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“I don’t need to be on Sartori territory to instruct you on how to do your job, Detective,” Aurelio fired back. “In case you’re unaware, there’s a bigger issue at play here, something that you might want to remind Congressman Oliver about. Or would you rather I remind him.”
“And what issue is that?” Detective Lakelet bit out, obviously the bad cop in this scenario.
“Congressman Oliver has two choices in this situation,” Aurelio told them. “He can bury his son under the guise that this was all a very unfortunate accident, or he can bury his son as the press hound him with the evidence that his son was an abusive bastard that deserved what he got.”
“Are you threatening to release the details of this investigation?” Detective Willows asked, a little bite in his voice as well.
Before Aurelio could answer that, I said, “No, he’s not. He’s merely reminding you that I have the right to defend myself against false accusations just as Congressman Oliver has the right to try to avenge his son.” I looked between the two detectives. “Despite what you may think of me, I’m not one of those women that believe the abuse was my fault. I’m not one of those women that believe this is my shame to carry. Now, while a lot of people are going to judge me as stupid for remaining in an abusive relationship for so long, I don’t particularly care what people think of me. Yeah, I might have been stupid, but I’d rather go down in history as being stupid than to be remembered for being an abusive asshole.”
“Ms. Valentine, I’m not sure that you realize what you’re going up against,” Detective Willows said, changing up roles, trying to pretend like he was on my side.
“I’m not sure that you do, Detective,” Aurelio replied, not letting me speak. “Savina was a Sartori way before she ever got involved with Ashton Oliver, something that you might want to remind the good congressman of.”
Done playing games, Detective Lakelet said, “We have to arrest her.”
“Over my dead body,” Aurelio snarled, not caring that they were cops.
“That can be arranged,” Detective Lakelet sneered.
“Stop it,” I snapped.
“You’re out of your mind if you think that I’m going to allow them to arrest you,” Aurelio said, anger lacing every word.
“Let them arrest me,” I told him. “It’ll be splashed all over the news and the internet, something that Congressman Oliver will not be able to run from. It’ll follow him wherever he goes, including his next campaign run.”
“I’m not letting you get arrested,” Aurelio repeated.
“Let them do their jobs,” I argued. “I’m sure that they’ll have no problem making a statement when they’re questioned over why they took a battered woman into custody, even after being made aware of the facts.”
Aurelio’s dark eyes scanned my face as he read between the lines, knowing that getting arrested could only help my cause. Right or wrong, in this day and age, the truth didn’t matter. Women’s groups everywhere were always eager to pick up a cause, and the second that I let it be known that Ashton had been abusive, they were going to start making picket signs, then descend on the police department and Stewart’s office.
“Baby…”
“Let them arrest me, Aurelio,” I repeated. “After all, it’s not our graves that they’re digging.”
For a second, I thought that he might give in, but I should have known better. Despite it being a good idea, there was no way that a man like Aurelio Provenza would allow such a thing. Plus, we still had some unfinished business to attend to. Aurelio needed to yell at me, and I needed to let him do it, or else the rage would eat him up inside.
“They’re not arresting you,” he finally said. “And if I have to call The O’Brien, then I will.”
Both detectives stiffened at that. “Surely, you’re not talking about Declan O’Brien,” Detective Willows remarked.
Aurelio arched a brow. “Do you honestly believe that I’d be in his territory without him knowing?”
It was funny what a difference the details could make. Only moments before, they’d been ready to do Congressman Oliver’s bidding, and now they were questioning what to do next. It was one thing to stand up to the Sartoris when we weren’t in their territory, but it was quite a different thing to go up against an O’Brien while standing in O’Brien territory.
I watched as the Detectives eyed each other, then finally making a decision, Detective Willows said, “We’ll be in touch, Ms. Valentine.”
“I’m sure you will be,” I retorted.
With that, they left, and though Aurelio was using a tender hand to escort me to the car, I knew that he was just waiting until we got to his house to unleash on me, and hats off to the man’s willpower.
Chapter 35
Aurelio~
I had so much rage and adrenaline coursing through my body that I could barely function. From the second that Constantine had called me, I’d been pushing those feelings aside to do what was best for Savina. However, now that we were home, there was nothing stopping me from losing my fucking mind on the woman like she deserved.
As soon as we entered my bedroom, I asked the one question that’d been burning on my tongue since she climbed out that fucking window. “What in the fuck were you thinking, Savina?”
