Defense

by Sandi Lynn

  I looked around one last time, arranging furniture in my head.

  “All right. I’ll take it,” I spoke with excitement.

  “Fabulous. I’ll get the paperwork started and you can probably move in this weekend. I’ll give you a call tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Thank you, Will.” I held out my hand. “I appreciate it.”

  “You’re welcome, Ariana.” He smiled as we left the building and I headed home.

  Excitement soared through me. This was the first time I ever rented my very own place. I lived at home most of my life except when I went off to college and law school, where I roomed with a couple of other girls.

  “How did apartment hunting go?” Harry asked as I stepped through the door.

  “I found a place!” I smiled as I held my hands out.

  “That’s great, Ari. Where at?” Olivia asked from the couch.

  “117 East 57th Street. It’s a 712-square-foot, one-bedroom, one-bath apartment. It’s cute.”

  “That’s over by Luca’s apartment. Like, literally a two-minute walk around the corner.”

  “Really? I didn’t realize that.”

  “I’m happy for you, but I’m sad you won’t be living here anymore.” She pouted. “When are you moving?”

  “Will said that I would probably be able to move in this weekend.”

  After talking with Harry and Olivia for a while, I retreated to my bedroom, changed into my nightshirt, and sat down on the bed, spreading the papers from the Michaels case in front of me. The boyfriend had an airtight alibi. He was sitting at the bar he frequently visited. Mrs. Michaels was murdered at approximately nine p.m. and the security camera in the bar showed Stephan, the victim’s boyfriend, sitting there at that precise time. As I was racking my brain and reviewing the evidence, my phone rang. It was Luca calling.

  “Hello,” I answered.

  “Hello, Ariana. How did apartment hunting go?”

  “It went good. I found a place.”

  “Excellent. Where at?”

  “Over on East 57th Street.”

  “That’s not too far from me. Great area. I’m sure you’ll be very happy there.”

  “I think I will be.”

  “Any update yet about the Michaels case?”

  “I’m working on it now.”

  “Okay. I’ll let you get back to it. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  There had to be something Luca and his team wasn’t seeing. But what? All the evidence pointed to Mr. Michaels. He had a motive. But maybe Mrs. Michaels’ boyfriend did too. I threw my clothes back on and headed to the Bleu Room to view the security tape of that night for myself. After viewing and seeing one thing that caught my attention, I decided to look at the tapes from the month before the murder. A smile crossed my face as I left the manager’s office and took a seat at the bar for a drink.

  “What can I get you?” the tall blonde young bartender asked.

  “I’ll have a vodka on the rocks.”

  “There you go.” She smiled as she pushed the filled glass towards me.

  Just as I pulled my phone from my purse, a man sat down next to me. When I looked over, I noticed it was Stephan, Mrs. Michaels’ boyfriend.

  “Hi.” He gave a slight nod as he caught me looking at him.

  “Hi.” I smiled.

  The young bartender came over with a grin splayed across her face and placed her hand on top of his.

  “Hey, I thought you were going to call me last night,” she spoke.

  “I’m sorry, Vi, I crashed the minute I got home and I didn’t really feel like talking.” He pulled his hand away.

  Her grin quickly disappeared as she poured him a beer and set it down in front of him.

  “Well, you’re here now.” Her smile came back.

  I sat there, sipping my drink, pretending not to listen to their conversation as I studied her body movements and took note of the look in her eyes as she stared at him.

  “I sent you a few text messages today and you didn’t respond,” she spoke.

  “Sorry about that. It was a crazy busy day at work.”

  Suddenly, his phone rang, and he excused himself to take the call.

  “I’ll have another vodka, please.” I smiled as I held up my glass. “Men. Always have an excuse as to why they didn’t call or text.”

  “I know, right?” She set my drink down in front of me. “But I always seem to forgive him.”

  “How long have the two of you been dating?”

  “Well, we aren’t officially dating yet, but we will be soon. He’s still mourning the loss of his whore who recently passed away. I never understood what he saw in her.”

  “His whore?” I asked.

  “She was married, and the poor husband never knew she was out cheating on him. She deserved to die. Stephan is too good for her. He didn’t deserve trash like that. By the way, I’m Vi.” She smiled.

  “I’m Ariana. Nice to meet you. How long had they been dating?” I asked.

  “About six months. Six months too long, if you ask me.”

  A few moments later, Stephan returned to his seat and I decided to strike up a conversation with him after Vi walked away to attend to other customers at the other end of the bar.

  “I’m sorry for your loss.”

  “Excuse me?” He turned his head and glared at me.

  “Vi said your girlfriend recently passed away.”

  “Oh. Why would she tell you that? And thank you.”

  “I thought maybe the two of you were dating by the way she talked.”

  “We aren’t dating. I would never date her,” he spoke in a monotone voice as he picked up his beer and threw it back.

  “Does she know that?” I cocked my head.

  “I’m sorry, but who are you?”

  “Ariana Williams.” I extended my hand. “I just moved here, had a long day, needed a drink, and this bar was the first one I saw.”

  “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Stephan.” He lightly shook my hand.

