Page 74 of Shackled By the Mafia Boss

Once I reach the office, I set my coffee and bag on my desk and saunter off to Chief Smith’s office. I don’t care to knock and I push the door open and enter.

Josh is in his office when I walk in and they both look at me.

“Where are your manners, Detective?” Chief Smith asks angrily.

“I must have forgotten them somewhere.” I place my finger under my jaw and pretend I’m thinking. “Let me see, at the place where my father died twelve years ago?”

Josh glances between me and Chief Smith. “What is going on here?”

Neither of us answer him. We’re both in a battle of who can glare more at the other to answer.

“What do you want?”

“The case file from the night my father died. I heard it’s hidden away somewhere in your office.” I near his desk and lift a brow. “My father worked for you, how could you cover up his murder?”

“I suggest you choose your words more carefully from now on, Detective.”

I slam my hand on his desk, my voice louder than I intended. “Where did you hide the real case file?”

“Leave us,” Chief Smith growls.

Josh raises his hand and backs away from the office. Once the door closes behind him, Chief Smith relaxes in his seat, leaning his back and threading his fingers together. “Do you realize what you’re doing could be detrimental to you? You could get fired.”

“Don’t patronize me, Chief. I’ve never been more calculated than I am right now. Why did you cover up my father’s murder? How much were you paid to do something so terrible to your own colleague?”

“Have a seat, Detective Sullivan,” he says with a calm and collected voice that makes me even more angry.

“I’d rather not sit.” I’m too angry to sit and talk calmly. I’m fairly certain everyone outside Chief Smith’s office can hear my rage at what he’s done. I don’t give a shit if they can. I want them to know how much of a shitty person their boss is. “Give me the goddamn case file before I yell even louder.”

He straightens his spine and sighs. His expression shows defeat, then he leans over and pulls one of his desk drawers open and rummages through it. After a moment, he pulls out an old, dusty brown folder and sits up.

Chief Smith slaps the folder repeatedly to clean off some of the dust before he holds it our to me. “Everything you need to know about your father is in there.”

I take the folder from him. There’s a burn at the pack of my throat and the panic in my stomach makes me feel nauseous. I’ve wanted to hold this folder in my hands since the day I was told my father’s case was being closed.

And now I finally have it in my hands. Now, I can finally get him the justice that his own colleagues failed to give to him. His death won’t be meaningless after all.

Tears prickle my eyes and I blink to hold them back.

I cannot show any weakness.

“Detective Sullivan.” Chief Smith says my name as though he isn’t very certain he should be calling it. “Be careful.”

“You lost the right to tell me that when you covered up my father’s death as if he was nothing, Chief Smith. If what you’re worried about is that I’ll solve this case, then, you’re right to doso. I won’t stop until his killers are behind bars and you’re no longer sitting in that chair.”

He lowers his head. “Right. Do that,” he says. “I’ve lived with the shame for years. I know I don’t deserve to be Chief.”

“Good that you know.” I turned around and walked out of the office.

Taylor runs to me from God knows where. He’s panting as if he just ran a marathon. “What was that about?”

I swallow and inhale. “I found out who killed my father.”

“Who is it?”

“Victor Valentes.” I lift the folder for him to see. “He did it and he made it look like the Romano’s were the perpetrators. I have to get to the bottom of this, will you help me?”

Taylor doesn’t hesitate and nods.

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