EREX

The seated woman met my eyes, swallowing thickly. Her dark eyes carried a look I was already familiar with. And it hit me with the force of a dozen bricks, but I steeled myself against it.

"Your side of the story, Miss."

"What's the use? I'm still going to be considered a murderer." 

The dark-haired woman probably intended to make her voice emotionless, but instead, there was a thread of hopeless hysteria that carried over. Her brown eyes reflected a broken soul that had tried to break out of something toxic, only to be faced with a fate just as bad.

Her son jumped down, and her eyes flashed, "Darius!"

"Are you blind?" The boy stared up at me, his face reflecting fury. "Can't you see she's hurt? She's suffering, and you want to...to...to send her to jail?" He frowned.

Amella grabbed his arm and pulled him towards her, "Silenzio, Darius." She berated him in italian, her expression one of pleading. "Per favore."

I understood her perfectly well, considering Italian was my first language, but I let them keep that semblance of privacy. I could respect that.

I could respect her, and I could respect her relationship with her son.

She winced and pulled back. Her arm was colored in purple. Red hand prints peeked out, and Darius' eyes softened before he re-adjusted the blankets around her until she was wrapped up entirely like a human burrito.

My lips twitched slightly. It was a pure act from someone who had probably been subjected to harsh realities way before his age. His affection and care for his mother at such a young age was admirable.

Darius was.......like looking into a mirror.

I swallowed past the lump in my throat and maintained a neutral expression as I addressed the wife again. "The case can be ruled in your favor if it was done in self-defense."

She chuckled, her eyes meeting mine as she shook her head hopelessly. "I've lived here in this country for thirty-seven years. I know my fate."

And as much as I hated to admit it, the chances that Amella could come out of this unscathed were very low. Still, I needed information, and an interrogation would take place nonetheless.

"I'm afraid we have to get your statement before anything else can happen. The FBI has taken over the case." I flashed my card before sliding it back into my pocket.

Darius' grey eyes whipped to his mother's. "Are they going to send me away from you, Mom? I don't want that. You'll be okay." Desperation crept in.

Amella patted his head, a soft, sad smile on her lips, "Credere, il mio sole."

Believe, my sun.

Then she nodded, "I'll tell you everything, of course."

A Social Worker was standing off to the side, and she stepped up, smiling at the mother and son.

"It'll be alright. Come on, Darius. I'll take you to a good place for tonight. You should get some food and rest, hm?"

The urge to shatter the pipe dreams she'd build for this unsuspecting child was strong, but I held back and took a deep breath. "You should go with her, kid."

He stared at his mom who nodded, "Go, Darius."

With his eyes lowered and shoulders slumped as if he already knew what would happen, he started to walk with the Social Worker.

I turned away from staring at the retreating boy and met Amella's eyes again. But before I could say anything more, a small body flew past me and hugged her tightly.

"I love you, Mom. You're the best. Thank you." He pulled away to look at her face and kissed her cheeks and her forehead and her nose.

He kissed her all over with a sad smile. "Thank you for everything." He jumped down, "I'll see you again soon. Promise." His smile was half-forced and he had a missing canine.

He was convincing himself and grabbing onto hope that was quickly slipping away. But he seemed to be a well-raised one. I had admire his tenacity and strength. The little guy was strong.

Fuck . I hated my job sometimes.

"I'll talk to you later." I turned on my heel, resorting to giving them some privacy because God knew this might be their last meeting for a while.

I made my way into the house, crossing the garden with its overgrown grass and wilted flowers, and then just took a moment.

I closed my eyes for just two seconds, blocking out everything and anyone, and tried to suppress my own feelings. I unclenched my fist and released one slow breath, letting the anger and frustration slip with that movement. Once more, I inhaled deeply, but the metallic smell of blood was permeating the air in the house, and I didn't welcome it.

Suddenly, the click of a camera shutter sounded, and my eyes opened as the flash subsided.

The camera with its lens focused on me lowered slightly, multi-colored green and blue and brown eyes peeking out from below well-shaped eyebrows.

"You're blocking the view, and I need to get a clear picture." Honeyed voice passed her painted lips.

I tilted my head at Kaya, automatically responding before I even processed it, jumping on the distracting opportunity.

"You already clicked a clear picture of the real view, though."

Way to objectify yourself. Great going, Erex.

"But you changed your shirt." A patronizing tone bled into her words. "The previous one would've made for a much better picture." Her sly smile was hidden behind her camera, but her eyes crinkled.

I let out a huff, shaking my head, understanding just what she was insinuating. We'd have a proper conversation about that soon enough.

"I didn't expect that from you." I moved closer to her, and she clicked another picture as I moved out of her way.

The blonde shrugged, her golden waves tied up in a ponytail moving with the motion. "I was just doing someone a favor."

I raised a brow.

She didn't look at me, but I knew she felt the question. That was precisely why she let it drop, and I knew it. 

But before we could talk more about it, Finn joined us. "The place looks pretty normal. It's a bit of a mess, but aside from that, one can't find anything incriminating evidence."

"If they don't carefully look, that is." Zeke quietly added, rounding the corner that led to the second floor. "There are dried blood spots on the wooden floors and some unlikely places. We gotta ransack the place as soon as we can. There may be some enlightening things here." 

Kaya nodded, "Yeah, I took pictures for future reference. You should probably take a look at them in person, too." She gestured towards me. Then she moved to another room to the side. "This is the last room I'm taking pictures of. The rest of the house and the bodies are done."

"Alright, let's meet outside in ten minutes."

Everyone nodded their assent, and I braced myself to check out the house with my full attention. I needed to find something more.