  I looked at Vi, who was at the other end of the bar helping customers and keeping a very close eye on us.

  “I don’t think she likes me talking to you.”

  “Don’t mind her. She has a lot of serious issues, but she’s harmless.”

  Suddenly, Vi appeared, and if looks could kill, I’d be dead right now.

  “Can I get you another beer, Stephan?” she asked.

  “Sure. One more and then I have to head out.”

  “Did you want to hang out tonight? I get off in an hour.”

  He let out a long sigh. “I can’t, Vi. I must be up early for a meeting in the morning. Maybe another time.”

  “Sure. Just let me know when.”

  I threw some money on the bar and got up from the stool.

  “It was nice to meet the both of you. I’m going to use the restroom and head home.”

  Instead of using the restroom, I stepped into the manager’s office and found Randy sitting at his desk.

  “Did you need something else?” he asked.

  “Your bartender Vi. Is that short for something?”

  “Violet. Why?”

  “What’s her last name?”

  “Cole. Is there a problem, Miss Williams?”

  “No. Not at all. I thought I went to high school with her, but it turns out I didn’t. Have a good night.” I smiled.

  “You too.”

  It was midnight when I climbed into the back of a cab and pulled out my phone. Leaning my head against the headrest, I decided not to text Luca. My suspicions could wait until morning.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Luca

  My alarm went off at six a.m. Rolling out of bed, I threw on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, grabbed my suit and my bag, and headed to the gym for a workout before diving into a full day of work.

  “Hey, bro.” I smiled as I saw Brad over on the weight bench.

  “Ready for a killer workout?” he asked.

  “Always ready.”
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  I was forty-five minutes into my workout when I looked over and saw Ariana walking my way. What the fuck was she doing here?

  “We need to talk,” she spoke.

  “How did you know I was here?” I wiped my face with a towel.

  “Olivia told me you come here on Thursday mornings.”

  “And this little talk couldn’t wait until I got into the office?”

  “No.” She smiled.

  My eyes looked her over from head to toe. Black business suit and stiletto heels. My cock was enjoying it as much as my eyes were.

  “Next time you come here to talk to me, wear some tight yoga pants and a sports bra.” I smirked.

  She rolled her eyes as she grabbed hold of my arm and pulled me over to the corner.

  “The bartender. Have you checked her out?”

  “What bartender? What are you talking about?”

  “The one who works at the Bleu Room? The same one who has a thing for Stephan.”

  “No. Why would we check her out? Plus, the security tapes already showed he was there at the time of the murder. What does the bartender have to do with this?”

  “Because I think she was the one who killed Mrs. Michaels.”

  “WHAT?”

  “She’s in love with Stephan and my guess is that Vi, the bartender, couldn’t stand seeing the two of them together anymore.”

  “How do you know all this?” I cocked my head.

  “I went to the bar last night. I have all the information in my folder.” She patted the bag that hung from her shoulder.

  “Go and get inside the Bentley. I’m going to take a quick shower and change. I’ll meet you in there and we’ll drive to the office together to discuss this further.”

  “Okay.” She gave a small smile and headed out of the gym.

  I walked into the locker room with a smirk on my face. There was a great chance Ariana did it. She found something that could provide reasonable doubt.

  “Why was Ariana here?” Brad asked as I quickly showered.

  “She may have some information that could prove useful in the Michaels case.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “No. I’m not.” I glanced over at him. “She’s waiting outside for me with the file. When you get to the firm, come straight to my office.”

  “Will do, Luca.”

  I dried myself off, put my suit on, and climbed into the Bentley. If this information proved useful and could set my client free, a celebration would be in order. The type of celebration that would put Ariana in my bed for an entire night with a bottle of champagne and a lot of rough sex.

  “Tell me more about this bartender,” I spoke.

  Ariana pulled a file folder from her bag and handed it to me. Taking it from her, I opened it and began reading all her notes. Her handwriting was impeccable, just like her looks.

  “She called Mrs. Michaels a whore?” I arched my brow.

  “Yes, and she also said that she deserved to die and that Stephan was too good for her.”

  “Does she have any priors?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t get that far. I left the bar at midnight and when I got home, I wrote everything down and then went to bed.”

  “You did good, Ariana.” I smiled. “Thank you.”

  “Just doing my job.” She smiled back.

  As I walked down the halls of the firm, I stopped by Sheila’s office.

  “I need you to pull up everything you can on a Violet Cole. She’s a bartender over at the Bleu Room.”

  “Sure thing, Luca.”

  ****

  About an hour later, as I was sitting in my office, Sheila walked in and threw a file on my desk.

  “Violet Cole was arrested five years ago for attacking a woman outside a bar in Greenville, North Carolina.”

  “Let me guess.” I smiled at her. “The woman was the girlfriend of someone she was interested in?”

  “You are correct, Mr. Russo.” She smiled back. “She beat her up pretty bad. According to the boyfriend, he and Miss Cole had a one-night stand and then she proceeded to stalk him shortly after he told her that it was only a one-time thing. He got a restraining order against her, so she went after the girlfriend. Assault and battery charges were filed, she was sentenced to one year in jail, got out after six months for good behavior, and was ordered to take an anger management class, which she completed before leaving the state.”

