“Don’t you ever want to just walk away?” I ask.
She shrugs. “I used to. But, after you’ve done this for enough years, you stop reflecting on who’s worth saving or whether or not they did something terrible. It’s not like the courtroom. We’re not placing judgments. I just know that I want to do a good thing and I don’t need society’s approval for that.”
“That almost sounds critical of the legal system.”
“The courtroom is your thing and I love you,” she says, squeezing my arm. “But I don’t want to regret anything. I didn’t want to put less effort into saving that father and finding out later that he’d been an immensely loving father that accidentally ingested some drugs. Morality is subjective. For one man, an eye for an eye is good. For another man, killing to protect his loved ones is good. For a wonderful, amazing roommate, the legal system is good. It is what it is.”
Lev killed to protect me. And I hated him for it.
Julia sips from her wine. “So, now that you’re breaking up with Lev, is it because he was bad in bed?”
“What? No.”
“Which means that he was great at it,” she teases. “That guy was an arrogant ass, but with that much confidence, his cock must have been massive. It’d have to be with the size of his balls. The man called me out without flinching.”
“You deserved it.”
She laughs. “I absolutely did. I’m glad I didn’t waste too much time trying to like him, but I have to give him some credit. He would’ve defended you against a prison full of angry felons if they’d insulted you.”
“He did defend me in front of my father.”
Both of Julia’s eyebrows shoot up. “Wow. Going up against his fiancée’s father. That must have been rough.”
It’s not something I’d considered before, but she’s right. This whole con was based on the idea of getting my father to trust and like Lev, but Lev went after him the moment Dad called me reckless and foolish. He ruined his chances from the start. All because he defended me.
I drink my water, wishing it was wine and that I could have one more night with Lev before everything went to shit.
* * *
When my parents knock on the door, I’ve replaced my water with a glass of grape juice. I take their coats, our greetings to each other jumbling together, and hand them each a glass of wine as Julia serves the pot roast onto four plates.
By the time we’re sitting down, it should be easy to pretend everything is exactly the way it used to be before I met Lev. But it’s hard to ignore how much I crave his hand on my hip or his breath hot against my ear as he whispers something to me.
It’s also hard to ignore the way my father keeps looking at me, clearly waiting for a chance to give a speech about how I’m ruining my life.
I turn to him after everyone’s second bite. “Lev and I broke up.”
Dad’s face lights up before his whole body relaxes, a small laugh eclipsing the story Julia was telling my mother.
“Oh thank God,” he says. “I knew you’d figure it out, Ally. I’m so glad. This is great.”
“They broke up?” my mother asks. She playfully smacks my father on the arm. “See, Peter. You didn’t need to worry about anything.”
My father takes my hand, squeezing it over the table. “This is great. Everything is still going to work out for you. Did Elizabeth offer the internship to you?”
I nod.
“Wonderful. Your future is set.” He beams. “This is phenomenal. Everything is falling into place for you.”
“We’re very happy for you,” my mother adds. “Elizabeth seems to think you’ll be able to do anything you want after the internship. It’s such a great opportunity.”
I nibble on my food. The conversation drifts to Julia’s day, then my father’s day. I know why my father is so happy about this news—his daughter is no longer dating a dangerous criminal. But it’s jarring to hear that they care more about my future than my current happiness. I’d hope that if Lev were anyone else, they’d at least ask how I was dealing with the breakup.
“Officer Wilcox was ready to fight the nurses to get out of the hospital,” my father laughs. “But Morris is nearly ready to order room service there. Yesterday, he tried to get a nurse to give—”
He stops as his phone beeps. He pulls out his cell phone.
“Peter,” my mother warns.
“It’s the station. I have to answer it,” my father says. He taps on the screen before putting it up to his ear. “Chief Harrington.”
His eyes shift back and forth for half a second before he looks directly at me. His forehead furrows.
“Yes, I do,” he says. “She’s right here in front of me.”
I sit up straight, setting my fork and knife down. The confusion clouding his face slowly changes. His eyes widen and his body stiffens. He looks away from me, slowly standing up.
“Good,” he says. “I’ll be there soon. Keep the media as far away from it as possible. Call in our best people. If this is a Mafia war, we need to cut it off at the knees. Even if it’s random, it could lead to trouble. Good. Go.”
He hangs up.
“What’s going on?” I ask, standing up as he grabs his jacket.
“Nothing,” he says. “Stay here.”
He turns to my mother, giving her a quick kiss. He mutters something to her and she nods.
“Dad,” I say. He touches my shoulder in a half-hearted attempt at reassurance before nearly sprinting out the door. I turn to my mother. “What did he say to you?”
“He just told me he loved me,” she says, avoiding my eyes. “Let’s finish dinner.”
“He mentioned the Mafia,” I
