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I turn off the shower and step out, wrapping a towel around my waist. As I wipe the steam from the mirror, I stare at my reflection. I remind myself of who I am. A dedicated cop.
Yeah, right, my dick says. It's not going to be easy to put her out of my mind.
I dress and remember that my car is on the other side of town. I text Peter asking for him to pick me up.
When he arrives, I climb in, hoping he can’t tell that I’ve fucked a suspect.
"Car trouble?" Peter asks.
"Yeah," I lie. "Damn thing wouldn't start. Thanks for the ride." I’ll arrange a ride-share to pick up my car later.
As we drive, the weight of my secret hangs heavy. I can't tell Peter about last night with Lana. He'd never understand. Hell, I barely understand it myself.
Still, we need to discuss the case. “I, uh, ran into Lana D'Amato last night."
Peter's head whips around. "What? Where?"
"Outside her office," I say, carefully omitting the rest of our evening. "We talked a bit. She seems to think someone's targeting their family, using us to harass them."
Peter scoffs. "Seriously? That's rich coming from her."
"I don't know, she could have a point. I imagine they have enemies, and I'm not eager to be a pawn in someone else's vendetta.”
"Come on, Henry." Peter's voice is edged with frustration. "You're not buying that act, are you? This is great for us. If someone's putting pressure on them, it'll make them sloppy. We might finally catch a break. Maybe we’ll get two Mafia Families for the price of one."
I nod, not trusting myself to speak. The memory of Lana in my arms wars with my duty as a detective. I've never felt so torn.
"You okay, man?" Peter asks, glancing at me. "You seem off today."
"Just tired.” It’s unsettling how easily the deception comes. "Late night." Fuck. I need to get Lana out of my head. I have a job to do.
Peter’s fingers grip the steering wheel. “Well, if those calls are people out to get them, this could be good. We’ve been able to search more properties faster than we would have been able to do normally.”
I nod along with Peter, trying to keep my expression neutral. "You're right, although we haven’t found anything.”
"They’ve been lucky. Eventually, that luck will run out.”
I sigh, running a hand through my hair. "I know, but we need to make sure we're doing this by the book.” I close my eyes at my hypocrisy.
“Do you think we’re not?” He sounds offended.
“No. We just need to make sure we’re not being led by the nose by a rival family or something. A good defense lawyer could turn it all around suggesting they were framed by the rival or by us. It’s no secret that some cops are on Mob payrolls.”
Peter's quiet for a moment, then he nods reluctantly. "You're right. I just can't shake the feeling that we're on the verge of a breakthrough. One of these days, we're going to walk into that warehouse and find exactly what we need to bring them down."
"Maybe," I say, trying to temper his expectations. "But until then, we need to stay focused and keep building our case. Wecan’t hope for a tip or for their luck to run out. We need to keep digging."
“We will.”
We ride in silence, which gives space for Lana to enter my mind again. I'm totally fucked because after last night, everything's changed. Before, it was simple. The D'Amatos were criminals, and my job was to bring them to justice.
But now I've seen a different side of Lana. Vulnerable. Human. And not wrong in that justice isn’t blind. It's not doled out fairly. It's making me question everything. What if her family is the target of a vendetta? While criminals should be held accountable, they should only do so on crimes they commit.
And what about Lazaro? I know from the file that he vanished without a trace three years ago, but little was done by the police to find out why. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to guess why. The police see his disappearance as part of the Mob world. One less gangster on the street. Of course, the official stance is that he's likely dead, another casualty of the violent world he lived in. But Lana's convinced he's still alive. What if she’s right? What if there's more to this story than we've assumed? The thought nags at me. Part of me wants to dismiss it as manipulation. Lana's smart. She knows how to play people. But I can't forget the raw pain in her eyes when she talked about her brother. That wasn't an act.
I’m reminded about the deal I made with her to investigate Lazaro’s disappearance. That’s a tidbit I can’t share with Peter either, but I wonder what he thinks about the possibility that Lazaro’s disappearance fits into all of this.
“I've been thinking about Lazaro D'Amato's disappearance. Maybe we should look into it again. Could give us some insight into the family's operations."
