Stephen Lawrence was confused, but his heart sank all the same.
'Is she asking this to judge my transgression and decide on my punishment?'
He swallowed hard. He desperately wanted to say the beating hadn't been severe.
That way, at least his fate wouldn't be quite so miserable.
But his mind wouldn't let him utter a single lie to Stella Sterling. Instead, the words that came out of his mouth were, "Rough. I beat him pretty rough. He kept clutching something and wouldn't hand it over, so I admit I got a little heavy-handed."
As soon as the words were out, Stephen Lawrence felt another wave of strength leave his body. He was one step away from collapsing right there on the ground.
A knot of fear tightened in his gut, but when he looked at Stella Sterling's face, he saw no sign of anger. On the contrary, she wore an inscrutable smile he couldn't begin to understand.
The more she smiled, the more terrified he became.
