The Rules to Redemption

Chapter 16: Keep a secret

What's your go to Snack?

Me: cucumber Salad.

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"Tallia Sylveste, threatening me?" He chuckles.
I'm going to break his-

I don't answer him, instead take the files I have out of my bag and lay them on the table in front of me. He watches my every movement and although I pay no mind to his thoughts a part of me was still anxious under his sight.
"You should blink every once in a while." I sarcastically enlighten him.
He scoffs under his breath.

I place my phone flat on that table and hit the record button. "Can I start?" I ask him.
He nods, a single nod.
"State your name." I demand.
"Damien Rayne Cortez." He responds.
"Being interviewed by a Miss Tallia E Sylveste." I announce myself.

After the brief introduction, we relax under the recording and proceed as if it is no longer there.
"Your records show that you are of pristine physical health, do you have any underlying mental health issues?" I question him.
Of course he does.

"There's this girl. She tends to refer to me as a psychopath." He smirks

Rolling my eyes and pressing pause, "Damien! Be fucking serious please." I groan.
"Tallia what part of me looks like I'm joking? I'm offended." He sarcastically replies.

Pressing play, "I'll take that as a no."
"If you must." He encourages me.
Gun. Give me a gun.

"Great I can't even use that as an excuse for you being a murderer, the motherfucker kills in cold blood." I groan.
"Tell me about your childhood." I demand.

"I can't tell you about that without breaking the omertà. Next question." He avoids that.
I knew better.
"Tell me what you can." I plead.
It wasn't about Omertà for me, I meant tell me what you can without hurting yourself.
I knew he had a rough childhood, most of us did but I needed to know him so I can...I guess save him.

His muscles relax with my questions, he seemed comfortable enough.
"My family has always been wealthy, I didn't have it hard in that sense." He pauses momentarily.
"I grew up with both my parents, mainly my mother. Me and my father didn't get on."
Past tense.
"That's all I can say."

He could say a lot more yet I wouldn't push him. My life is always on thin ice when I'm around him.
"What was your relationship like with the victim?" I repeat what I had once asked him.

"He was a CIA agent and I'm a mobster, take a guess." He sarcastically answers me.
"You were best friends?" I take my guess mirroring his attitude.

That was a joke though his face speaks a lot of truth. "We actually were best friends growing up." He enlightens me.
"He got lucky and found his way out of this life."
"Is that why he's dead?" I humour him.

"He's dead because he forgot where he came from. People like him, they find legal wealth and think that it makes them better people. He got too comfortable with the law, he forgot how to protect himself." There was anger in his voice.
"So you murdered your best friend?" I raise my eyebrow at him.

He smirks, "When did I admit to anything as such Elara?"
"Well are you going to plead guilty or not guilty?" I question him.
"I'll decide when I get there." He shrugs.
Bitch, how the -
Just breathe Tallia. Inhale. Exhale.

It's as if our conversation keeps going around in circles, he won't give me the answers I need.
"Who do you care about the most. Ever.?" Maybe now my questions were becoming a personal interest.