to any girl, Nicki could tell just from the temper causing his face to turn red. “What the fuck d o you want to know?”
Nicki drew in a deep breath. She hadn’t expected him to be so…violent. But what did she expect from someone accused of arson? She forced her sweetest smile. “I just wondered if you wanted to tell your side of the story.”
“What story? The one where they’re saying I set fire to that house?”
She nodded and looked down at her notes. “Yes. They’ve charged you with four counts of arson and one count of criminal mischief. But you’re innocent until proven guilty. So my job is to provide readers with both sides of the story.”
Edwards grabbed his crotch, a silver skull ring on his middle finger glinting in the sunlight that fell in the doorway, and said, “You can tell your readers to suck it.”
That was it. If he wanted to be rude, she could be rude back. Nicki held her pen to her pad and asked, “Can I quote you?”
She stepped back when Edwards threw the screen door open, and it barely missed clipping her. “You think that’s funny?”
She continued backing up when she heard a voice in the doorway. “Hey, man, she’s cool. Back off.”
“She’s a puta , Carlos. I don’t need this kind of trouble.”
Carlos stepped out of the house, placing his hand on Edwards’s shoulder, stopping the volatile man’s progress. “She’s cool. I know her.” Edwards looked at Carlos, a sneer on the younger man’s face. “She’s just doing her job.” At last, Carlos made eye contact with Nicki. She could see the questions in his eyes, but she knew there was no way he going to let Edwards harm her. She was grateful for that. Carlos said, “If you don’t want to answer any questions, you can tell her that. But do you really think it will help your case any if you harass this poor woman?”
Edwards rolled his eyes. “What-the-fuck-ever.” He looked over at Nicki and flipped her off with both hands . She’d never been looked at with that much contempt before. The sneer on his face reappeared as he said, “No comment.” He turned around, Carlos’s hand dropping from his shoulder as he walked back to the house. “Bitch.”
Great. So now she was a bitch in multiple languages. And that was after being called sweet in Spanish just earlier that morning. How things change d .
Carlos turned around, watching Edwards reenter the house. He walked closer to Nicki, a small smile on his face , wrapping a protective arm around her shoulder . “So, I take it this is one of your other jobs?”
Chapter Nine
THERE WAS NO question in Nicki’s mind: Edwards was guilty as hell. Too bad she had to be balanced and fair in her reporting. She’d love to tell the fair citizens of Winchester exactly what she thought about the man.
She knew she’d been lucky Carlos was there. So apparently Edwards’s family were the friends Carlos had in Winchester . Carlos rushed her out of there, but not without giving her one last kiss at her car. He said he liked her outfit as he shut her door, then walked to the sidewalk again, waving her off.
What was Carlos’s connection to Edwards? Did it matter? She looked at her car clock as she drove away. She still had over an hour before her appointment with the Assistant DA. She didn’t want to just sit in their lobby waiting for an hour, so she decided to get a coffee at the Winchester Café and read the Colorado Springs paper, the Gazette .
She ordered a venti caramel macchiato and found the paper. She sat in a corner, away from the glare of the sun. Sh e wanted to see if the Springs’ paper had anything about the Edwards case. She spent half an hour browsing through the paper and found nothing. She wasn’t surprise d , though. Edwards was back in Winchester County , and Colorado Springs had enough of its own crime and misery than to follow the
Nicki drew in a deep breath. She hadn’t expected him to be so…violent. But what did she expect from someone accused of arson? She forced her sweetest smile. “I just wondered if you wanted to tell your side of the story.”
“What story? The one where they’re saying I set fire to that house?”
She nodded and looked down at her notes. “Yes. They’ve charged you with four counts of arson and one count of criminal mischief. But you’re innocent until proven guilty. So my job is to provide readers with both sides of the story.”
Edwards grabbed his crotch, a silver skull ring on his middle finger glinting in the sunlight that fell in the doorway, and said, “You can tell your readers to suck it.”
That was it. If he wanted to be rude, she could be rude back. Nicki held her pen to her pad and asked, “Can I quote you?”
She stepped back when Edwards threw the screen door open, and it barely missed clipping her. “You think that’s funny?”
She continued backing up when she heard a voice in the doorway. “Hey, man, she’s cool. Back off.”
“She’s a puta , Carlos. I don’t need this kind of trouble.”
Carlos stepped out of the house, placing his hand on Edwards’s shoulder, stopping the volatile man’s progress. “She’s cool. I know her.” Edwards looked at Carlos, a sneer on the younger man’s face. “She’s just doing her job.” At last, Carlos made eye contact with Nicki. She could see the questions in his eyes, but she knew there was no way he going to let Edwards harm her. She was grateful for that. Carlos said, “If you don’t want to answer any questions, you can tell her that. But do you really think it will help your case any if you harass this poor woman?”
Edwards rolled his eyes. “What-the-fuck-ever.” He looked over at Nicki and flipped her off with both hands . She’d never been looked at with that much contempt before. The sneer on his face reappeared as he said, “No comment.” He turned around, Carlos’s hand dropping from his shoulder as he walked back to the house. “Bitch.”
Great. So now she was a bitch in multiple languages. And that was after being called sweet in Spanish just earlier that morning. How things change d .
Carlos turned around, watching Edwards reenter the house. He walked closer to Nicki, a small smile on his face , wrapping a protective arm around her shoulder . “So, I take it this is one of your other jobs?”
Chapter Nine
THERE WAS NO question in Nicki’s mind: Edwards was guilty as hell. Too bad she had to be balanced and fair in her reporting. She’d love to tell the fair citizens of Winchester exactly what she thought about the man.
She knew she’d been lucky Carlos was there. So apparently Edwards’s family were the friends Carlos had in Winchester . Carlos rushed her out of there, but not without giving her one last kiss at her car. He said he liked her outfit as he shut her door, then walked to the sidewalk again, waving her off.
What was Carlos’s connection to Edwards? Did it matter? She looked at her car clock as she drove away. She still had over an hour before her appointment with the Assistant DA. She didn’t want to just sit in their lobby waiting for an hour, so she decided to get a coffee at the Winchester Café and read the Colorado Springs paper, the Gazette .
She ordered a venti caramel macchiato and found the paper. She sat in a corner, away from the glare of the sun. Sh e wanted to see if the Springs’ paper had anything about the Edwards case. She spent half an hour browsing through the paper and found nothing. She wasn’t surprise d , though. Edwards was back in Winchester County , and Colorado Springs had enough of its own crime and misery than to follow the
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