My grip tightens, my knuckles turning white. “What? Why?”

Rossi shrugs, shoveling food into his mouth. “Ivy league colleges don’t take criminal activity of that kind lightly. She’d lose her place there, her job. It would have all been taken away from her.”

It all clicks into place.

My eyes widen. I twist my neck and blow out a breath. “Ali was willing to go down for her.”

Without any movement, not even a twitch of emotion, he looks me dead in the eyes. “She was.”

Adriana and Ali don’t mean anything to this cold-hearted monster, which begs the question, what does he get out of this? And how the hell did Adriana know the cops were going to show up that morning?

Anger. Pride. Injustice. It hits hard, the blow ricocheting off my heart into pieces of a problem no amount of money can fix. I was so mad at Ali that day. The drugs, the job, the attitude, it never fucking stops with her and I’ve become so tired of the same cycle of never-ending drama that not once, not even once did the possibility of those drugs not being hers cross my raging mind. I’ve always believed she’s a junkie not searching for a cure, but that day, she didn’t take the addict’s way out; instead, she showed me her first steps to recovery.

“I need something from you.” His dead voice searching for my help sends a shiver down my spine.

“No.” I reply, clear and sharp, voice full of conviction leaving no room for compromise.

Rossi frowns, his eyes shooting me down. “Before you say no, just think about it. This will benefit you and your sister. Plus, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” A menacing smile plays on his lips.

I fold my arms across myself and tilt my head to the side. “Adriana Marino is no enemy of mine.”

He sits up straighter in his seat as if proud of himself. “She’s not. But Giuseppe is.”

“And what makes you think I want to get my hands dirty in anything to do with him?”

Enzo sits forward leaning his elbows on the table, eyes level with mine. “Because it’s the life, Lindsey. The one he got you into. It’s all because of him you now enjoy what you do. That’s why you still do it.”

My lips curve up into a smirk, knowing he’s got it all wrong. “Is that right?”

“I bet you make peace with what you’ve done. You justify it in your head that you didn’t take an innocent life so it’s okay. It was just another criminal. You crave the adrenaline rush that spikes right before you kill. I bet it even turns you on.”

His words resonate and if this were a year or two ago I’d have to agree with him. But I don’t, because as each word leaves his mouth, Mason’s face becomes clearer in my head. I don’t thirst for the thrill anymore. I haven’t in a long time. Every life I’ve taken, person I screw over in the process, marks my soul with permanent ink. I’m just good at hiding it.

I lean in, matching Enzo’s intensity. “I don’t particularly care what you believe. So tell me your plan or I walk out of here right now.”

“I’ll get Adriana Marino out of the way. She’ll admit to the ice being hers and then the police have no choice but to drop the drug charges. You help me rob Giuseppe Marino for all he’s worth and your sister will be a free woman when she gets out of rehab. Bank job, in and out.”

I stay silent, contemplating my options. Olly will hate the idea, but I can’t deny how enticing it sounds. Ali will be free and clean. This could be a fresh start for both of us. For her, no more drugs or whoring, for me, no more killing. So much blood had been spilled we could drown in it. It’s either that or spill more.

Running my hands through my hair I flip it over my shoulder. “Or. I can just kill you.”

Enzo’s laugh booms through the diner. “Oh, Lindsey. Come on, it doesn’t need to come to that.”

“How do you know all of this about Adriana? How did she know the cops were going to raid the club? Better yet, why should I believe you can get her to fess up? I don’t want any harm to come to her over this. If you plan to hurt her, I won’t agree to anything.”

“You don’t get to ask questions, Lindsey. Take it or leave it,” he says, tone void of any emotion.

“Fine. I’m in.”

My muscles tense. I have a feeling I’m going to regret this.

Mason

Tapping my pen on the dark oak desk, I scan over the paperwork in front of me for the tenth time. My mind is scattered, too preoccupied by the other night with Lindsey, that I don’t even notice Roam until he shoves a rap sheet under my nose.

“Dude, what’s going on with you today?” he asks, obviously noticing my head’s not on the job today.

I shake it off because I really don’t feel in the mood to cop shit from Roam about Lindsey. “Nothing, man.”

“Well in that case, I need you to hear me out.” He gestures to the records he just gave me.

I flick open the file, briefly checking out the details and mug shot attached. “Why am I looking at a cold case file, Roam?”

Roam points to the photo. “That is Lorenzo Baccarelli. Alive and fucking well, my friend. The guy looks pretty fucking good for a guy who’s supposed to be six feet under.”

I inspect the photo closer. “No fucking way.”

It is him. My eyes aren’t lying. Lorenzo Baccarelli, the prince of the Baccarelli crime family. Or rather, he was the prince, until seven years ago when the Marino family declared war and in one bloody massacre, every member of the Baccarelli family was wiped out of New York City. Lorenzo was just a kid then. If it really is him in the photo, he’d have to be in his mid-twenties now.

“Yeah, man. Had techs run it through facial recognition. It’s him all right. Except now he goes by the alias Enzo Rossi. Rossi also happens to be his mother’s maiden name.” He waves his arms around as he speaks. “My question is, why would he be so fucking stupid as to get this close to any Marino property?” He shoves a finger forward at the surveillance footage that appears to be of the parking lot behind the back of Sweet Tarts.

He’s in a black sedan, window down just enough to make an ID, and opening up his passenger side door is Adriana Marino. I sit up straighter, my interest piquing. What was going down here?

“My guess is mafia princess there is fraternizing with the enemy, and we sure as fuck know Daddy wouldn’t approve. I’d say that’s why she’s running out the back where she knew no one would see her.”

I sit back in my chair, thinking it over. “Still, that was a risky move for both of them.”

“Not really, boss, these just came in.”

Hearing a voice by the door, Roam and I both turn to see Cassidy with documents in her hand. She grips them tightly, flicking her gaze between the paper in her hands and me. What the fuck?

“What’ve you got, Cassidy?”

She looks down again at the paper in front of her before hesitantly passing it over to Roamyn, who practically rips it out of her hands.

She shakes her head, dropping her gaze to the floor. “You’re not gonna like it.”

“Motherfucker.” Roamyn whispers, brows furrowing, anger brewing on his face.

“What is it?” I ask.

Roamyn glances up, and just from his look, I know it can’t be good. My gut twists.

“Well, it’s safe to say Baccarelli is doing the dirty with Adriana Marino.” He trails off, not finishing whatever it is he has to say.

“But?” My eyes widen, gesturing for him to hurry the fuck up.

“Well, after he’d been with her, he met with another woman.”

“Roamyn, spit it the fuck out before I rip the goddamn photos out of your hands,” I reply, patience wearing thin.

“Woman in these photos is Lindsey Jenkins.”

My breath catches in my throat and a lump forms the size of fucking Earth.

Lindsey

A knock sounds, followed by “Linds, it’s me.”