  “And the fine citizens of New York were the lucky ones to be graced with her presence.” I sighed. “Call the district attorney and see if she’s available today. With any luck, we won’t have to go to trial at all.”

  “I’ll make the call right now.”

  “Thanks. Do me a favor on your way out. Tell Ariana I need to see her.”

  Sheila gave me a nod and, a moment later, Ariana walked into my office.

  “What’s up?”

  “What are you doing tonight?”

  “I was going to go look for furniture for my apartment.”

  “Great. I’ll go with you and then we’ll grab some dinner.” I cheerfully smiled.

  She let out a light laugh.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “You want to go furniture shopping with me?”

  “Yeah? Why not?”

  “You just don’t seem like the furniture shopping type.”

  “I didn’t know furniture shoppers had a type.” I smirked. “Everybody shops for furniture in their lifetime, including me.”

  Her eye narrowed and the corners of her mouth slightly curved upwards.

  “Okay. But I’m sure you’ll be bored.”

  “I highly doubt that. I don’t think boredom would be an issue, being with you.”

  “Trust me. I’m not that exciting.”

  “I tend to disagree.” My brow raised as a small smile made its way across my face. “I know a great furniture store we can stop at. In fact, it’s not too far from here.”

  “Sounds good, but I hope they aren’t expensive because I’m on a budget.”

  “I’m sure you’ll find something within your price range.”

  “Excuse me, Luca,” Sheila spoke as she poked her head in the doorway. “The D.A. said she’ll see you if you can be at her office in fifteen minutes.”

  “Thanks, Sheila.” I got up from my chair and buttoned my suitcoat. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a meeting with the district attorney about Miss Violet Cole.” I winked.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Ariana

  It was about four o’clock when my phone dinged with a text message from Luca.

  “Your work day is over. Meet me outside.”

  “For?”

  “Furniture shopping.”

  I grabbed my purse and stopped by Olivia’s cubicle on my way out.

  “I’m leaving for the day. I’ll see you later.”

  “Already? It’s only four o’clock.”

  “Luca is downstairs waiting for me. We’re going furniture shopping.”

  “Okay. That’s weird, Ari.” She frowned.

  “He wanted to go with me.” I shrugged.

  She rolled her eyes. “I’ll see you later. Have fun but not too much fun.”

  I smiled as I walked away and climbed into the back of the Bentley where Luca was waiting.

  “How did it go with the D.A.?”

  “That woman is a bitch and has it out for me. She doesn’t see anything that convinced her that Violet Cole could have murdered my client’s wife.”

  “That’s bullshit.”

  “I know. So now I’m going to have to get the jury to see that she could have been the one who killed Mrs. Michaels with her jealousy. Give them reasonable doubt.”

  “You’re calling her as a witness?”

  “She’s already on the witness list for the prosecutor. They want her testimony saying that she saw Mrs. Michaels and Stephan at the bar on several occasions.”

  We walked through the furniture store that displayed some of the most beau
tiful furniture I’d ever seen. Way too pricey for my budget, which wasn’t a surprise to me.

  “I’m just going to go to a clearance outlet,” I spoke as we left the store.

  “When are you getting your keys?” he asked.

  “Sunday.”

  “Why don’t you wait until Sunday, assess your apartment first to figure out what you can actually fit in it, and then I’ll go with you to the clearance outlet. I’ll have a truck on standby to load everything up you purchase and take it over to your place.”

  “That’s nice of you, Luca, but you’ve done enough already.”

  “Nonsense. Now let’s go grab some dinner. I’m starving and in desperate need of a drink.”

  He’d helped me too much already. It was all he had done since the first day I met him. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, there was something there. I felt comfortable with him and a part of me felt safe. When I was with him, I didn’t think about my family. He made me forget about everything bad in my life. He was fun to be around and I enjoyed his company. He made me laugh and he made me feel comfortable in my own skin when I no longer felt it because of the betrayal of my family. I found myself thinking about him when we weren’t together; when I’d lie in bed at night and couldn’t fall asleep.

  “There’s something I need to tell you,” he spoke as he sipped his scotch.

  “What is it?”

  “I’m giving you all next week off. With pay, of course.”

  “Why?” I narrowed my eye at him.

  “Because the bar exam is next Thursday and Friday and I want you to settle into your apartment and study for it.”

  “I’ll be fine, Luca.”

  “I have no doubt in my mind you will be. But you’re going to amuse me and study for the exam. I don’t want you focusing on anything else.”

  “Fine. I’ll take the week and study.”

  “Good girl.” He smiled.

  After a nice dinner, Luca drove me back to my apartment building and walked me to my door.

  “Do you want to come in?” I asked with the hope he’d say yes.

  He brought his hand to my cheek and softly stroked it.

  “I should get home. Plus, it would be kind of weird seeing Olivia and Harry.”

  “Okay. Thank you for going furniture shopping with me and thank you for dinner.”

  His eyes were fixated on mine as his hand made one last stroke down my cheek.