Page 22 of The Don's Forbidden Obsession

Maybe this did intertwine.

Maybe it could?

And even if it didn’t, I could bring down another asshole and then get back to work.

But I was itching to know more. I mean, seriously? I couldn’t catch a break.

Top it all off, my partner Davis was giving me the same tired-ass lecture over and over. “Anna, just chill and focus on this, okay?”

“I just don’t get why the hell any of these other assholes can’t be on this case!”

He let out a chuckle, and I couldn’t help but shoot him a look of pure disbelief. How had he found my frustration amusing?

"What's so damn funny?" I snapped.

He tried to stifle his laughter, but his eyes betrayed him.

He thought this was funny.

"You just crack me up,” he chuckled. “You’re actually pissed off that we're working on a murder investigation. A super high-profile one at that. Most detectives would kill for this kind of case."

I scoffed. "Oh, spare me. It's not about being thrilled by a freakin' murder investigation, it's about priorities. We're wasting time and resources on some rich asshole's death while innocent people are getting caught in the crossfire of the mafia every day.”

“People aren’t usually caught in the crossfire of the mob if they’re innocent.”

“What is ‘innocent’ to you, Davis?” I asked, genuinely curious.

Was “innocent” a dad desperate to pay for his kid’s cancer treatment by any means necessary? Was “innocent” taking out a loan for it from the wrong sorts? And then not being able to pay and getting killed for it?

Because to me, that was pretty innocent.

None of us were perfect.

And none of us had a right to judge.

I could feel the anger course through my veins as I continued my rant. It’d been a long time coming between me and him, anyway.

“How many families have been torn apart?” I asked my emotions ablaze. “How many lives were ruined? And here we are, chasing after one dead man, shoving all our resources up his ass, just because he had money."

Davis's face softened. “I get it,” he sighed defeatedly. “I do. But sometimes, we have to play by the rules and follow the chain of command. It's frustrating, I know, but it's the system we're stuck in. I get that you haven’t been eaten up and shit out yet, but some of us have worked our entire lives at justice, only to see it never work out. So yeah, I’m a little jaded, but it is what it is.”

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. As much as I despised admitting it, he had a point.

The system was broken, and there was nothing I could do to fix it.

But it didn’t mean I wasn’t going to challenge it and do the best damn job I could.

"Fine," I replied, my tone still laced with arrogance and frustration. "I'll play by the rules, but I won't stop fighting to do what’s right. We'll crack this case, but I won't rest until we've dismantled every single crime family in the city.”

“I just feel like you should slow your roll,” he said blatantly.

I rolled my eyes and shot him a look of annoyance.

He could never see the bigger picture.

“Let’s just get back to work,” I growled.

We went to the crime scene and took more photos, and now that we were back at the precinct going through them, I couldn’t help but feel a little backed into a corner.

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