“I did nothing.” My eyes are wide, and my flush creeps down my neck.

“Girl, that man is fine. Every time I’ve had to go pick up my mom, I try to flirt with him, and he looks at me like I don’t exist. Now, don’t say nothing. He keeps his cool, and it looked like you got under his skin.”

“I kissed him,” I say under my breath, wanting this subject to be closed.

“Did I just hear you right?” I roll my eyes, and Lori sits back, looking stumped. “Holy shit, you kissed Theo Fox.”

“I’m right here. Don’t sound so jealous,” Leo pipes in, not sounding jealous but bored with our conversation.

“He is legendary for his looks and for always doing the right thing. He’s one of the good guys.”

One of the good guys. Nothing she says makes me feel better. I know who I am in life; I can’t have a cop being around me. Not that I thought I would see him again, but I’m a realist when it comes to my family.

Lori is giving me this smirk like she’s onto something but says nothing. The waitress comes and takes our order. Glancing around, I see my sister, Katrina. She’s hardcore making out with someone in a booth.

“Where’s her bodyguard?” I question out loud, watching her. “How is it I can’t leave the compound without Leo, and here my sister is, bodyguard-free and sucking face?”

“I take offense to that,” Leo responds, still keeping an eye out.Always on duty.

“Weren’t you just sucking face with no bodyguard around?” Lori questions, never allowing me to get away with anything.

“Whose side are you on?”

“Just pointing out the obvious. She probably ditched her guard like she normally does.”

Katrina, although quiet, has a reputation for being wild and free. She does whatever she wants, the consequences be damned. I wish I had more of her spirit sometimes.

CHAPTER 6

Aria Rossi. Hername is on repeat in my head as I lie in my bed, throwing a baseball up into the air. The ball goes up—Aria, and then falls—Rossi, landing in my hand with a thud.

I know all about the Rossis. Each time I think I might have something on them, it slips through my fingers. I’m not stupid enough to think they don’t have people at our precinct on the payroll. The mafia goes against everything I believe in as an officer of the law, and I refuse to be bribed. I’m an honest cop who gets shit done. I may skirt around proper protocol sometimes, but to have an edge in this town, you have to. This place has forced me to, because of the corruption that runs through its veins.

How the hell Aria is made from the head of that family baffles me. She’s gorgeous, with legs for days, a round ass, slim waist, and pouty lips.

She caught my attention as soon as she stepped foot into the bar. I also recognized her friend, Lori Brown. She’s paid her mother’s bail countless times or picked her up after a night in the drunk tank. Her mother, Judy Brown, is known on the streets for prostitution and drugs. I thought maybe I might be onto something. There’s a rumor of a woman, a madam.

Aria’s bodyguard saving her from me was less than ideal. I know the place it can put me. If Rossi places a hit out for me, I doubt I would survive it. I’ve made too many enemies by trying to do the right thing.

I throw the ball up again. I can hardly see it in the darkness that consumes my room. My ears stay open for footsteps telling me my time is up. I’m not scared; I’m aware of the risks in my life. I just thought I could get more shit done.

It would be stupid of me to keep poking around Aria to see if she could lead me to something I could use. But after five days of no one trying to take me out, I realize she must not have told her father. I keep telling myself I’m doing this to help get myself promoted. To clean the city up and make it a better place, one that is safe for children, where parents don’t have to worry about them becoming soldiers for the mafia.

Grant and Iare making our rounds in the city. The sun is no longer high in the sky, and clouds are making it darker than normal.

“I need to make a stop.” He nods toward a building where a known drug dealer works from.

“I’ll circle around.”

I watch him walk through the doors, waiting to hear if he needs any backup before I walk toward the alleyway between the two buildings. I suspect he’s being paid for something, but I stay out of it. Grant is the one person who gets the luxury of not being on my radar. The thing is, he’s my partner, and I need to trust him with my life. If I get into his shit, he won’t be saving my ass. It may be hypocritical, but it’s survival of the fittest out here. The quickest way to get a bullet in the back of my head is to have a partner wanting to replace me.

I hear some commotion coming from around the corner outside and quicken my pace. Aria Rossi is standing in the alley, arguing with Frank, the drug dealer himself. I hesitate for a second. My research of her showed she was more of a daddy’s girl and not part of the business. I have a hard time believing she would be part of the drug scene.

Frank lunges at her, grasping her bicep. She shakes like a ragdoll in his hold.

“Please don’t!” she cries, but the dealer’s hand pinches her skin, making it red before white.

“This is my little message,” Frank seethes, trying to keep his hold on her.