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Chapter One

SKYLA

Kalani’s end of the call is silent for a moment before shouting begins.

She sighs. “The cops are hauling everything out of the laundromat.”

I resist the urge to suffocate myself in my pillow. “Kalani, this better be some sick fucking joke.”

She scoffs as shouting continues in the background of her end of the call. “I’m telling you, it’s not. I got here to take over for the night crew and get things ready for the day, and I was about to cross the road when I saw the cops going in. A bunch of DEA agents are swarming the place now.”

“Fuck!” I toss my duvet to the side and climb out of bed, the floor cold against my feet.

Is this about the family? Or have they finally come for me?

Because as much as my family might have to hide, my secrets run deeper. So deep that even my family isn’t willing to accept the truth. Or me.

I’ve been taking care of myself for as long as I can remember, since no one else ever wanted to. Alone in a full house.

I was too much for Mom to deal with, and all Dad cared about was his mistresses and teaching us about the business so we could carry on his legacy.

I always knew I was different, the odd one out. And I learned early on not to depend on anyone but me.

But when my dad died two years after my mom passed, it was up to me and Aiden to pick up the pieces. He took over the business, I took over the house.

But the urges never stopped, and the secrets kept piling up.

The sheers flutter in the breeze coming through the open window as I drag out my desk chair and drop down.

After putting the phone on speaker, I unlock the computer and pull up the security feeds.

“Which laundromat are you at today?”

“The one on Thirty-First.” Kalani pauses before shouting begins again, and sirens wail. “They’re arresting Hank now. He looks terrified. Poor kid didn’t even know what he was involved in.”

Sighing, I shoot off a message to one of my lawyers. “I have someone who’ll be meeting Hank down there, so don’t worry about him. What I need you to worry about right now is whether or not the money was moved off-site when you left last night.”

“Of course.” Kalani sniffs like I’ve offended her.

I log into the feed for the laundromat she’s at and watch as agents pour out the front door with a vending machine being towed behind them.

She scoffs. “Is this for real? Are you watching this right now?”

“Yeah. I don’t like it. I’ll be on my way down there soon. Don’t let them see you, and if they do, don’t answer any of their questions. Lawyer up.”

I end the call, shoving the phone across the desk before raking my hands through my hair.

This is one hell of a way to start a Monday.

Right now, I should be in bed, wishing for the crisp Vermont air instead of the smog-clogged fog that drifts through the windows.

Living in a brownstone always seemed like my dream, but these days it’s more of a headache than ever.

People call me when they don’t want to deal with Aiden, and I’m getting tired of it.

I should be left to my own end of the business while he deals with bullshit like this.

He is the boss, not me.

And yes, I was the one picking up the slack when we lost our parents, I was the one picking up the pieces. But he was there too.

For once, why can’t I just live my life?

I sigh.

Love, marriage, kids? That’s never in the cards for me, not with me being who I am. Not with me having to hide the true me from the world.

No person in their right mind would ever want to be with me if they knew.

That doesn’t mean I don’t want to be loved.

But what does it say about you when your own family doesn’t accept you? Doesn’t love you?

No, all I have is myself. And I am enough. I have to be.

Dad wanted me and Aiden to keep the legacy. And though my brother is in charge, I’m the one keeping the business afloat.

But I should not have to also play buffer because people refuse to upset my brother or even talk to him when something unpleasant happens.

I should just go away. For a couple of weeks. Maybe forever. Just leave everything behind. Leave them all to deal with this mess while I take care of my urges.

Instead, I yank on a pair of jeans and a leather jacket. Before I leave my room, I swipe on a layer of matte red lipstick.

Do it. You know you want to. You can feel it now, can’t you? The warmth… The peace… Just go.

No!

I’m stronger than this.

Right?

Bright yellow tape with Do Not Cross written on it is strung from one side of the laundromat to the other, though it’s sagging where the cops keep ducking under it to go inside.

I lean against the wall across the street just around the corner.

The rough edge of the brick bites into my back through the jacket while the wind carries the scent of early morning boiled hot dogs from the little cart a few feet away.

Kalani makes her way toward me, keeping her gaze distant and drifting around her surroundings like she’s out for a walk.

