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“He’s got friends. He’s got people who wouldn't hesitate to kill me if they found out I was going to testify against him,” she says, her voice tight with fear.
I sit back and chew on a piece of bacon and think about that. Her fear is real. Whether it’s true or not, whether Lucas could actually reach her that way or not, she believes it is. And that fear might keep her from testifying. Which would be a problem. The DA would most definitely not offer up a deal without something substantial in return. Lucas Reynolds might just be big enough to get her a pass on her charges.
“Aria, if I can work out a deal with the DA, you could walk on all your charges,” I say. “I’m relatively certain the DA would immunize you and drop your charges in exchange for putting Lucas on a silver platter for her.”
She sighs and shakes her head. “I don’t know, Silas. I just don’t know.”
“He would never be able to lay a finger on you. I would keep you safe. I swear it.”
“Lucas has been able to get people in prison. I don’t know if anywhere is safe.”
“I can protect you, Aria. I swear it.”
She raises a trembling hand and gnaws on her thumbnail, her face clouded over with worry. I’ve planted the idea and just need to give it some time to take room. As I look at her though, I see something in her face that concerns me. I don’t know what it is, but I get the idea that she’s keeping something from me.
“What aren’t you telling me?” I ask.
She frowns and keeps chewing on her thumbnail, the fear in her face becoming palpable, and I’m positive there’s something she’s not telling me.
“Aria, what is it?”
She lets out a long breath. “Lucas cornered me in my parking lot the other night,” she says softly. “He said I have seventy-two hours to get him the money I owe him or he’s going to…he’s going to do some terrible things to me.”
My mind flashes back to my conversation with Billy Atwater about what Lucas does to his women. He uses them—breaks them in, he calls it—then turns them out. They work off their debt to him by turning tricks. But their debt never really goes away, according to Billy. They just have to keep whoring for him, until they drop. It makes what I’ve been thinking about doing to Lucas all the more relevant and all the more necessary.
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” I ask.
“Because we’ve been having such a good time that I didn’t want to spoil it.”
“Aria,” I say with a heavy sigh. “You need to tell me things like this. I might be able to do something to help.”
“I’m sorry. I’m just…this whole situation is so humiliating. I can’t even imagine what you must think of me.”
“I think you’re a good person who got stuck in a bad situation through no fault of her own,” I tell her earnestly. “I think you made some bad decisions but given your situation, they were really the only decisions you could have made. And believe me when I tell you that we’re going to get through this. We’re going to be all right. All we have to do is be honest and stand together, Aria. Okay?”
She nods but looks like she’s on the verge of crying. I glance at my watch and see that I have to go. I’ve got a million things to do today. A million and one now, actually. I get to my feet and lean down, kissing the top of Aria’s head.
“Since you don’t have to worry about going into work, you’re going to stay here today,” I tell her. “Make yourself at home. Go for a swim, watch TV…just relax. And I’ll be home as soon as I can.”
“I don’t want to impose and should really get home—”
“You’re going to stay here today, Aria. I want to know you’re someplace safe,” I cut her off again. “Tell me you understand.”
She hesitates for a moment but then nods and offers me a shy smile. “I understand.”
“Good. Then relax, unwind, and we’ll go out for a nice dinner tonight.”
I give her another kiss then head into my home office to grab my briefcase and a few things I need then take off for the day. As I back out of the driveway, I’m overcome by that sense of domesticity again and it makes me smile. I never thought of myself as the domestic type but the more I’m immersed in it, the more I like it.
* * *
“You Tulsa?”I ask.
“That’s what my friends call me.”
“I’m Silas. Bruno’s friend,” I reply. “I guess that makes us friends.”
He chuckles. “I don’t know about all that. But we somethin’, I guess,” he says. “I trust Bruno and he wouldn’t put you with me if you couldn’t be trusted.”
