It hadn't taken long for me to realize why Bryce had cracked the window open.

After ten minutes of explaining to me just how brutal the trial would become, I had begun to sweat, feeling the intensity of questions already.

"Whatever deep dark secrets you have, they will find, they will use whatever they possibly can to hurt your credibility and make you out to be the bad guy" He warned

I told him it didn't matter how much digging they did, just like I'd told Dawson, there were no secrets. Satisfied, Bryce confirmed what he'd already researched, there were no gaps in my story, no crevasses hiding ugly monsters that could expose me once released.

I had started from the very beginning of my day on the day of the incident, reciting to Bryce exactly what had happened from start to finish. He'd asked me so many questions, my head was spinning. What was I wearing? What was Tony wearing? What did I have in my shopping basket when the chaos began? They seemed like pointless questions, but Bryce assured me that they would be important. Small details were everything in cases like mine, and if I made one slip up, it would ruin my credibility. I needed to be sure of myself, I needed to ensure I knew every honest detail no matter how many times it was asked, and no matter how many different ways it could be asked. Bryce was strict with how he needed me to behave, he needed me to be honest, emotional, yet strong enough to control my thoughts and emotions. The jury needed to see the impact the murder and assault had had on me, they needed to feel sympathy for what I had endured, but they needed to see that I was not basing my accusations on my emotions, that I had in fact seen the faces of Trey and Wyatt commit the crimes.

Half an hour in, my head began to hurt, I could feel the stress overwhelming me. This was part of the test. Bryce was firm, I could understand why Dawson had warned me of his techniques, he wanted to win the case, and so did, so I knew that no matter how harsh he seemed towards me, it was for my own good.

"The trial could be months away, it could be weeks, these things are unpredictable, but we're going to be prepared, we're going to meet many time before the real thing and we're going to make sure that we are ready for every curve ball they throw" He sighed as he tidied his paperwork back into his thick black suitcase, his demeanor slightly changing "Tony didn't deserve what happened to him, and neither did you, this is a complicated case, but in my personal opinion, it's not going to be easy to disregard or stain yours or Tony's innocence in this"

I felt relieved, he was good at what he did, I could already see that. He was efficient and thorough, and that's exactly what I needed, what Tony needed.

"I'll be meeting with Tony's family too, Loretta wants to be kept in the loop about what happens when it happens, I'm going to sit with her and get to know what Tony was like as a man, it always helps to know about every person involved, living or deceased"

I nodded, appreciative of that "He was nothing short of a hero, he tried to stop them, he deserves to be acknowledged that way"

"And I'll do my very best to shine a light on that" He smiled, formalities packed into his suitcase as he stood "It was nice to meet you, I'll be seeing you again soon and in the meantime, keep yourself safe"

"Thank you" I stood, heading for the door as he did

Bryce hastily left the building, adjusting his red tie and dark coat despite the heat outside. When he'd disappeared I stood alone outside the office door, no sign of Dawson or Isaia in sight.

"Jasmine" A female voice spoke from across the room, my attention turning to a tall woman moving towards me "Hey, I'm Detective Miller, June Miller" She introduced herself. She wore a well ironed navy button collared shirt, black dress pants and black shoes. Around her waist was a belt with the standard holstered gun and badge.

"James and Wood were called into a meeting with our chief, they asked that I keep an eye out for you until they get back" She told me, her eyes a soft but beautiful green, complementing her dark skin and dark hair

"Oh" I was surprised "Nice to meet you" I tried to remain polite

"You must be going crazy being away from the city and home huh?" She leaned against a nearby desk with her arms folded

I half nodded, half shrugged "It's hard, but I have to look at the experience"

She gave a small scoff "I heard you were tough" It came out as a compliment, a crooked smile on her plump desirable lips "Say, how do you feel about going for a drive?"

I was hesitant, was she allowed, was I allowed? She was a cop, I was safe with her, wasn't I?

"Don't worry" She grabbed a set of car keys from a desk behind her "You're in safe hands remember, we're on the same team, we've had the same training" She angled her belt to reiterate her position.

I felt uneasy about it, but she was right, she was on my side, she was trained and it was nice to have someone of the same sex want to hang out with me for once.

"Sure, okay" I agreed, following her to the parking lot where she and I entered into an unmarked police car.

"Where are we going?" I asked as we drove towards the inner city

She drove with one hand, the other on the window ledge "You haven't been back home in a few weeks have you?"

