Page 76 of Power & Punishment

I frown. “You didn’t say he had organized crime connections.”

“Oh yeah, there’s a note in his file that he had ties with the Caruso family.”

The room spins around me. It can’t be a coincidence.

“Mia, are you still there?”

I blink rapidly. “Yes,” I say, forcing the shakiness out of my voice. “Thank you, Katy. I can take it from here.”

It feels like a lie. The closer I get to my brother’s killer, the more complicated things get.

“Yeah,” Katy says, followed by a brief pause. “Just be careful, okay? It’s hard to explain, but something about this feels off.”

“You have no idea,” I murmur, barely above a whisper.

“What?”

“Nothing. I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Don’t forget about our deal!” she says quickly before I rush her off the phone.

The matchbook could be a fluke. But now everything is connecting like some fucked up puzzle that I never wanted to solve in the first place.

I shake my head. I can do more research at the precinct tomorrow, but for now, I need to make it through the rest of the night.

With a few more deep breaths and eying down an expensive bottle of scotch that might feel better going down than up, I gather what little resolve I have left, grab my phone, and push myself toward the door.

I reach for the handle with a new sense of determination and pull it open only to find Leo’s tall body filling up the frame.

“Eavesdropping is rude.”

“Trespassing is rude.”

“The door was—” I stop myself. “What are you doing, Leo? I was only gone for five minutes, so you obviously followed me back here.”

His lips sink into a straight line as he quickly looks over his shoulder. I stand there waiting for his response, but instead of words, two strong arms reach out and force me back into the office.

“I was going to follow you back here and fuck you up against a wall, but imagine my surprise when I overheard something much more interesting.”

“And what was that?” I ask, playing dumb.

The corner of his mouth tilts up and his eyes sparkle. It’s the exact look he gets whenever I challenge him.

“I may have gotten a little distracted the other night,” Leo says, trailing his finger up and down the strap of my dress. I shudder under his touch but keep my face relaxed. “You never told me what you found at the Velvet Room, and based on your conversation, you found something big.”

A gnawing pressure forms low in my forehead. “As long as I solve Vince’s case, why do the details matter? Unless you have something you’d like to tell me?”

My mind thinks back to the tension drifting around us at dinner. Leo wasn’t telling me everything, so why the hell should I?

Leo rakes a hand down his face, pausing at his temple and closing his eyes. “I thought we were on the same page.”

I stand my ground as he steps closer.

I should back away. Create space before I give in to the weak feeling that starts at my knees and winds its way up my spine.

But I don’t.

“We have the same goal, but that doesn’t mean you have to be in control all the time,” I say, my voice firm and steady.