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She takes off around the corner, and I wait until she’s got the attention of the officers before heading back down the alley to my waiting car.

I slip behind the wheel, shutting the door and pressing the locks, glad the windows are tinted nearly black so nobody can see inside.

As I press my head against the wheel, I squeeze my eyes shut.

I could be living the life in Vermont right now. Hell, at this point, I would settle for upstate New York. Somewhere away from the drama of the city. Maybe a small town where I could run several businesses and keep laundering money.

Something that doesn’t have me rushing around early in the morning, putting out someone else’s fires.

Why can’t I just be a regular girl?

Normal, going through boring day-to-day life, loveable… Free.

Thinking like this gets me nowhere. Unfortunately, even if my family business were above the board, I’ll never be the girl anyone wants to be with, and I learned to live with that from a young age.

So, why am I now letting myself dream of a different life? That would require a different me, and that’s never going to happen.

Stop it, Skyla. There are bigger fish to fry now.

Sitting up, I watch out the window, waiting for Kalani to come back around the corner and down the alley.

The time ticks by on my phone as it sits on my dash.

After what seems like an eternity, she comes stalking back to the car, beaming like she’s won the lottery. She holds up two thumbs, and I unlock the car, leaning across the passenger side to shove open the door.

She drops down beside me, slamming the door shut with a heavy thud. “All right, so Jensen is taking me out Friday night instead of tonight. You and me, we’re going dancing tonight.”

“You know that’s not what I want to know.” I twist the key in the ignition, grinning when my car purrs to life.

It might have been a splurge, but when the lilac LED lighting shines bright against the black leather, my soul lights up.

It’s one of my few innocent little pleasures in life.

Kalani snickers and points to my face. “Sometimes, I think you would rather marry this car than a man.”

“At least it’s capable of satisfying me.”

“Please tell me you’re not ramming a dildo in the tailpipe and riding it.” Kalani’s eyes widen, her grin impish as she reaches for the knob on the stereo, turning up the music.

Scoffing, I pull out of the alley and into the line of traffic I’m sure stretches from one end of New York to the other. “No. That’s taking it a little too far.”

“Well, at least you know that.” Kalani puts one foot up on the edge of the seat, looping her arms around her leg. “Jensen doesn’t think it looks good for your family. While they didn’t find anything in the laundromat, they’ve got orders to hit the pizza chain next.”

My teeth grind together as I take a sharp turn down the street, heading to Kalani’s apartment. “Great. Aiden is going to lose his mind. Do me a favor and send him the message. Use my phone.”

Kalani leans forward and grabs the phone, unlocking it and shooting off a message to Aiden before putting it back. “I doubt this is going to be over anytime soon.”

“It’s going to end after I drop you off.”

The police station always smells like a strange mixture of ammonia, burnt coffee, and the residual tang of blood. It’s never been a welcoming place, especially not when I see Logan’s smug face behind the counter as he looks up from the conversation he’s having with the receptionist.

“Miss Lynde, what can I do for you?” His tone is saccharine, making my stomach turn.

“I need to talk to you about a company suspected of dealing drugs out their back door.” I try to be as level-headed as possible.

Though that’s hard to do when the last time I spent any length of time speaking to Logan was while I was glaring at him from between the spread legs of my former best friend.

The only time I decide to trust a man… Figures.

If I had any doubt before that a love life is not in the cards for me, that I’m not enough, not someone worthy of love, my time with Logan made sure to nail that in deep.

Logan jerks his chin in the direction of an office, his name gleaming in gold on the door. “We can speak in there.”

My hands curl into fists at my side as I enter the room, perching myself on the edge of the desk.

Logan enters behind me and shuts the door with a smirk.

The room seems to grow a thousand degrees warmer as he strides closer to me.

“I didn’t think you would be the kind of woman to come and tattle on the competition. You’ve always had too much pride for that.”

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about. I work as an accountant.”

“Who happens to own a laundromat on the side. Sure, the business isn’t under your name, but it’s still traced back to your family.”

I shrug. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. However, if we were going to talk about a raid on a hypothetical business I’m not connected to, I would ask you when you’re going to pull your head out of your ass and leave my family alone.”

He scoffs, pacing to the other side of the room and pulling a file off the top of a gray, metal filing cabinet. “If you think coming in here and talking to me is going to get this thing to end, you’re wrong.”

“What’s it going to take?” I don’t have time to deal with this right now. Not when there are more raids planned and Aiden’s going to need help getting supplies moved in time.

He leers at me.

“Nothing can make this go away. You’re finally getting everything you deserve after walking out on me.”