Take Your Breath Away

Chapter 15

Thea had a judge on standby, so within an hour Oliver is out on a $5 million bail. It was an exorbitant amount, but fortunately, they have that kind of money at their disposal. Oliver is thankful to his sister for her abilities as a lawyer Watching the horror and resolve on Felicity's face as Detective Rochev forced her to arrest him was heartbreaking. He was arrested for murder, and he could very well be convicted, but he is innocent and he has total confidence in Thea's legal prowess.

Felicity's face revealed her total reluctance to do her job because of him. There was nothing she could do, and Oliver knew that. The reality was that Rochev was going to have him charged no matter what. Why she made Felicity do it was a mystery to him, but all that would have resulted from Felicity disobeying was a dismissal from her position.

Sitting in his living room with a scotch in his hand and his head full, he hears a knock on the door. Opening it, he sees Laurel Lance. What the fuck is she doing at his penthouse? Can this day get any worse?

Opening the door but blocking the doorway and not letting her in, Oliver growls at her, "What do you want, Laurel?"

"I heard you were arrested. You will need a good lawyer."

Oliver laughs. "I have the best attorney in the country. Thea is my attorney, so I don't need you."

Getting ready to shut the door, Laurel puts her foot in to stop him.

"Then you need comfort." Laurel seductively suggests, licking her lips.

Unbelievable. Does this woman have a brain, or self-respect, or feel any shame? And the obvious answer is no.

"When I need comfort, I call my girlfriend, so I don't need you for that either. Get your foot out or it will be broken."

Laurel glares at him before she turns on her heels as Oliver slams the door. Alone finally, he goes back to nursing his Scotch. Before he can finish his drink, there's another knock at the door. Rushing to it and ready to give Laurel a good dressing down, he is surprised to see his sister instead.

"Ollie, you look ready to kill someone," Thea tells him humorously.

"Laurel was just here, and I thought she was back. Sorry."

Oliver invites his sister in, giving her a big hug. Going to the kitchen, he pours her a glass of wine. Shaking her head at Laurel's behavior, Thea closes the door and locks it. "This is for you," she says, interchanging the glass of wine his brother offers her for a cell phone.

"What is this for?" Oliver asks, looking at the device in his hand.

"Felicity's burner number is programmed. I also sent a messenger to her place with one for her with your number. You have to be very careful now, Ollie. Felicity may be your girlfriend, but she is also a detective with the police department. Knowing how obsessed you are, I knew you would have to contact her. You can't call her on her own phone from yours. The police will get a warrant for your cell records."

Another reason to be happy Thea is his attorney. He would have called Felicity. In fact, he was reaching for his phone to do just that when his sister knocked on the front door. Oliver feels ill just remembering the look on Felicity's face when she saw his watch. No, he has to make sure she knows he did not go to the VIP room for sex. Covertly, he tried to tell her that during the interrogation, but he's not sure if she caught the message. He can't lose the trust they painstakingly built up. He won't.

"Thanks, Thea. I will be careful. I do want to talk to Felicity. I swear I have no idea how that watch got into that room."

Thea nods her head. "Ollie, it is obvious to me. Someone is trying to frame you, and is doing an excellent job at it."

"I know Thea, we've discussed this before, and my suspects haven't changed," Oliver says, sitting next to his sister on the sofa.

"Do you really think either Laurel or Max is capable of murder to frame you?"

"No, not really. Fuller is a sniveling mollycoddle who doesn't have the guts for that and Laurel... well, she's delusional, but she's not that far gone to kill someone." Thea rolls her eyes at his words. Oliver knows his sister is even less fond of Laurel than he is. "There's no one else that I can think of who hates me this much. Besides, I try not to hang out with homicidal psychopaths, you know."

Thea is not amused by his sarcasm. "You may not know who it is, but there's a person out to get you. I managed to keep you out of jail for the time being, but I'm not sure how long will that last if the killer is determined to make you look guilty. I advise you to have company at all times. You need strong, reliable alibis from now on. I'm sure the police will put you under surveillance if they haven't done it already, so the more accounts of your whereabouts you can get, the better." His sister places her hand on his forearm. "Why don't you spend a few days at the mansion? Mom and Dad will be thrilled to have you back home, and between the three of us and the staff in the house, I think we'll cover you while you're not at the club. As you know the "I was home alone" alibi means little, so what do you say?"

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