~🎭~

By the time I was done, I was pretty sure Amella had a 50-50 chance of getting jail time.

There wasn't much I could find so far that'd be helpful in her case. Not much except a well stocked first-aid kit and, like the others had pointed out, blood spatters that probably couldn't be cleaned out of certain surfaces.

And drawings. 

I looked down at the sketchbook in my hand as I walked down the lit up terrace steps.

One would've expected rough scribbles, but Darius had drawn very well for an eight year old. And a dark reflection of his mind. They were sketches of black roses with red pencil shading to depict blood. Another drawing was of a crumbling house. And he'd managed to capture the details very well in 3D.

I swallowed a sigh and spotted the others gathered near Amella.

Attention slid my way and warmed my skin, multi-colored eyes spotting me from the distance. Watching me as I closed that distance. Then she broke the eye contact we held as I stopped next to her. I decided not to focus on that.

Zeke and Finn nodded at me in acknowledgment, and Amella glanced up at me, her jaw clenched.

"Your son is a very good artist." I flipped through the sketchbook in front of her.

Amella's lips parted, and her eyes dropped to it, softening. But she didn't speak.

The light wasn't enough for me to admire the pieces properly, but I still made a show of it. But she didn't take the bait, divulging nothing.

"Alright then. I think we're ready to head to HQ, no?" I rose a brow at Zeke and Finn, who nodded, starting to leave. When I turned towards Kaya, I found her staring at Amella with an inscrutable expression.

I swallowed my words as I watched her tilt her head slightly before she addressed Amella.

"You're a good mother." 

The words sucked the breath out of me. A ringing memory that I swept past in my head. Focused back on the present.

A tear slid down her cheek. "Thank you." Her whisper was drowned out in the chatter, but we read her lips.

"You're a strong woman. Don't ever regret that. No matter what happens." Kaya's words lacked any feeling in the tone, and yet, despite the expressionless look she held, her words seemed heavy with something I couldn't point out in particular. 

Amella's shoulders slumped before she nodded, standing up and swallowing thickly. "Let us go. I wish to meet my son as soon as I can."

With her head held high, the woman started to make her way towards our car all on her own.

~🎭~

I gulped down the too-hot coffee in the small styrofoam cup, relishing the burn on my tongue as I watched the interrogation taking place through the one-sided glass. 

The ride over had been silent. We had to cuff Amella, following protocols, and once we'd reached the interrogation room, things picked up. There was no need for extreme measures, but the investigation was now fully on. 

I'd also been handed Amella and her husband's file, and all I had to say was that man was shady as hell. He was a well-placed enforcer in the Black Syren and apparently also an addict of cocaine. In small amounts but needed those doses. He worked at a call center that was just one of the Mafia's side business gigs we'd been aiming to shut down for a while. But due to lack of incriminating evidence, it was still up and working and fucking flourishing.

Besides me, Callie narrowed her eyes as she heard Amella recount how her husband had pointed the gun at Darius, smacking him around with it.

And she'd snapped.

What ensued was a struggle where he overpowered her but since he was high and down a few bottles of beer, Valter Agostini wasn't being the most agile. Amella took advantage and despite being smacked around, grabbed a hold of the gun.

Finn cursed, always hating the cases involving domestic violence with a vengeance since he'd been a victim of it himself. He glanced at me and shook his head, "I'm going out."

And with that he left. But we all understood. Except Kaya, of course, who didn't give Finn's retreating form more than fleeting glance before her eyes focused back ont he scene unfolding in front of us.

I watched as Amella's lips wobbled and she regaled us with the tale of how her husband then threatened her using Darius. But before he could do something to her son, she shot him in pure panic. Adrenaline was riding her and she didn't even catch a breath, just focused on ridding herself and her son of the most immediate threat.

I finished my coffee and crumpled the cup in my hands, the only outlet I had. 

It was that motherly instinct that got her through it, she claimed. The only reason she'd even put up with Valter for so long, like so many other mothers subjected to domestic abuse did, was her child. And well, some rather unfortunate circumstances that came with being illegal immigrants connected to the Mafia in the United States of America.

A bitter feeling coursed through me as I felt the claws of helplessness dig into me. On my right, Kaya exhaled lightly, her blue-green eyes shifting. My attention jumped to her and my eyes narrowed as I watched her face displaying an emotion I couldn't place.

It was such a far cry from her in-control-all-the-time expressions that it intrigued me enough to stare at the side of her face for two minutes straigh.

Unblinking, I observed the symmetry that was this woman's face. But the most ocmplex thing was her how her brain worked. It had barely been over two weeks and I wanted in because she was proving to be a magnetic presence.

"What are you thinking about?"

She blinked, and then—

"About why you're staring at me." Came her dry response, her red painted lips parting.

And even in that somber mood, uncharacteristically, I felt my lips tug upwards in a sardonic grin.

~🎭~

A/N

Okay, okay, yes, I know, I'm late again lol.

I'll try better, I swear. Was just busy with wrapping up the semester. But that's no excuse (just a little bit). Anywaysssssss.....

Fun fact: washing winter clothes yourself is hard.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! What do you think about Amella, her case and Darius? About Erex and Kaya in this chapter? I wanted to address some of the grey area of the law system in most countries regarding such cases. Who's the one in the wrong? How should it be tackled? How IS it tacked eventually? That'll be discussed in detail in the next chapter though.

Oh and also......I may or may not write a book on Darius Agostini somewhere in the future. 20 or so years later lol. The little guy got a good backstory and a crossover is always welcome lol so I'm keeping the gates open.

Don't forget to vote and comment! Thank you so much for being patient and your support :)

See you next time, take care!

~Skyler