AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But at the same time, he didn’t seem stupid.
The mafia generally knew who its enemies were.
They wouldn’t have mistaken the identity of an enemy that had shot up their club. It didn't seem likely anyway. And if it was a case of mistaken identity, it wouldn't have been with a man like my father.
He was a nobody.
Not worth a mistaken-identity situation.
How could I have been so blind?
I felt my chest quake and ache, the realization hitting me heavily to the point that it was almost suffocating.
Was I about to have a panic attack?
I had to find out the truth.
“Soon?” I asked almost desperately. “I’d like to hear the conversation.”
I wanted to know. Ineededto know. No matter how painful the truth was.
The anxiety of the unknown was starting to get to me.
“Oh, sure,” he said. “Would you like fries with that?”
I rolled my eyes. “You weren’t this much of a prick when we were sleeping together.”
“Yeah, that was when I thought you were just a random chick. Not a cop and not the daughter of an even bigger fucking prick than me.”
Reflections on the cases I had worked on flooded my mind, moments when I thought I had a firm grasp on the truth. Had I missed crucial details because of my dad? Had my biases caused me to miss connecting certain dots?
In the middle of all my incoming self-doubt, a flicker of understanding began to emerge, if for nothing else but self-preservation. I had to tell myself one thing: The world of crime thrived on secrecy and deception. Criminals in the mafia were masters of covering their tracks and manipulating those around them. It was a game for them.
No police officer was infallible.
We were all human. All prone to the same mistakes, oversights, biases, and temptations as everyone else. The criminals we pursued were cunning and resourceful. Luca was a shining example.
The guy was a charmer.
I had to use this situation to grow, not to sabotage myself. I had to use it to hone my skills and sharpen my instincts. I had to learn from it.
If he really was in the mob, I had to recognize that it didn’t make me a shitty cop.
It made me adaughter.
A daughter who wanted to see the best in her father.
Who still did.
I hoped Luca was wrong.
25
LUCA
The atmosphere was tense,charged with the electricity of anger and hatred.
It had been three days.
