Cuffed By The Devil (Mafia Romance) Prt 10

 

Chapter 10

Hanne POV

I heard a chair scrape against the floor before it came to a halt beside me. It was either Constable Rubbed or Angela. The annoying female voice, rather than the deep male one, made it clear who it was.

I was staring at my computer screen, which was stuck on an image of the Isak family tattoo, featuring a dragon intertwined with a maze.

The dragon symbolized power and strength, wisdom and ancient knowledge, good fortune and prosperity, transformation and change, courage and resilience, as well as protection and guardianship.

The maze represented inner strength, complexity, and intricacy.

Each word carried a deeper meaning, but it wasn't just the definitions that struck me; it was the realization that the Isak family embodied all of these qualities, represented by the symbol of their tattoo.

I cringed as Angela's voice broke my concentration again. How annoying could she be? I had imagined looking up to her, allowing her to guide me as the mentor I had hoped she would be. Instead, I realized she was on the wrong side, and I couldn’t follow someone like that.

"I don't know what your problem is," she said.

I shot her a glare. "It's late. Why don’t you just go home?"

"I have to write a report," she replied.

"Then go write your report."

"What issue do you have with me?"

I rolled my eyes. "I don’t have an issue with you."

"Then why are you acting this way?" she whispered in the empty office. It was late at night, and I probably should just go home.

"You have a problem with me, as if you're perfect. So what if I take the money?"

"Good. You've identified the issue I have with you. You’re all sellouts."

"I didn't sell you out. If I had, I would have taken the money and shot you in the back of the head, fabricating a story about something gone wrong."

"It sounds like that was your plan."

"Yeah, only if you stopped acting like this."

"You should have acted when you had the chance."

"But I didn't. I had the opportunity, and I chose not to."

"Did you know that cops like you give good cops a bad reputation?"

She snorted. "Listen here, kid."

"I'm not a kid. I'm a grown adult, paying my bills and taking care of myself."

"Okay, grown adult. If you were really an adult, you'd understand what it takes to survive."

"By taking money from bad guys?"

She chuckled softly. "You might refuse the money, but from the look of it, you'll end up taking something else."

"And what's that?"

She smirked, leaning in closer. "You'll be taking the Mafia's dick. I think that's a lot worse than just money."

"What did you say? Do you think I'm easily led astray like you?"

"You think we didn't see you and her cuddling up right here, right under our noses?"

"I wasn't cuddling."

"Listen, we all have our dirty little secrets with the Mafia."

"Like what?"

"We all take something from her." She began to count on her fingers. "Resources, money, her donations—whatever help we can get. I fall into that category. She helps my kid, and I don't care if you hate me for it. But then there are girls like you."

"Girls like me?"

"Yep, obsessive freaks. You want to take her down and then fall right into the Mafia's bed. Don’t worry, we don’t judge. You know, Amund is like the father figure we always wanted—he gives us whatever we want."

"Go screw yourself. I don’t know what you’re talking about."

She leaned her elbow on my desk, and I tried to push it off. "Move," I shouted. The few remaining officers looked up from their cubicles. "Move!" I hissed.

"One way or another, you’re going to be involved with her."

"Yeah, by busting her."

"No." She shook her head with a sly smile. "Or her busting into you."

"No," I whispered meekly, forcing myself to maintain eye contact. "Before that happens, I’ll make sure to close myself off."

"You still have other options. Look, I’m not here to judge. I just want us to set aside our differences. You don’t judge me, and I won’t judge you. Deal?"

"I’m definitely judging you—and all of you."

"That’s not a good idea."

"So I should be scared that I’m judging?"

"Listen, we’re going to be partners for a long time. The least we can do is act like partners. We need some level of trust and unity. I’m not asking you to share your secrets, but let’s agree to maintain a level of peace between us."

"I want nothing to do with you. You do your thing, and I’ll do mine."

"Is that just because you’re a rookie?"

"And you weren't? Did you sleep your way to the corporal position? Whoever you were with must be pretty pathetic, and you're even worse."

"I understand you. You want to lock up the bad guys and clean the streets of their filth. I used to feel the same way. I had the same guts as you and many other cops, but then I realized that sometimes letting corruption slide is for the best." She slide closer. "The more you eliminate them, the more they come back—like little demons."

My brows furrowed.

She lifted her shirt to reveal a large scar. I gasped softly. "A Mexican guy caught me in his web, used a steel pipe to beat me. All because I locked up one of his associates. I’m trying to protect you."

"I’m sorry that happened, but I don't need your protection."

