I stared at the ceiling, thinking back over all the decisions I’d made that had landed me here. The decision to kick the shit out of that husband when I answered a domestic-abuse call. The decision to go to the DA when Vince Ginocassi contacted me with a job offer. The decision to accept the DA’s proposal to drop all the criminal charges against me, in exchange for going undercover and using Vince’s offer as a way to infiltrate the Ginocassi family. At the time, it felt like the deal of a lifetime. I got to stay out of prison, keep my job, and put away a bunch of wiseguys—didn’t sound like a bad idea. Until I fell for the head wiseguy’s daughter.
I’m so fucked.
***
I hate myself.
The following afternoon, I decided the best course of action was to try to get the information my captain needed from Juliette.
It’s just the location of a meeting.
It will get my boss off my back.
It’s not that big of a deal.
They’re not even going to raid it, just pick up a guy who’s been MIA for years anyway.
But I still felt like shit, no matter how hard I tried to convince myself Juliette wasn’t going to get hurt. Because deep down I knew the truth: I was betraying her. And that fucking ripped my insides apart.
Juliette was on the phone with her mom, so I figured that gave me the perfect in. I waited until she finished, then struck up acasualconversation.
“How’s your mom doing?” I asked, strolling into the kitchen.
“She’s good. My dad bought her some fifteen-thousand-dollar necklace from Van Cleef & Arpels for her birthday. That seemed to make her happy, though I’m sure it fell off the back of a truck.”
I smiled. “How did your mom handle it when your dad went to prison years ago? He did like three years for assault, right?”
Juliette sighed. “Instead of making him dinner at home every night, she brought it to the prison—one set of Pyrex dishes for my dad and one set for the guard who looked the other way. I think that CO gained twenty pounds while my dad was an inmate.” Juliette shook her head. “I hated going to visit him there. I was only twelve, but I remember going on family day every other week. My mom would always cry outside when we left.”
I hesitated, though I was genuinely curious. “Would it make your life easier now if Vince were locked up? You wouldn’t be a target anymore because he wouldn’t be in power.”
“I guess? But just because I hate his life doesn’t mean I want him locked in a cage for the rest of it. He’s still my dad.”
I felt deflated. I sat at the kitchen table until a few minutes later, my phone rang. It was Vince, of all people. I swiped and lifted my cell to my ear. As usual, he started barking before I’d even said hello.
“Big meeting happening soon.”
My ears perked up. “Oh yeah? What can I do to help?”
“I need Juliette in the house on Friday. All day long. You don’t let her out until you hear from me.”
“Tomorrow?”
“That’s what I just said, didn’t I?”
My eyes locked with Juliette’s. She was sitting across from me, but had definitely heard what her father said. The guy spoke so damn loud, it was like he was always on speakerphone. She rolled her eyes and got up and went into the other room.
“Not a problem,” I said. “Just tomorrow?”
“As of right now. Depending on how things go, the temperature could cool off or heat back up. Keep her inside until you hear from me again.”
“You got it, boss.”
Click.
What an asshole. The dick must’ve gone to the same school of manners as my captain. I tossed my phone onto the table, and Juliette came back in.
“Why do I have to be locked down again?” she asked.