A couple of people in blue jackets pull large cameras out of the back of a truck.

One turns toward me, raising the camera.

I duck behind the corner, patting my jacket pocket for a carton of cigarettes I know won’t be there.

I never should’ve given up smoking. Look what happens when I do.

When I peek back around the corner, Kalani is sitting on the steps of one of the apartment buildings across the street.

I sigh and run a hand over my face before pulling out my phone.

Aiden takes his sweet time answering. “You do realize that it’s barely seven, right? I was sleeping.”

“Yeah, well, we’ve got something going on, and it seems like nobody else has the balls to talk to you.” I duck back around the corner as cops filter out of the laundromat, dragging one of the machines for making change behind them.

“What kind of situation?” His voice is more alert, fabric shuffling in the background. “Is it one of yours?”

Thanks for the faith, brother.

“The kind that means the cops are raiding the laundromat on Thirty-First.”

“For fuck’s sake.” Something slams on his end of the call. “I’m getting ready. We’re going to have to meet about this and figure out what they know.”

“They shouldn’t know anything.” I bite the inside of my cheek, wrinkling my nose against the stench of hot dog water. “Royce took care of the Matt problem. He was the only mole you’ve found so far.”

“And yet, this is happening.” Aiden lets out a deep breath. “You never told that asshole you were with anything about us, did you?”

My nails dig into my palm. “He knew about us, but nothing specific. We didn’t have the laundromats up and running then either, so the leak didn’t come from me.”

“See what you can find out. I’m going to have my guys find out who might be talking.” Aiden clicks his tongue, someone muttering something to him in the background. “Do whatever you can to make this go away.”

I glance back out at the cops. “That’s going to be easier said than done.”

“Do it anyway.”

The call ends, leaving me with nothing but his name fading to black on the screen as Kalani rounds the corner.

She shoves down her hood, running a hand through her midnight black curls.

I tuck the phone into my back pocket. “How bad is it?”

She shrugs a slim shoulder. “It’s not great, but closing went well yesterday, so apart from the couple joints Hank indulged in during his shift, there isn’t anything they can even try to pin on us.”

“At least there’s that.” I peek around the corner again as the cops gather around, patting each other on the back for what they think is a job well done. “You’re sure everything was taken off-site last night?”

“Protocol was followed.” She leans beside me, crossing one ankle over the other, looking down at a scuff on her boots.

“I need a list of people we can pin this on in case they find anything that was missed.”

Even as I go through the laundry list of items that could’ve been missed last night, I’m sure none were.

Kalani is thorough. It’s why she’s been working as my assistant for the last several years.

Though there’s still the possibility of a couple of bills being left behind, a bill or two would be easy enough to explain away as a fluke.

Something a customer brought in that we seized and we’re going to hand over to the authorities.

Maybe someone dropped it from their wallet when they took out cash to pay for the fluff and fold service or make change from one of the machines.

The tightness in my chest starts to ease. “Is there anyone on the scene right now that we might be able to get information from?”

“Well, Jensen told me to go away when he saw me watching, but I think he might be more receptive to a visit from you. Especially with the way your jeans hug your ass.”

I roll my eyes, pushing off the wall. “You know, sometimes I wonder why we’re even friends.

Jensen likes you , and he always has. Hell, the man looks at you like you hung the moon, even though you broke his poor little heart last year.

Just give him the I-want-to-sleep-with-you smile, and you know he’ll start talking. ”

She gives me a smug smile and tosses her hair over one shoulder. “Well, I think I might be able to do that. For the good of the business, of course.”

I snort and give her a playful nudge with my shoulder. “Sure. It has nothing to do with the fact that you told me two weeks ago that no other man has given you that many orgasms in a single night.”

Kalani laughs, the sound warm and smoky. “I’ll tell you how tonight goes. And the two of us are going out dancing after!”

“I don’t have time for dancing. I have to figure out how the hell to solve this problem.”

Kalani rolls her eyes. “We’re going dancing. When shit is falling apart around you, the first thing you need to do is go dancing.”

“Go find out what’s going on, then go down that alley to my car. You can leave the getting dicked down for later.”

With a snort and a nod, she gives me a cheeky salute and spins on her heel.