“You’re welcome,” I say.
Emilia pauses at the door. She looks over her shoulder. “For?”
“For being part of the reason, you are who you are, Emilia. You might be trying to leave the family, but I’ve never understood you better than I do right now,” I say in Italian before switching back to English and flashing a bloody smile. “I’m proud of you, little sister.”
She leans against the doorframe. In the past, anything I did to ruffle her feathers would earn me the information I wanted. This time, she just inclines her head. “Then make me proud of you, Angelo. If you can.”
She breezes out the door, leaving me grinning. She’s come so far. I’m proud of her. I lick over my bottom lip and spit more blood on the table before running my arm over my lips and under my nose.
If Emilia will not make things easy, why should I? I lean back in the chair, putting my legs on the table. The chair groans, but aftera warm-up round of interrogation with Emilia, I’m ready for the next officer to come in. There’s no way any of them are smarter or more conniving than Emilia.
But they have more to gain.
All I need is the right greedy cop and the right price.
I’ll be free by morning.
TWO
Luisa
“He doesn’t wantto be in jail,” Emilia notes, watching as her brother leans back in his chair, a lazy smirk playing at his lips. “But if you keep him here, he’ll keep starting fights just for these moments. Put him in solitary and he’ll figure a way out. Angelo might be brazen, but he’s not stupid.”
Eric rubs Emilia’s hip. I motion to it. “We’re in a jail. She’s a witness.”
“She was a witness,” he says while looking at Emilia. “Maybe you still are, Emilia. Should I keep protecting you?”
“I protect you plenty, piccolo,” she says before pressing a kiss to his neck. “Let’s gorelieve the babysitter. Sylvia will be happy you’re home early.”
“I have work too,” Eric says, though his voice softens just slightly. “Go on. You know how upset my daughter gets without her favorite dragon.”
They’re deep in puppy love and it makes me roll my eyes. Emilia’s proved herself again and again, but she’s still a Rossi. I don’t let on that Italian is close enough to Spanish that I can pick out plenty of words, but I know she’s just as vicious as her brother.
“Luisa,” Chief Officer Chang says as she walks in. “We need that one in protective custody right now. Will you please take care of that?”
“Not a problem,” I say.
“Just sit in there until the lawyer comes. He’s on his way. The bail hearing has been moved up to tomorrow,” Chang continues.
I incline my head, then slide into the room. Even with blood on his chin, a split lip, bruises blooming on his jaw, and busted knuckles, Angelo Rossi is attractive. He has broad shoulders, an enormous body, obvious muscle definition in his arms, and a sharp jaw. The little bit of scruff on his face andhis shaggy, un-styled dark hair makes him look twice as dangerous. His dark eyes spear through me as I sit down.
The chair he’s in lurches forward with a loud bang, telling me all the chair legs are now on the floor. I watch him, ignoring the trace of familiarity I feel when I look at him. He studies me.
“And you are?”
“Not your sister,” I say.
His lips turn up at the corner. He knows he’s attractive. I have no doubt about that. His skin is gold, a shade darker than mine, but he should have ignored the pull of mafia life and gone into modeling. He’d still be a billionaire and would be on the right side of the law.
It’s a shame... for him anyway.
I sigh and look over the paperwork. “Your lawyer will be coming in shortly. Your bail hearing is tomorrow.”
I go over more with him, trying to get some kind of information as I study the file that Emilia gave us, but then his cuffs jingle. “You have a real file.”
Raising my head, I meet his eyes. “Yes.”
“The other officer had stacks. I’m cleaner than that,” he says, holding himselftall as if this is a business meeting and he’s not in cuffs. How can he be this arrogant, with blood rolling over his chin? “I’d like to be cleaner. Am I allowed to shower if you’re there? I promise to give you a view you won’t forget.”
