Page 60 of Power & Punishment

Mia lets go with an exhausted exhale. “Please don’t hold this against me, but you’re right.”

“We both know I’d never miss an opportunity to hold something against you, Cara Mia.”

She rolls her eyes, and for a second there’s a smile popping up between her vexation. “I know you act like this big macho businessman, but deep down you’re just a pervy prepubescent teen.”

“You have no idea,” I whisper lowly, leaning in close enough for my words to shimmer down her neck. The goosebumps trailing down her spine cause blood to rush to my crotch.

She shakes her head and steps forward, attempting to put more space between us. “If I can’t stay with Keith, I can stay with my bro⁠—”

“Don’t finish that sentence,” I snap, cutting her off. I creep forward and back her into the corner of the wall.

“If Caruso and his men are watching, they’ll know something is up if you contact your brother. You’re staying with me and that’s the end of this discussion.”

Her eyes light up, ready to fight, but then we hear a loud crash come from around the corner.

I spin around, grabbing the gun I stashed under my coat this morning and point it toward the commotion. Mia does the same, not cowering behind me even for a second.

“Relax, Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” a familiar voice announces, keeping both of his hands raised in the air.

“Hello, Michael,” I say, sliding my gun back into my pants. Mia lowers her weapon too—albeit with more hesitation. “What are you doing here?”

“While you two were playing house, I did some recon, and it was Caruso’s men. I tracked down one of the guys and got some answers,” he says, throwing a bloodied handkerchief onto the floor. “The weird part is he wasn’t one of Enzo’s typical enforcers. I keep tabs on all of them, and this guy was scraping the bottom of the barrel.”

“Did you ask him about the bug they planted in my phone?” I ask, watching as Mia bravely leans down and opens the fabric, but I already know what it is.

“Great,” Mia says, pushing the severed finger away. “Now if I call this in, they’re going to find blood in my apartment. I’m assuming you weren’t dumb enough to let him escape?”

Michael doesn’t answer her. He just curls his lips into what looks like a normal smile to the average person, but it reminds me of a cat that gets excited to present its owner with a fresh kill.

“I asked, but he didn’t know anything. Again—bottom of the barrel.”

“Right,” I say, turning back to Mia. “How are you so calm about all of this?” I ask, folding my arms. The question has been weighing on me since we stepped into her trashed apartment, and she just stared blankly at all her destroyed things.

I know she is a cop and I’m sure she’s seen her fair share of shit on the streets, but this is different. Instead of protecting others, she is becoming the target.

She shrugs, walking over to a room with a bare mattress and her comforter torn to shreds. “My life has been calm for way too long. I was overdue for some chaos.”

I peer over my shoulder for Michael, but at some point he disappeared along with the severed finger. I shake my head and follow Mia into her bedroom.

“Aren’t you worried Enzo knows who you are now?”

“Nope,” she says casually, leaning down and knocking against the hardwood floor until she hears a light echo. “I never kept any personal items from my old life laying around. I didn’t want to risk anyone finding out who I really was, especially when I moved back to New York.”

I nod, thinking back to a few nights ago when I broke into her place. There was hardly anything other than some rogue junk mail piled on the kitchen island addressed to her new name.

Mia’s knuckles tap against the floor again. Hollow.

“There you are,” she murmurs.

I crouch beside her as she slides her finger beneath the edge of the plank and pries it up with ease to reveal a narrow space. Inside is a slim metal box.

“What is it?” I ask.

“Everything connecting me to my old life,” she says nonchalantly, pulling the box out and standing up. “Okay, this is everything I need. I have some clothes and other items I keep at the precinct that I’ll pick up later.”

Mia attempts to walk out of the room with the box tucked under her arm, but I step in front of her, blocking her way. “You’re not going anywhere until you show me what’s in that box.”

She squares her shoulders and holds her head high. “It’s none of your business.”