“Tell me the truth, Olivia. If Luca shows up here, he won’t have my... restraint."
"Your restraint?" Anger flashes in her eyes. "What exactly are you saying?"
I don’t say anything. She knows what I am, but I won’t give her anything she can use to put me away. Not until Rocco is avenged.
“Are you threatening a federal agent?”
“I told you, I protect my family. You kidnapped Rocco. I have every right to protect him from you, whether you carry a badge or not. Once you step over the line, you’re no longer serving justice.”
She looks at me like I’ve grown horns. “Dom, I’d never hurt a child. I swear. I…” She looks down like she’s trying to sort out her thoughts. Then her face lights up like a light bulb. “I didn’t go out the day of the Winter Festival.”
I laugh derisively. “You expect me to believe that?”
“It’s true. I was off that whole week. It’s why I thought it was odd when the call came in about him. I wasn’t on duty.”
“The perfect opportunity.”
“I didn’t even have my car. It was in for service. I had to order a car to take me to pick it up before I drove to Brooklyn.”
It all sounds plausible, but of course she’d have a story to cover her ass.
“Dom, I swear to God?—”
I press my hand over her chest, pressing her into the wall. I want to intimidate her, but the feel of her speeding heartbeat makes me feel like a dick. Again, I ignore the sentiment. “Do you swear on your father’s grave?”
She looks at me like the monster I am. Good. It’s time for this little affair of ours to end.
“I told you the truth. Besides, Rocco reported being taken by a man. As you well know, I’m not a man.”
I lean in closer to her. “You could be working with someone. Or someone you work with has set you up.” I back off. “I don’t envy your position, Olivia.”
“What do you mean?” She uses the distance I’ve created to move away from me.
“If you took Rocco, La Corona will make you pay.”
“I didn’t?—”
“And if you didn’t, someone in your office wants us to think you did, which means someone there will want to cover their ass. Someone who doesn’t value the law like you do.” Deep down, I hate that she’s in between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Something inside me wants to protect her. Perhaps a part of me believes her. But I can’t risk trusting her.
“For your sake, I’d drop your investigations. Maybe consider retiring.”
Her eyes flash with defiance. "I'm not doing that."
"Listen to me carefully." I lower my voice. “Someone in your organization orchestrated a child's kidnapping to manipulate my family." I watch her process this, see the doubt creeping in. "The FBI isn't the answer to justice here, Olivia. They’re the problem and you’ve been implicated."
I see fear but also strength. It makes me feel things I can’t afford to feel. I need to get the hell away from her.
I walk to the door, struggling to leave her like this. Wanting to believe her. Fucking hell. "Stay away from this, Olivia."
Her eyes flash with stubborn defiance. "Are you ordering me around now, Vitale?"
I grip the doorframe, fighting the urge to touch her one last time. "You have no idea what you're walking into."
"I can take care of myself."
"Not against this." I shake my head, frustration building. "You think you know how this world works, but you don't. The people, and by people, I mean your people behind this won't hesitate to eliminate anyone who gets close, even one of their own."
Her startled expression tells me she hasn't considered that possibility.