"You probably don’t. But you’re Amund’s bitch now."

I glared at her. "Let’s keep the peace and unity between us. If something goes down, we don’t leave each other, okay?"

I nodded. I wouldn’t abandon a partner. But with everyone so casually allowing bad guys to infiltrate the city, I doubted I would have reliable partners. I would have to keep one eye over my shoulder at all times.

*************

My father was three hours ahead in Washington. Not only was the time difference evident, but so were the same people.

It was one in the morning for him, but he wasn’t an early sleeper. He was likely in his favorite chair, watching TV. The one with the antenna on top and a deep back. I always told him to replace it, but it was tuned to the few stations he enjoyed. After all, he was alone in the old house.

"Hey, kiddo." His deep Northwest accent came through the phone, raspy as if he had a cold he hadn’t fully shaken.

"Hey, Papa."

I locked the door and navigated my way through the dark apartment, heading straight for the fridge to grab a can of soda. "How's everything been this past week?" I hadn’t had a chance to call him since graduation; I had headed straight to Los Angeles afterward.

"It's been good. How's the job treating you?"

I shrugged, placing my soda on the small counter. The apartment was compact but affordable, thanks to the station that found it for me. It wasn't located in a great area, but it wasn’t terrible either. I realized he couldn’t see me shrugging.

"It's alright. Kind of rough, though."

He chuckled. "You'll get the hang of it. Is your sergeant treating you well?"

I wasn't sure how to answer that. The strangest thing about processing all the information I’d gathered from yesterday until today was that I didn’t feel like my life was in any significant danger. Maybe it was because I was focused on bringing that little punk down.

"He's alright. A bit of a pain in the ass. But isn’t that how superiors are supposed to be?" I doubted he truly understood the kind of pain I was referring to.

He laughed.

I used my fingers to part the tightly shut blinds, glancing out at the dark street. There weren’t many streetlights; they stood a few feet's apart compared to other parts of the city. Fortunately, this area wasn’t known for high levels of violence, so walking home didn't feel too risky at this hour.

My eyes darted to the left, spotting a car parked further down in the shadows. I couldn’t make out the license plate; if my eyesight weren’t good, I might have missed it altogether.

I probably passed it on my way up to the apartment. "This damn place is a dump."

"Not so bad," he replied.

"You ever worked there?"

"I've been in Washington my entire life, kiddo."

"Don't let Hollywood and Beverly Hills fool you," I chuckled.

"I was never a fan of it."

I snapped the blinds back into place and moved away from the window. I shouldn’t be paranoid, but I felt like I was being watched. Of course, I knew whose eyes were on me; I could almost envision plucking her pretty blue eyes out.

"Dad, I know you've been a small-town cop all your life, but you must know about a few gangs in Washington State."

"I know a couple. Can't promise they're still around, though. Why?"

"Believe me, gangs are always around."

"The newer ones?"

"I bet these ones are still active." I settled into a chair.

"Which ones?"

"The Isak Family."

It went quiet on the line. I glanced at my phone; he was still there. "Dad?"

He groaned. "Did you run into them?"

"On my very first day of patrol—yesterday. I saw my first two dead bodies. One belonged to the Isak family, and the other was from the cartel. They killed him, Dad. They severed his goddamn head. It’s honestly fascinating in a way, you know? You think that stuff only happens in movies."

I got up from the couch and headed back to the window. The car was still parked there. "Stay away from them. Don’t cross them. They have tattoos— a dragon m—"

"Yeah, I saw it, Dad. But come on, don’t tell me you’re scared of some rich family with guns. They’re nothing more than that. They have money, so they can make things happen."

"I was hoping you wouldn't run into them. The last I heard, the grandfather died, and the son didn’t want to take over. I suppose they just went quiet, operating in the underworld."

"Well, they’re back on top," I said.

"Stay away from them, Hanne."

"I’m in Los Angeles; how can I do that?"

"I’m sure there’s someone there to guide you."

"Come on, I’m going after them."

"You think you can take them down? First of all, you can’t, and second, if you mess with them, they’ll retaliate. That’s not a game; it’s a nightmare. Leave them alone."

I huffed. "You’re no fun, Dad."

"Well, the Isak family isn’t about fun. I should’ve sent you off to college. Dammit, I thought they would have you in a small town, you know, just keeping busy with a few guys speeding down the road."

I rolled my eyes. "Well, it’s too late for that." I whispered. Suddenly, the car started up, and as it moved into the light, I caught a glimpse of who was inside. It was definitely Amund's soldiers.

I was on to her, and she was definitely on to me.

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