1. Lana

1

LANA

T his is fucking ridiculous. For the third time this week, I'm at one of my family's business properties as police cars with their flashing lights surround the building.

Interesting that it's the same week my brother Elio has decided to leave town on his honeymoon. It appears that Vincenzo Rinella didn't get the hint when his smuggling boat mysteriously sank and he's continuing his petty vendetta against my brother for not marrying his daughter. Men are fucking idiots.

Tonight, I stand in front of one of our warehouses with my phone to my ear giving Elio a piece of my mind. I don't care that he's on his honeymoon. This was his to fix, and it's gotten worse. If I hadn't been moving things around lately to stay ahead of Rinella's games, we might be in jail.

"Guess where I am… or better yet, who I'm with?" I snap into the phone.

Elio sighs. " Calm down, Lana?—"

"Calm down? There's an army of cops here, Elio. Someone tipped them off about 'suspicious activity' at our warehouse."

He's quiet for a moment.

"You know who's doing this, right? I thought you were going to take care of it."

"I was… I did."

"Yeah, well it didn't work." Admittedly, I'm a little surprised. Rinella is an asshole, but he's not stupid. And now that my brother has married his high school sweetheart, he's not marrying Ava Rinella. Vicenzo must know that. Plus, Elio has promised to make good on the broken marriage arrangement. Apparently, Rinella really wanted Elio to marry his daughter because these antics are nuts.

"I'll take care of it when I get back."

"And until then?—"

"Fucking hell, Lana. I'm on my honeymoon. And weren't you the one who wanted more responsibility?"

My jaw tightens.

"That means dealing with the bullshit, unless it's too hard for you. I'll get Matteo?—"

"It's not too hard." Damn him. "It's frustrating."

"Welcome to leadership, little sister."

"This is your fault," I snap, not liking his patronizing tone. "This is about our family. The one you're the head of."

"Like I said, if you can't handle the heat, you can let Matteo deal with it. I'll be home shortly."

"You're way too cavalier about this, Elio. Rinella's out for blood. This raid? It's just the beginning. And your guys in PD aren't any help."

"It's a different district. I understand the gravity of the situation."

"Do you? Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you're more concerned with playing house with your new bride than protecting the family."

"That's not fair," he growls.

"Life isn't fair. We're at war, and you're the one who fired the first shot when you jilted Ava."

Elio sighs heavily. "I'll reach out to Don Rinella first thing tomorrow. We'll get this sorted out."

"Tomorrow might be too late?—"

"It won't be," he cuts me off. "I've got this under control."

I want to argue, to push for immediate action, but I know that tone. It's the same one our father used when his mind was made up. Sometimes, I think Elio is too soft, but he usually proves me wrong. Like the sinking of Rinella's boat.

A heavy silence falls between us. I watch as a detective steps out of his car, his eyes scanning the warehouse before landing on me.

"I've got to go. The cops are chomping at the bit to raid the place. Lucky for you, they won't find anything."

"You just said this isn't about me. It's the family. Again, Lana, if you're going to work in the business, then it's not lucky for me. It's doing your fucking job to protect the family as well."

Damn it again, he's right. "Gotta go." I end the call, lowering the phone, staring at the two detectives who make their way toward me. My lips curl into a smirk as I recognize the two men—Detectives Henry Lutz and Peter Hartley, Chicago's very own dynamic duo. They strut toward me like they own the place, all swagger and self-importance. On Detective Lutz it looks sort of sexy. Like a hero in an action movie. On Hartley, he looks like a poser.

"Well, well, if it isn't my favorite detectives," I drawl, crossing my arms. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Lutz's eyes lock onto mine, a mixture of suspicion and something else I can't quite place swirling in their depths. This is the first time I've seen him since he and Hartley visited my office the other day. There was some snap, crackle, and pop between us during the encounter. It's the sort of chemistry I'd be interested in investigating even though he's got to be a decade or more older than my twenty-four years. But he's a cop, and my libido is just going to have to accept that he's off limits.

"What've you done this time, Ms. D'Amato?" Lutz asks.

I raise an eyebrow, my smirk widening. "Shouldn't you be telling me, Detective? Or is this another one of your fishing expeditions? Really, boys. This is getting really boring."

