isaac, and then kicks him in the stomach. “How many years have you been mine? Over four?” Raphael looks thoughtful. “I know your biggest fears. You have to know just how stupid it is to upset me.”
“Go ahead. Do what you’re best at!” Isaac yells, clutching his stomach. “Kill me!”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Raphael goes to the other side of the room, briefly disappearing from view. When he returns, he’s holding a syringe, and a sadistic smile twists his lips.
Isaac’s face is calm as he struggles to get to his feet. “Anything to get away from you!”
“Ah, so sweet. But you know what I’m going to do with you? I’m going to fuck you, then I’m going to give you to my boys to do with you as they please. I’m sure they’re going to love that.” Raphael runs a hand over the front of his pants, as if the mere thought of it excites him. “And then I’m going to sell you to the highest bidder. You’ll see what it’s like to be without my protection.”
“You won’t...” Isaac tries to charge him, but Raphael is faster. He grips Isaac’s arm and stabs him with the syringe.
I look away from the video. “That’s more than enough evidence, isn’t it?”
“I guess.”
I close the video player and click on the photos folder. “Can you take a look at these people and mark anyone you recognize?”
“Yeah.”
“Great.” I push the laptop toward him, hoping that checking the photos will distract him from what we’ve just seen. As he busies himself with it, I find my latest phone and dial Katherine’s new number. At this point, I’m using a different burner for each call.
“We got it,” I say as soon as she answers. “All I need to figure out is how to blur out Isaac’s face.”
“And if Raphael says the video was fabricated and gets his goons to back up his claim in court somehow?”
“He’ll still have to come out and prove it. And we’ll have Caleb’s and Isaac’s testimonies. Hopefully someone else’s too.” Once the video is out, there won’t be anything Raphael can do to stop it.
“Um, about that...” There’s a brief silence on the other end of the line. “Isaac doesn’t want to testify or get involved with any of that.”
“What? Why? But he has to...” I scratch my head, unsure why Isaac wouldn’t want to do it. “Are you sure that’s what he wants?”
“Of course I’m sure,” she snaps. “So don’t send the cops to my door because I don’t want any trouble.”
“Where will Isaac go?”
“He’s staying with me.”
My eyebrows arch up. “Are you sure about that? I mean...”
“Yeah, I’ll let him stay for a while until he figures things out.”
“Okay, then.” I still remember when she wanted to get rid of Isaac as soon as possible, and I know he would do anything to help take Raphael down, so what has changed? “Did something happen?”
“Well, he’s going through a terrible withdrawal, and I can’t just kick him out. If he changes his mind about testifying, I’ll let you know,” she says.
“Do you need help? I can find someone who can take care of him.”
“No! I can handle it. Trust me.”
“Right. I’ll call you later.”
“Sure. Bye.”
I squint at the phone. “That was awkward.”
Caleb looks up at me. “What?”
“Isaac is going to stay with Katherine.” I place my hand on my hip.