This is kind of a filler chapter but stick with me, it'll get better (no it won't). Fight me (ง'̀-'́)ง

"And when exactly did this....flirtation begin, Miss Remy?"

"For the last time, detective." I sighed, completely exhausted. "I told you, it wasn't a flirtation. We weren't dating. We were just acquaintances! It was a chance meeting, a very unfortunate one at that. It's not like I intentionally put myself in a position that would associate me with an international crime lord. I wouldn't do that."

"The capacity of what you, Miss Remy, would and would not do is based on your words. I don't know what you're capable of." Dark brown eyes bore into my own, wearing me down. "And the only insurance I have to justify the mentality of a teenage girl still comes down to your word, which at this point, doesn't amount to much. There are just too many factors that lead me to believe otherwise. Now, you seem like a nice and reasonable young lady, Miss Remy. Let's start in the beginning. When exactly did you fall into the company of Wolfe Sterling?"

I was beat and worn out and shivering. The harsh interrogation light above wasn't exactly helping and although the peak of the cold day provided enough illumination that the lights weren't necessary, it didn't make me feel any better. Nothing could, not as long as I was in here.

After several Marine officers all but dragged me out of the ocean, I was immediately taken into custody. The feeling of those cold metal handcuffs biting down on my wrists wasn't something I wanted to go through again. I was still soaked to the skin and completely numbed over. It took over an hour to finally get everything settled and for my parents to make the drive from Brooklyn. We were now at the Federal Bureau of Investigation Center in upper east side Manhattan, a sanction of the CIA headquarters stationed in Florida. FBI agents roamed outside the interrogation room, along with my parents and Clancy. I wasn't just an associate of the Crowns anymore, I was actually a suspect. The police had handed the case over to the Feds because taking Wolfe Sterling down had become a national priority.

But by far, facing my parents and Clancy was the worst part. I couldn't explain to them what happened. The cops did that. They wouldn't let me talk to anyone except the detective I was roomed with. Since they couldn't catch Wolfe (or at least, I don't think they did) they trained all their fury on me. The FBI, the NYPD, and even the CIA were now involved. Every letter of the goddamn alphabet.

Detective Rossen was cold, calculated, and smooth. He had greying hair and deep brown eyes with lots of wrinkles around them. He didn't blink often and talked fast, slipping in phrases and words at exactly the right time to make me trip. I had to listen very closely because one wrong answer could bring my world crashing down. I was told he was one of the best interrogators in the country. With such a high rate criminal, I suppose the government wasn't going to spare any expenses. The Crowns were, after all, the most dangerous Brooklyn mafia in all of the seven seas and the search for them spanned for several years. The authorities were tired of chasing after them and now they finally had a connection.

But I was sitting there, sweating and shivering in the uncomfortable metal chair, trying very hard not to cry. A million thoughts ran through my head. Detective Rossen obviously wanted a confession. To what? I did nothing wrong! I was the innocent one here. So why did I feel so scared? I had nothing to hide...right? Wolfe deserved to go to prison. I just couldn't find the right words to say. Under the intimidating glare of the detective, under the harsh light and the mirror on one of the walls where I knew my parents were watching and listening on the other side, I couldn't bring myself to talk. It was overwhelming.

The attorney my parents had hired resided in Minnesota. It would take her at least two days to get here, with traffic being so bad and all. But it didn't really make much of a difference, seeing as though a pending FBI investigation didn't include the power of lawyers or attorneys. The officials had a choice whether or not they could be present during questioning, not me. If this was a case for the police, then attorneys could be present. But law enforcement saw me and Wolfe as a threat to national security and the usual laws didn't apply because the case itself was given to a higher authority.

I was the only one who knew the truth, who knew what happened. And every single person around me had their own assumptions and opinions about what they thought had happened because they had taken one thing and connected to to something else without giving a second thought to the paths that could stray, the options and the possibilities that might have happened between the journey of those connections. I was five feet four inches tall and I didn't know how to fight the mountainous wave of accusations and questions heading my way alone. There was no one else. No one could ever back me up or support my words. I was in this alone and I had to fix this alone, because the one person who could help me had put his life before mine.

Wolfe was gone, my parents were too shocked to even begin to fathom what their daughter had gotten herself into, Clancy was a sobbing mess, and Ade turned into some secret assassin and apparently tried to kill me. I was freezing cold and dripping wet, my shoulder ached, Detective Rossen looked like he wanted nothing more than to see me rot behind bars, and I lost my purse. The one with the mint Twizzlers in them.

That, I think, was the worst part of this entire situation.

Trying to keep myself from breaking into tears, I sniffled. "I'm sorry, what was the question again?"

Detective Rossen looked at me, his lips pressed together tightly. "When exactly did you fall into the company of Wolfe Sterling? Or rather, when was the very first time you ever came face-to-face with Wolfe Sterling or any known members of the Crowns? Tell me what you think is most truthful, according to the extent of your knowledge. Whether you're telling me the truth or not, that is to be determined later."

