Another Lifetime

Chapter 33

DeAnna Kastell

"Just run that by me again?" Frank asked me.

"Aron Martens made a sex tape to use me to keep X in line," I told him, "and gave me the heroin I OD-ed on for payment of services rendered," I repeated for him.

"So sexual assault on a minor, statutory rape of a minor, production of child pornography, possession of child pornography, distribution of an illegal substance to a minor, possession of an illegal substance," Frank listed some of the charges that could be brought against him.

"But this is like plan Z," I told him, "if X finds out what happened, I don't know if he'll stay with me and the only reason I'd go public with this is if Aron doesn't get sent down," I said and I was not going public with this if I could avoid it.

"We're not considering Jury tampering as plan B right?" Frank checked with me but mostly looking at dad.

"Risking a mistrial and having my daughter have to go public with her sex tape, of course not," Dad told him, "It would be cheaper to hire a hitman," he muttered under his breath.

"Dad!" Frank exclaimed, "Dea knows people who'd probably do it for free," he said, looking to me then realised what he'd just said, "I'm a cop, I can't hear you two talking about hiring a hitman or any kind of illegal activity, especially about the trial we are both involved in," he said and I shrugged.

"I'm a junkie who shouldn't be around dealers but two weeks I was playing blackjack with my juvie dealer," I argued and both of them did not look happy with me, "X supervises me with Drake and he's too afraid of my fiancé to try pushing on me," I assured them both. "Could the cabal find a way to deal with him?" I asked Dad.

"They may not always be morally correct but they're pretty good about staying within the letter of the law, just not the spirit," Dad said, "whether or not they'll do it is another story," he added and that was true. I refused to do their work and Frank had refused to be on Valero's protective detail but to be fair, it's happening whilst we're here for this trial so we don't ever have to deal with him.

"Yeah but everyone loves me," I suggested and dad gave me a look.

"You're my little cucciolo but not everyone finds you that loveable," Dad told me and there was a knock on the door.

"Avanti!" The three of called out and there were moments like this when I knew we were family. Hartley opened the door to the room we'd taken over for our family meeting.

"Court is reconvening," he informed us and dad had to leave now because it would very much blow our normal people cover.

Frank was the first witness called to the stand. I still didn't understand why he was called as a witness in this case. "I am Detective Frank Kastell of the Shakemann City Police Bureau," he said for the sake of the court.

"Your full legal name please, Detective," Rawson said with a smarmy look on his face.

"Detective Francesco Javier Castello de Rosa-Iglesias," he said with the same exasperated look that I had when I'd been made to say my name.

"Castello de Rosa-Iglesias?" Rawson said, "a relation to the prosecution's witness DeAnna Castello?" He asked him.

"DeAnna is my little sister," Frank told him, "I don't understand why that's relevant or why I'm on the witness list, I've never met the defendant before and I never interacted with my sister's ex-boyfriend when she was in the defendant's social circles," He said, mostly to the judge.

"But you did have knowledge of my client, did you not?" Rawson asked him.

"I grew up in New York and my little sister was a heroin addict, of course I knew who the biggest heroin dealer in the city was," Frank told him.