I blurted, “Then you’re just going to let him rot in there?”
“Whose fault is that?” Julius shouted.
I fired off, “It’s Justin’s! He’s the one who started it!”
Julius’s stare instantly went wide as he shot back, “You knew about this?”
I bowed my head for a second, realizing what I just did. I wasn’t family, so I wasn’t allowed to see Kraven. I didn’t know what I could or couldn’t say, and I refused to get him in more trouble than he was already in. I respected our friendship and didn’t want to betray his trust, knowing it was hard for him to trust anyone. Fully aware that I was probably the first person he had confided in.
Julius stood in front of me, raising my chin to meet his eyes.
“The fuck…” he breathed out. “This is one of your little secrets, isn’t it? This is what you’ve been hiding from me? What you’ve both been hiding from me?”
I swallowed hard.
“Answer me!”
“Yes,” I replied, feeling ashamed.
I hated that he thought I was choosing sides when, in reality, I was desperately trying to remain neutral.
He winced, letting go. To say he was wounded was an understatement.
“Isla,” his lawyer announced. “You were a witness to this crime?”
“Yeah.” I spoke the truth.
“Why am I just now hearing about this?”
“I… I…”
“She’s protecting him, Mark. It’s that simple.”
“It’s not about protection, Julius. I just didn’t want to say something that could hinder his case.”
“That’s the definition of protection, Isla.”
“Julius, please don’t?—”
“I don’t want to be involved in this moment between the two of you, so I’m just going to cut to the chase. What you say to me stays between us. Even if you do say something that could hurt his case, we can use it to our advantage. If they want to play dirty, we can go as far as adding you to the appeal to show trauma from what you witnessed. If we can prove Justin started the fight, and Kraven was simply defending himself, we have a defense there.”
“Okay,” I responded, on edge.
Pulling out a tape recorder, he set it on his desk. “This is only for me, but I need you to tell me everything that happened that night, beginning with what started it.”
Through the corner of my gaze, I watched Julius listen to every word I confessed as if it tasted like pure vinegar.
Once I finished, his lawyer insisted, “This is good. This works in our favor, guys.” He stood. “I’m going to go discuss this with my partner. I’ll be right back.”
After he left, Julius asked, “Was this the first time you screamed out his name, Kitty?”
He had never called me that.
“Was this the first time you spoke?”
Unable to speak, I nodded.
“You’re speechless now? How convenient. You know, the only times we argue are when it comes down to you and Kraven.”