Omerta. That's what Wolfe said to me before I jumped out of the helicopter. It was a mob concept that withheld any person affiliated with a criminal organization should and must maintain absolute silence when questioned by law enforcement on the activities or suspected crimes of any members of said organization. Both the Cosa Nostra and the Bratva exercised the belief, and I suppose the Crowns did too. If no one testified against the Crowns in court, they'd walk away as free men. 

Omerta, the code of silence. All I had to do is keep my mouth shut. I didn't have to talk. So the decision boiled down to whether or not I was willing to go to prison for Wolfe Sterling.

And they didn't have Twizzlers in prison. So there was no way in hell I was going to keep my mouth shut. Prison, goodbye. A lifetime of being grounded, hello.

"Detective Rossen-" I licked my chapped lips. Saltwater was a real bitch. "-may I please speak with my mother and father? I'd like to discuss this privately-"

"Are you saying that both your mother and father, including Clancy Devans, had knowledge of the Crown's whereabouts and did not come forward?" He was quick to twist my words around, make me think something when he was on a whole different topic. Man, he was good. "Miss Remy, you do realize that many laws have been broken today? You're facing at least nine accounts of criminal charges and the jury will not have mercy just because you're young. You won't be tried as a minor, either. All you have to do is tell me the truth. Hold nothing back and you may just get out of this mess alive. I'm here to help you, Florence."

"Can I plead insanity?"

"No! This is not a murder trial, Miss Remy! All I want is to understand how a nice family like yours got involved with such bad people."

"Well." I took a deep breath. Omerta, my little butt. "It started with the construction of the local shops in Brooklyn."

Detective Rossen's eyebrows furrowed. "Can you elaborate, Miss Remy?"

"The tunnels." I answered quietly. "Wolfe Sterling needed the tunnels that ran underneath the sewer lines of Brooklyn to conduct his drug cartels. Past the Espresso House cellar, which is the name of the coffee shop my parents own-" I swallowed noisily as a loud sob from outside was heard. Clancy was having a real field day out there. "-begins the pathway that leads to anywhere in Brooklyn, including the Simmons Law Firm. The tunnels are like a maze, they lead anywhere underground. I don't know exactly how far or deep they are, though. Wolfe took an interest in the tunnels and decided to force my parents into giving them half the business. Things just...went from there, I guess."

"The tunnels." Detective Rossen repeated. "You're doing good, Miss Remy. Keep this flow of information up and we'll have captured every Crowns member in the country by tomorrow. Let's continue. How did you hurt your shoulder? Looks like a pretty nasty bullet wound to me."

Another shrill sob came from outside, this time from my mother. Oh, I was so massively screwed. Squirming in my seat, I glanced at the fake double-sided mirror. I was glad it was there because my mother's wrath was even worse than Wolfe's.

His question brought up a whole other factor. I could see no way of getting out of this. After today, my life was basically over, so what did it matter? If Ade really was working for a foreign mafia to take Wolfe and I both down, then wasn't it better to just tell the cops everything and let them protect me? I couldn't protect my family, much rather myself. How was I supposed to explain to everyone that my best friend tried to kill me in cold blood? Spinning more lies and half-truths was going to web me into a world of trouble. The FBI didn't mess around and pretty soon, the CIA was going to get involved if they hadn't already.

"Yes." I shifted uncomfortably under his stern gaze. "I was accidentally caught in the crossfire of an attack made on Wolfe Sterling."

"By whom?"

"A rival mafia, I think." I said meekly. "I don't know exactly who."

"Were you in the company of Wolfe Sterling or any known members of the Brooklyn Crowns during the time of the attack in which the attempt on Mr. Sterling's life was made?"

After a moment's hesitation, I nodded.

Detective Rossen smiled and leaned back in his chair, as if he had accomplished something great. I was sweating profusely under the harsh light even though the occasional shiver went up my spine. He leaned forward again and locked his fingers together on the table. A faded gold wedding ring shone from his finger. "Miss Remy, please help me understand why you, a law-abiding citizen in the state of New York, did not come forward with this very important and necessary information about the Brooklyn Crowns the very same day you crossed paths with Wolfe Sterling. If my calculations are correct, you've been in the company of the Brooklyn Crowns for two weeks and three days now. You know that law enforcement has been searching for them for the past three years. But you didn't come forward until we found you. Why is that, Miss Remy? It just seems a bit suspicious to me."

"Because I was scared!" I said angrily. "He would hurt my family if I even thought about going to the cops. I tried to, you know. Last Thursday, I went with Clancy Devans to the police precinct to end this but I got too nervous and left." That much was true. "I wasn't going to jeopardize my family. Sure, you guys could've caught him. But at what cost? I won't put my parents in danger just for one man."

"The damage Wolfe Sterling could have caused without law enforcement was a lot greater than the damage he could have caused between the time of his arrival and the time of his capture. We would have made sure your parents were not harmed, Miss Remy. You weren't protecting them by staying quiet."