"We go where the evidence leads us," Hartley says in a clipped tone.

I turn my attention to him, my voice dripping with mock concern. "And it led you here? My, my, your compass must be broken."

Lutz steps closer, invading my personal space. The scent of his cologne mingles with the crisp night air. Yep, too damn bad he's a cop.

"We know something's going down here."

"Do you now?" I tilt my head, meeting his gaze head-on. "Since when is legitimate business illegal?"

"There's nothing legitimate about you," Hartley sneers. His disdain for me feels beyond normal police dislike. It almost feels personal.

"Peter." Lutz shakes his head at his partner.

"You know, Hank… Oh, wait, you prefer Detective Lutz. If you wanted to spend time with me, you could've just asked me out for coffee. You don't have to make up all these fake tip calls."

Hartley's eyes flash with heat.

Lutz shakes his head at me this time. "This isn't a game, Lana."

I note that he's using my first name. I'd told him to several times during our first encounter. Interesting that he remembers it.

"Isn't it?" I counter, my eyes never leaving his. "Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you boys are playing cops and robbers. And really badly, I might add."

Hartley steps forward, his patience clearly wearing thin. "We have reason to believe?—"

I cut him off with a wave of my hand. "You have reason to believe a lot of things, Detective Hartley. Doesn't make them true."

Lutz's eyes narrow. "You seem awfully calm for someone whose warehouse is being raided."

I shrug, feigning indifference. "What can I say? I run a legitimate business. I have nothing to hide."

"Everyone has something to hide," Lutz counters, his voice low and intense.

I lean in, mirroring his earlier move. "Even you, Detective?" God, how I'd like to discover his secrets. But no, Lana, he's a cop .

For a moment, I see a flicker of something in his eyes. Surprise, or maybe even admiration. But it's gone as quickly as it appeared.

"We'll get to the bottom of this, Ms. D'Amato," Hartley interjects, clearly trying to regain control of the conversation.

I step back, smoothing out my jacket. "By all means, gentlemen. Knock yourselves out. But when you come up empty-handed, again, don't say I didn't warn you. And then I'm going to file a complaint because you're clearly harassing me."

"We're doing our jobs," Hartley says curtly.

I shrug. I know we're safe tonight, but at some point, our luck may run out. I can't let my guard down, especially since Lutz and Hartley are like dogs with a bone. They won't give up easily. They'll be back, with more questions, more accusations. Rinella will see to it.

If only Elio had been able to placate Rinella. My brother had always been tough as nails, a true leader for our family. But ever since he ran into Piper again, it's like he's been distracted. Sometimes, it seems like he's gone soft. Sure, he'd arranged to sink Rinella's boat, a move that would've made our father proud, but it feels like too little, too late. The old Elio would've nipped this problem in the bud before it even started.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for him. He deserves some happiness after everything we've been through, losing our brother and then our parents. But the family needs strong leadership now more than ever, and it feels like I'm the only one who thinks so.

Thinking of my lost twin brother brings his memory back. God, how I miss him. His absence has left a gaping hole in my life. He taught me a lot about standing strong, and it's helped me become a woman with determination and an iron will. But it wasn't the same. Lazaro was my other half, the Yang to my Yin. Without him, I've become more solitary, some might say colder.

If Lazaro were here, he'd know exactly what to do about the Rinellas and their petty games. He wouldn't stand for this nonsense of their calling the cops on us on a regular basis. No, Lazaro would make sure they understood the consequences of messing with the D'Amatos.

I glance at Lutz and Hartley and my resentment grows. Not only are they allowing themselves to be pawns in a Mafia game, but they didn't do shit when I filed the missing persons report on Lazaro. Funny how they care so much about finding wrongful doing on Rinella's behalf but did nothing to look for Lazaro. I have to wonder if perhaps they're on Rinella's payroll.

Right now, there's nothing I can do but play this game until they leave and Elio gets home and deals with Rinella. I hate that. I'm not a woman who likes to wait. I prefer action, just like Lazaro did. I can hear Elio responding to that with, "And that's likely what got him killed." Except he's not dead. I have no proof of that, but I feel it deep in my gut.

Right now, though, Lazaro isn't here. It's just me, standing alone in the cool night, trying to hold our family together while Elio plays house and our enemies circle us like vultures.