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“They’re not going to buy that, Aurelio,” he replied. “As soon as the first glitch would have happened, the security company would have looked into it.”
“Then what do you suggest?” I snapped, thankful that Morocco was used to my sunny disposition.
“What timeframe do you need erased and what I am manipulating?”
“From six this evening, and you’re erasing Savina killing Ashton Oliver,” I answered.
“I’ll start the glitches at five, then pick specific frames to show the killing, but nothing that shows her specifically,” he replied.
“Do whatever you need to, but just make sure that the visible footage shows Savina killing him in self-defense,” I ordered.
“Not a problem,” he replied before hanging up.
Little did he know that every-fucking-thing was a problem right now.
Chapter 34
Savina~
To his credit, Dr. Heche was turning out to be one of the good guys. After taking my blood, doing a full physical examination, and the x-rays, no doctor in his right mind could argue that Ashton Oliver hadn’t been an abusive sonofabitch. Nonetheless, I didn’t know what kind of man Dr. Heche was under pressure, and I knew that Ashton’s parents were going to come after me.
Three hours later, Nero was back home, and Aurelio and I were back in the private room, waiting for me to sign my discharge papers. While I knew that Aurelio wanted to lose his shit on me, with all of the interruptions, it would have been pointless. In fact, he was just going to have to find a way to get over it because I wasn’t sorry. If faced with the same choice, I’d do it all over again.
When the door opened again, the same nurse that had been tending to me walked in with some papers in her hands, but she also looked nervous. Granted, Aurelio did that to people, but she’d been getting an eyeful all night, so whatever had her nervous, it wasn’t Aurelio.
However, I got my answer as soon as Detectives Willows and Lakelet walked in behind her, and there could be only one reason that they were here. Now, while I hadn’t paid any attention to the news or had been scrolling through my phone, Ashton’s parents had to have heard about what’d happened by now, and like all men that held power, he’d made his wishes known.
Aurelio immediately walked over to stand behind me, and even though we were in O’Brien territory, it wouldn’t surprise me if they already knew who Aurelio was. In fact, every law enforcement agency in the state probably knew every player in the Sartori, O’Brien, and Kotov organizations. Aurelio’s face was probably pinned to some corkboard in a war room that was dedicated to organized crime syndicates. At least, it should be.
“Ms. Valentine,” Detective Willows greeted. “Dr. Heche has assured us that you’re finished here. Correct?”
“Uhm…” The nurse stepped forward. “If you’ll just sign these three pages, you’ll be free to go.” As she handed me the papers, she added, “He recommends that you follow up with your primary doctor, and copies of your bloodwork, x-rays, and diagnosis will be emailed to you. We also have an online patient portal that you can log onto for your results.”
“Thank you,” I said as I signed the papers. “You’ve all been really great.”
“Of course,” she muttered, clearly uncomfortable.
The second that she exited the room, Detective Willows said, “Did you know that the security feed in your house was having issues?”
Before I could respond, Aurelio said, “Well, that was quick.”
Detective Lakelet looked his way. “Let’s not insult one another, Mr. Provenza,” he said, confirming my suspicions that they already knew who Aurelio was. “Congressman Oliver has lots of friends on the police force, and we’re treating this homicide as a top priority.”
Aurelio’s hands came up to rest on my shoulders. “Homicide,” he repeated. “That’s an interesting word choice.”
“Congressman Oliver doesn’t believe that it was self-defense,” Detective Willows remarked. “He’s adamant that his son would never have harmed Ms. Valentine.”
“Yet, the photos, x-rays, and current circumstances say otherwise,” I retorted. “I understand grief and denial, Detective. However, how much more proof does the man need?”
“What about the security feed?” Detective Lakelet asked. “It’s rather convenient that it started glitching during the event in question.”
My back straightened under Aurelio’s hands. “I disagree,” I told him. “In fact, since you’re throwing words like homicide around, I find it very inconvenient that the cameras at the brownstone are having issues.”
“Ms. Valentine-”
“Let me stop you there, Detective,” Aurelio said, cutting Detective Lakelet off. “If you guys are here to arrest Savina, then I suggest you reconsider.”
“We don’t answer to you, Mr. Provenza,” Detective Lakelet replied haughtily. “In case you’ve forgotten, this isn’t Sartori territory.”