"I did what I thought was best for me and my family." I glared at him for a second, annoyed by his persistency. I mean, I know the guy was just doing his job with this whole dramatic interrogation thing, but there was a very big and clear line between bad and good. "With all due respect, detective, I think that these implications are getting a bit harsh. I don't run with criminals! I've never even gotten a driving ticket, sir. I would like to make it clear that Wolfe Sterling and I have nothing in common. Not a single thing. He doesn't even like Twizzlers! Or puppies."

"That has nothing to do with what we are talking about-"

"Or smiling. He never smiles. I smile all the time. See?" I grinned at the detective to prove my point, although I think all I proved was that I was in need of some serious therapy. "He doesn't like candy. Who doesn't like candy? He doesn't like rainbows or unicorns or furniture or watching soccer games with the sound on. So what the hell, sir, is this third degree interview supposed to prove exactly?"

"Florence." Detective Rossen said sternly, dropping all formalities. "Do not get sidetracked. You are not in power here. Either you can sit here and tell me the truth from beginning to end or you can sit here and smart mouth me as if your future does not depend on this interrogation. The CIA won't hesitate to snatch you up the moment we decide talking reasonably won't get results. And I'm sure you are aware that their methods are not the very kindest of ways to get information. Do you know the whereabouts of Mr. Sterling now?"

I chewed my bottom lip fretfully. Wolfe left me stuck between a rock and a real hard place. If I told Detective Rossen everything like he wanted me to, there was a very good chance that Wolfe was going to kill me. Literally. But if I didn't, then I faced the possibility of going to prison for a very long time.

"No." I answered. "He's not exactly a talkative person. The last I saw of him was before I jumped out of the helicopter."

"And why did you jump out of the helicopter, Miss Remy?"

"He made me."

"And why did he make you jump, Miss Remy?"

I let out a heavy breath of air in annoyance. Detective Rossen wasn't going to rest until he got the whole truth and nothing but the truth. "Okay. After I was shot, I passed out. I woke up in Wolfe's house. We had pancakes for breakfast and the helicopter came shortly afterwards to take me back home. The dude's got style, you know." I smiled but he just glared at me so I stopped and continued. "Well, the police chopper appeared about five minutes later. Wolfe decided that making me jump out of the helicopter was an easier way to kill me. You know, so I couldn't talk. Dead people can't testify in court. They both disappeared afterwards, so you're gonna have to ask your officers for the rest of the story."

Okay, so it wasn't the complete truth. But it was close to it.

"Is there anyone who may be able to corroborate this story?"

"Not that I know of. I don't know the pilot's name." I said with a straight face. Oh my God, I was so screwed. Lying to law enforcement was just another thing I could add to my resume for crimes. I was a better liar than I thought but that didn't make me feel any better. The way Detective Rossen stared me down made me feel as though he could see right through my false claims. My heart resonated in my ears and I felt nauseous.

"Can you give me a brief description of Mr. Sterling?"

"Blue eyes. Brown hair. A really nice smile-"

Detective Rossen stared at me. He opened his mouth to say something just as a knock from outside the door came.

A woman in her early 30's entered holding a thick manilla folder. Her dark brown hair was pulled back in a strict bun and her face was dry from a too stingy astringent. Her hazel eyes trailed over me and a frown curled her thin pink lips. She was wearing a black pantsuit with a blue blouse underneath. She broke her gaze with me after a second and turned to Detective Rossen.

"Sorry to interrupt, but you have a call waiting on the fifth line. They specifically requested to speak with you. Shall I take over the questions?" The lady asked, her eyes going back to me again.

"No, I think we're done here for today." Detective Rossen stood up, gathering all the files and papers from the metal table between us. Before he zipped his suitcase shut, I caught a glimpse of something. It was a copy of the New York Times, bearing the Crown's meth smuggle headline. He looked at me and nodded. "Miss Remy, you've done exceptionally well. Of course, this doesn't mean it's over just yet. An officer will be deployed tomorrow morning to pick you up for the second part of the examination looking into the case of the Brooklyn Crowns. We've exhausted everything for today and I believe Miss Remy needs a change of clothes and some rest."

"Of course." The lady detective nodded before turning on her kitty heels and walking back the way she came. Before the door swung shut, I saw my parents and Clancy disappear into the waiting room across the hallway. They all had red eyes and a clench of guilt captured my stomach.

"You may leave whenever you're ready, Miss Remy." Detective Rossen announced. He headed towards the door. "Take a moment to gather yourself up. I do believe your parents and you have some discussing to do tonight, and you have my utmost sympathy. Oh, and Florence..." He stopped at the door and looked at me. "...the villain may be good-looking, but his smile is never quite right. That's a quote by Mason Cooley. You'll do well to remember that, Miss Remy. Good luck."

With that, he opened the door and left, leaving me with a painful ache in my shoulder and an even bigger one in my heart.