I shook my head "No"

"Betting you would have left behind some things you'd have liked to take too right?" She angled her face towards me, her eyes on the traffic

I could think of many things, so I again nodded "Yeah, I don't know what I was expecting, but I wasn't expecting to be gone for this long"

"We'll head into the mall, you can pick out some things, on me" She smiled "Us girls gotta look out for each other"

I couldn't help but already love her, she was something I had needed, another woman who understood the parts of me and my scenario that men could not. There were ways I could act around her that I couldn't with the others, things I could say, things I would know only she would understand.

"Thank you" I told her, genuinely appreciative

"How was your meeting with Bryce?" She began small conversation

"Great, I think, he's a good person to have on my side, I need as many of those as I can get from what he was saying.."

"It's a tricky case, but from what I know you're pretty solid, I can't imagine a jury not believing what comes from you over those two dirt bags" She sighed

"Have you been in the unit long?" I wanted to know more about her, not because I was concerned for silence, but because I actually wanted to know more about who she was

She shook her head "Nah, about a year, I transferred over from robbery"

"Oh so you would know Harding pretty well then?" I assumed

Her body shifted slightly as she gave me a small smile "I transferred because of him"

I didn't know what to say, because I was unsure what it meant. Without having to ask, she continued

"He and I used to date, it ended messy so I switched out" She shrugged "He's a good guy, he's just not ready for anything permanent yet the way I am"

"Dawson doesn't seem to like him.." My mouth spoke before I could control it

"They've never really gotten on well, they're different kinds of men, Harding is always up for a good time, he isn't too serious about much, especially women, whereas Dawson is all about his job, he keeps to himself a lot and thinks Harding uses the job as a way to get women to.. well you know.." She trailed off, realizing she was probably revealing too much

I found it odd. Isaia and June had both now told me that Dawson was 'serious', that he kept to himself. The way they spoke made it sound like he was antisocial and anti-good time. On first glance, I would have assumed the same, but the way I knew Dawson now said completely different. He was charming, serious when needed, but he'd made jokes with me, shown me humor, revealed to me some of the most personal information one could. The Dawson his colleges knew, was the not the Dawson that I knew.

When June had found a park, she turned the ignition off and together we entered the mall. It wasn't as busy as I had been expecting, which was nice. June appeared relaxed, answering her phone when it rang

"I'll be back in a few, just let James or Wood know when they get out.. yeah.. thanks.. all good.." She spoke to the other end before hanging up

"You won't get in trouble for being here, doing this with me right?" I felt comfortable enough to ask her as we strolled

Suppressing a laugh she looked at me with a raised eyebrow "We're all good, you have nothing to worry about"

She gave me no reason to be worried, there were no warning signs, there were no red flags. I trusted June, even more so when it appeared that she was keeping her eye out for possible danger. She was vigil, her hand remaining just above her belt, just in case, ready. She knew the drill, she knew how important my survival was.

I didn't know how long we'd been gone. I didn't really care. With June time seemed to melt away. She was funny, she was kind. She encouraged me to buy things she could see that I was interested in, unbothered by the bill I would rack up under her debit card. She told me about her family, about her dad who was also a cop. Her mother had passed away when she was young under similar circumstances my own had, she understood the grief. Ultimately June just wanted to make her dad proud, follow on in the footsteps of his successful career. I could sense that she had big shoes to fill and was willing to do whatever it took to get there.

After we'd placed my shopping bags in the back of the car, we began our journey back towards the police station. Looking at the clock on the dash, it became apparent that we'd been gone for only an hour. It had felt longer, and I had appreciated the time with June more than she had realized.

Starting the car and pulling out from the parking lot, her phone began to ring. Keeping her eyes on the road, she removed it from her pocket, denying to answer it. I wondered who she was avoiding, and why, he face twitching and contorting subtly.

"Everything okay?" I asked casually

She nodded "Dawson.. he's unhappy with me for taking you out"

She'd said it would be fine. Why would he be unhappy? June was a strong capable woman, she could take care of me the way he did. Why didn't he trust her? I did.

"Why?"

"Like I said, he takes his job very seriously" She scoffed "He'll be fine"

I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, but I could see the hint of worry in her eyes, I could see that she was somewhat concerned for his reaction when we would return. It made me worried.

With a small sigh I leaned back, enjoying the moment for what it was, for what it had been. I closed my eyes but the moment I did, they were jolted open by a sudden thud against the car, lurching is forward

"What the hell?" I spun where I sat, my seat belt pulling viciously against my neck when another rough slam threw June and I forward

Panic took over as we entered a quite street without traffic. A dark sedan revved closely behind us, a single driver leaned into his steering wheel wearing a mask, forcing the car into the police vehicle.