Page 97 of Holding On

“Like a real man would,” Harlow provides, appealing to his massive ego.

Kane nods and puffs out his chest. “Yes, and I wouldn’t want Rick to embarrass the woman in the photos in that way. Amber Anders is a nice girl and didn’t deserve to have our private moments used to embarrass her.”

“Anders as in … A. Anders from The Spill?” I interrupt, immediately recognizing the name as a journalist that was borderline obsessed with writing about the drama surrounding Kane and Jack.

Kane continues without missing a beat, “Yeah, and she didn’t even know I had the photos and videos—let alone Rick having a copy.”

Harlow hums and asks softly, “She wasn’t aware they existed?”

Kane’s head snaps up as a red flag must’ve finally registered. “No, I mean, she didn’t know that Rick knew they existed or that I had them.”

“How did you have them then if she didn’t know about them? Did you take them without her consent?” I keep my tone nice and even, but the question is a loaded one—a topic that wasn’t even on my radar before this conversation. But now, we can mention to the local authorities that they can explore charges of unlawful photography and possibly more depending on what Kane did with the file, but a forensic search of his electronics would reveal that easily enough

“Thanks for giving us another charge to add to your long list of charges, Kane. I wasn’t expecting you to be so helpful. I really do appreciate it, but honestly, I don’t want to spend my day in the hospital, so I think we should move on to the good part, don’t you, Harlow?”

“I agree. And with what Natasha and Debbie Jo have already admitted to, it’s all pretty straight forward from here,” Harlow says while looking at me, but we both look at Kane as he squeaks.

Like a toy ball.

“Who talked to Natasha? Why would she confess to anything? She wasn’t there. She doesn’t know anything. She’s no one.” Kane shakes his head. “I mean, she was a better option than the comic book nerd in HR, but shit. I had to hear about her bullshit job and shitty family and blah fucking blah, on and on and on! Lady, do you know why you’re single? Because you don’t shut the fuck up! Finding out her brother was a degenerate gambler and that she was paying off his one-hundred-thousand-dollar debt to a bookie was like a gift from the heavens.”

“So, you had … motivation to get her to help you?” Harlow dances around the word blackmail or forcing Natasha to do anything, but we already have her confession and know all about how Kane first promised to pay off her brother’s debt if she shared inside information, and then escalated to threatening to expose her if she didn’t go along with Rick and Kane’s schemes.

“Natasha understood how things were going to work.” He lifts his free hand to point at me. “And you can’t trust anything that Debbie Jo says, she’s just as good of a liar as her brother.”

“Well, that may be true about Debbie Jo’s character, but Natasha is looking at some serious charges as well. When she gave you the keycard that she stole from Jack’s office, she co-signed any and all criminal activities that occurred because of the access granted by that card,” Harlow explains.

“Which means, in addition to being charged with criminal responsibility, it doesn’t matter if she knew that you and Rick had planned on kidnapping or killing Tinsley, something that you both admitted to on video yesterday so that you could benefit from her life insurance payout.”

“But, but, pft,” Kane sputters. “I didn’t consent to being recorded yesterday!”

“Ironic, but since you broke into Mr. Callahan’s penthouse, his security cameras had every right to record anything that was said or done during the period of time in which you were illegally trespassing and committing criminal activity in his home,” I explain, keeping my tone neutral but not missing the irony of him being in uproar about consent in recording someone. “There’s also a chance that Natasha could be charged with all of the same crimes that you, Debbie Jo, and Rick will be facing for your actions yesterday, even though Natasha never set foot in Jack’s penthouse, it will be like she was standing there in the eyes of the law.”

“And when paired with the severity of the other charges you three face, I know they are exploring potentially charging Natasha with conspiracy to commit murder, aiding and abetting armed burglary, and aiding and abetting attempted murder—just like you are already facing,” Harlow adds before taking a sip of her latte.

Kane’s face turns an unnatural shade of red as he yells, “I’m not facing those charges! I was shot! I want my lawyer. I’m a victim!”

“You were, by your accomplice, while in the middle of knowingly committing a slew of crimes together. Did you think that just because you got shot that you were going to walk away? That’s not how the law works, Kane. And we will be happy to call your lawyer, but your previously listed representation recused themselves, so you first need to find a lawyer that will take you on as a client. But if you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you by the court, as your rights informed you when you were placed under arrest yesterday.” Kane’s control is slipping, and I almost feel bad that I’m about to see him lose his shit.

But not bad enough to stop pushing him.

Kane sputters, “This can’t be happening. I can’t go to jail! I have plans!”

“You might want to cancel those plans. Natasha is very chatty, even telling us things we didn’t need to necessarily know, like how she’s the reason the press knew about Tinsley’s locations or what was going on while Fiona was in the hospital. But Natasha is already making deals. She’s facing ten to thirty years in prison all because of a keycard—and she had absolutely nothing to do with the crimes you and Rick both admitted to committing in New York that resulted in two deaths and a serious injury.”

Kane’s face goes from tomato red to snow white unnaturally fast. “What did you just say about New York?”

I point to the U.S. marshal outside Kane’s hospital room. “Did you forget that in your stupor after being shot, you admitted to tampering with the brakes that led to the crash which killed Roman Cash and Fiona Skye?” I tilt my head. Huh. He might actually not remember that he admitted that.

Kane’s eyes go wide as saucers as panic sets in. “No … No … I wouldn’t have said that … I didn’t … Oh, shit. I need a lawyer!” His heart rate monitor starts to alarm as it rises too quickly.

“There’s another option, Kane,” Harlow says as she watches the monitor and then looks at Kane.

“I’ll do whatever I can. I’ll help! I’ll wear a wire! Whatever you need!”

A deep sigh escapes me before I can school my features. I stare up at the ceiling—I’m too sleep deprived to deal with this moron. “We don’t really need you to wear a wire, because you both already confessed on tape. You admitted to your actions and the motive. Natasha has explained how she met you in a reddit thread about thriller books, and after talking online, the online friendship escalated to texting, then phone calls, and even a few dates.”

“How did you find her specifically on the forum?” Harlow asks.