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19
LANA
Before I go to the office, I visit several of our restaurants, checking in with the managers that all is well. So far, the cops have only tried to raid the illegal sides of the family business, but I wouldn’t put it past them to check the legit side. I hope Elio is right in that Vincenzo will cease siccing the cops on us.
When my driver drops me off at the office, it’s late-morning. I ride the elevator up, checking email on my phone. Nothing too pressing is popping up. Good. I could use a day without a crisis.
I exit the elevator and make my way to my office.
“Good morning, Ms. D’Amato,” Carla greets me. I like her a lot. She’s a petite woman, but she’s feisty, like me. She’s about twenty years older than me and has been with the company for about that long. She started working with my father, and then with me when I took over this side of the business. Her father was a soldier working for my father, and she’s married to a soldier in the family. All that to say, she’s well aware of how the family works, which makes her a great gatekeeper.
“Good morning, Carla. Anything pressing?”
She shakes her head. “Just the usual.”
I enter my office and have barely sat down when I hear Carla raising her voice. I immediately open my door to find out what’s going on. I discover two policemen ransacking the outer office.
“You can’t do that without a warrant.” Carla tries to grab papers from one of the cops.
“I don’t need a warrant with probable cause.” He grips her shoulders and pushes her back. “Now shut the fuck up or you’re going to jail.”
“Hey!” I step in, going to my admin. She’s a fierce a woman, but she’s no match for these fuckers. “What’s going on?”
“Who are you?” the other cop asks.
“I don’t have to tell you that.”
“It’s her. D’Amato,” the cop who pushed my admin says.
“What are you doing?” I ask again.
The second cop lunges for me, grabbing me by the arm and spinning me around, pushing me against the wall as he pulls my arm behind my back.
"This is unnecessary," I say, my voice steady despite the anger bubbling inside me. "I've always cooperated?—"
"Hands behind your back," he barks at me.
“What the hell?”
“Shut up.” He handcuffs me, then he leans in, his body against mine in a way that makes my skin crawl. “Maybe offer me something nice in return and I’ll let you go.” I'm not sure if he wants money or sex.
God. I think I might puke. “What am I under arrest for?”
“Like you don’t know.”
“Carla, can you call Thompson?” I ask referring to our lawyer. I wonder if I should contact Elio to have his consigliere get involved, but I decide that will make things worse, so I stick with our company lawyer.
“Put the phone down or I’ll cuff you as well,” the other cop says to her.
There’s something off about all this.
"You won't find anything," I say, keeping my voice low and controlled. "This is a legitimate business."
The cop pushing me against the wall leans in until his mouth is by my ear. He stinks of garlic and coffee. “Right. How about it, Mob princess? Want to use that big mouth of yours to make us leave?” He grinds his dick against my backside.
I don’t miss the innuendo behind his tone. I feel sick and angry. My legs turn to jelly, but I fight against the urge to give in to it. I’m a strong woman. The same DNA that made Lazaro fierce runs through me. These fuckers won’t take me down.
I watch helplessly as they tear through my office, pulling out files, upending drawers, even checking behind paintings. The humiliation burns, knowing my staff is witnessing this spectacle. But of course, outwardly, I don’t show any of that. I keep my chin high, my eyes defiant.
