“Our sole focus will be making Michael Caruso and his organization pay for the death of your husband, ma’am. I promise you that.”
My lips thinned as Michael’s face appeared in my mind, much as it had done on an endless loop since I’d met him on a dock in the moonlight when I was still young and free from the evil I now knew existed in the world. Even though I swore I hated him, the undeniable longing had always been there, lingering in the dark corners of my heart I never acknowledged.
“Thank you. If you don’t mind, I need to tell Alexis.”
“Of course.”
With a slight nod, I turned and headed up the grand staircase toward my daughter’s room. She’d moved back in after graduating college—in three years instead of four—which warmed my proud mama bear’s heart. There wasn’t much in my life that brought me happiness, but Alexis was a bright light in my dim world, and I’d move heaven and earth to ensure she lived a life free from the heartache and pain I’d experienced.
“Sweetheart,” I said, pushing open her bedroom door. “I need to talk to you.”
“Mom,” Alexis said, rising from her desk and slowly approaching. “Is it true? Dad is gone?”
Sighing, I nodded, opening my arms to envelop her in a tight embrace. I stroked her soft hair as she cried on my shoulder.
“I heard it on the police scanner. He was a son of a bitch, but he was my dad,” Alexis said, sniffling as her tears slowly abated. “I guess we both knew someone would whack him one day. He wasn’t exactly Mr. Popularity.”
Laughing, I nodded against her silken hair. Victor had become increasingly disliked by all of the families over the past two decades, exacerbated by the fact that the Caruso family had built itself into the premier family on the East Coast. They now ran security for every family who imported drugs, weapons or anything else along the coast, and Michael had formed a powerful business arrangement with the DeLorenzo family, who had a stronghold in Boston. Their combined forces had been disastrous for Victor, and he’d slowly lost prominence over the past decade while Michael had emerged as the true leader.
“Your father was disliked by many,” I said, rubbing my cheek against her hair. “Now, we’ll need to decide what to do. Perhaps you can help me figure it out if I can wedge you away from the computer for five minutes.”
Alexis drew back and nodded. She looked like me, with her dark, wavy hair and almond-shaped eyes, although hers were a dark green where mine were brown.
“I think you’d be proud of my awesome hacking skills if you knew was hacking actually was,” she teased. “I’m pretty badass.”
“I have no doubt,” I said, cupping her cheek. “But monitoring police scanners and hacking will only sustain you for so long. It might be nice for you to go out in public? Meet some friends? Maybe go on a date?”
“Boooooring,” Alexis droned, rolling her eyes and backing away to sit on the bed. “And men my age are all addicted to video games. They have the maturity of a mosquito. I’m all set.”
Smiling, I sat beside her. “Now that your father is gone, we’ll have to be careful. He made many enemies, and I don’t know who we can trust. I want you to promise me you won’t confide in anyone unless we discuss it first.”
Her eyebrows drew tougher. “Okay. Should I be worried?”
“I don’t think you’re in any danger, but I know you helped your father when he had computer issues sometimes. The feds will most likely ask for his computer files to be turned over. I don’t think I’m breaking news when I tell you that he engaged in illegal activities, and I want to ensure you’re not tied to them in any way. You could be seen as an accomplice, which would land you in prison.”
“But Leo could help us—”
“Leo is a fed who I’m pretty sure is a double-infiltrator. Although he claimed to be loyal to your father, several shipments were compromised over the past few years. The probability that the feds knew about each one independently is nearly impossible.”
Alexis’s eyes grew wide. “Do you think Leo was also working for the Carusos?”
I bit the inside of my lip as I pondered. “I think it’s very possible.”
“Shit,” Alexis said, expelling a breath as her lips fluttered. “I have records in my cloud of all of the shipments, including the ones scheduled for the next year and some beyond that.”
“Destroy them. All of them,” I said as dread flooded my veins. “Otherwise, you could become a target. For the feds, but also for the Carusos and the DeLorenzos.”
“Okay, I’ll destroy them tonight.” Leaning forward, she wrapped me in a tight hug, and I squeezed back, vowing toprotect her through the next few months, which would be rocky. I had faith that we could navigate them together, but I also knew that we could become targets of Victor’s enemies. Killing Victor’s widow and daughter would send a powerful message, and I was determined to keep us both safe.
“Okay, sweetheart,” I said, drawing back and smoothing a hand over her hair. “Get to work and erase everything quickly. Things will move rapidly over the next few days. When the men are near, remember to act like you miss Dad, okay?”
“I didn’t hate him all the way,” she said softly. “Not for me. But I hated him for how he treated you.”
My nostrils flared at the heartbreaking words from the person I loved most in the world. Alexis had witnessed some of Victor’s cruelty toward me, mostly in the form of harsh words and a backhand against the cheek here and there, but she would never know the extent of it. I wouldn’t allow it.
“It’s over now,” I said with finality. “I’m going to go call Randy. Let me know when the files are erased.”
Exiting the room, I headed for Victor’s study, steeling myself to play the grieving widow while I closed out the vile man’s affairs.
