"Now, we won't be able to communicate directly, so I'm sending you with these three books from the city library. Whenever you find something, make a copy, or write it down, and slip it in between the pages. You'll likely be closely monitored, so this is the best way for you to get us information without raising suspicion. There will be books on hold for you to pick up when you return the others." Adrian explained as he slipped the books into a backpack. She sat across from him on the couch, her eyes heavy after barely sleeping the night before.

"And what exactly am I even looking for?" She asked wearily.

"Anything really, correspondence with a vendor, a client, operation strategy's, things we can use to catch him off guard." Adrian responded, like it was obvious. Maybe for him, but she didn't understand a thing when it came to how the mafia was ran.

"If at any point, you think your cover is close to being blown, write the word 'red' down and slip it into the book. I'll have someone find a way to get in touch with you and get you out of there."

Mira nodded her head absently. He'd been giving her directions all morning, yet she still felt like she had no clue what she was doing. He slipped the file of documents they'd found in her father's desk into the bag.

"Alright, I think that's everything. You ready to go?" He asked, lifting his gaze to meet hers.

"Yeah," She lied, bending down to place a gentle kiss on Pickle's head. Who knew how long it would be until she got to see the fluffball again. She hadn't gone more than a day without seeing him since she'd got him, she hoped he wouldn't be to mad at her.

Adrian passed the backpack to her and lead her down to the parking garage. They drove silently to Mira's apartment, Adrian's eyes remaining steadily on the road in front of them. She stared out the window, detached from everything happening around her.

"We're here."

Mira hadn't even realized he had pulled up next to her apartment building. She fumbled with the backpack as she reached for the door.

"Hey," Adrian said, grabbing her arm. She looked over at him, his stormy eyes clouded with something she couldn't read. Was it concern? "You're going to be fine, alright?"

She managed a weak smile.

"I know. I'll see you later." She slipped out of the car and made her way into the lobby and up to the top floor. The apartment looked the same as she left it, it's familiar scent filling her nostrils. She walked over to the couch and sat down, dropping the backpack at her feet.

She pulled out her phone, scrolling through her contacts until she found her father's number. She stared at it for a moment before sucking in a deep breath and pressing the call button. Each ring made her heart skip a beat until finally her father's voice sounded from the other end.

"Amira?" He sounded surprised by her call. This was it.

"Dad . . . we need to talk." She said, her mouth dry. There was a pause.

"I'm listening." He replied.

"In person." She continued. "I know who you are, what your real name is. I found the documents you had hidden in your desk." The phone went silent for a moment.

"I see." He finally said. "I can have someone pick you up in an hour. Does that work?" He asked.

"Yeah," she managed. "I'll see you later." She said, the call ending. Mira tossed her phone onto the couch next to her, dragging her hands down her face. She shouldn't have been this scared to talk to her dad, but her body was shaking with fear.

She paced the length of the apartment for the next hour, the anticipation growing with each passing minute. Once an hour had passed, she made her way down to the lobby, barely managing a polite smile as she walked by the receptionist.

Outside of the building a black car sat parked next to the curb, dark tinted windows blocking her view into the vehicle. A tall, bulky man stepped out of the car as she emerged through the front entrance, his eyes locked on her, confirming that he was her ride.

"Miss Amira," The man greeted her, taking her backpack from her and opening the door to the backseat for her. She greeted him politely and slid into the seat, clasping her hands in her lap to keep herself from fidgeting.

The driver said nothing as her drove, the ride itself only lasting a mere fifteen minutes as they pulled into the parking lot of a large firm building. He opened the door for her, and grabbed her bag. He held onto it as he led her into the building. He didn't say anything as they made their way through the lobby through a door hidden in the back of the building. He held a badge to the card reader and pushed the door open.

It looked similar to the other lobby, the area filled with expensive furniture and decorations. Men dressed in crisp black suits stood at the other side of the door, one taking her backpack from the driver and beginning to carefully go through it.

"I'm going to have to give you a quick pat down as a part of protocol," The other man stated as he motioned for her to lift her arms. She did so, her heart racing even though she knew they wouldn't find anything. His hands swiftly patted her down, the man stepping away once he'd cleared her.

After a few moments, the other man handed her backpack back to her.

"Mr. Bonnano is waiting for you, please follow me." The driver said, leading down a long hallway. They stopped in front of the last door and he pushed it open for her. She paused for a moment as her eyes landed on her father sitting behind a desk, his eyes lifting at her entrance.

She forced her legs to move, walking towards the desk.

"Amira, it's been a while. How are you?" He asked as she slid into a seat across from him. As she looked at him, she suddenly felt a wave of emotions. She was sad, angry, scared. His cold, steely eyes were locked on hers, making her feel small in his presence.

"Good," She responded. "Busy, but good." Her voice was hoarse. She reached into her backpack and pulled out the file, laying it out on the desk before him. He looked at the file, and then back at her.

"So you've been hiding this from me the entire time?" Suddenly she wasn't thinking about her agreement to the Genovese and Lucchese family. No, this was a conversation she'd been waiting to have for a long time. Her father sighed, leaning back in his chair.

"I wanted you and your mother to live a somewhat normal life. The only way to do that was to keep you two out of it, give you identities that weren't associated with my name."

Mira pursed her lips.

"Did mom know?"

"Of course she knew, it was her wish that you were raised like a normal kid." He watched her from his seat, his eyes studying her, like he was analyzing her reactions and responses.

"Is that why you left when she died. You wanted to give me a normal life so you disappeared from it completely?" She asked, her voice trembling with anger. He rubbed his temple, letting out a long breath like he'd been dreading this question.

"Amira, when your mom died, I didn't know what to do. She was my everything, and losing her destroyed me. She wanted you to have a normal life, so I kept my own affairs as far away from you as possible, separating our lives so you could have the one you deserved."

Mira's lips quivered as her eyes watered. He did it for her, because he wanted her to live a life unlike the one he had, yet it still broke her that he left.

"I'm got invited to go to a Virginia Tech recruiting camp," Her voice was quiet, like a whisper as she looked down at her hands. "It's one of my dream schools, and it seems like I really have a shot at getting a scholarship there." She swallowed. "But you weren't there, not at one of my games. That's all I ever really wanted." She quickly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand as tears threatened to spill down her cheeks.

"When I was little, you and mom were always there to cheer me on and it was my favorite part. With her gone, I thought, at least I still have dad. I'll get through this with him. But you left me, acted like you didn't have a care in the world while I was torn to shreds by her death." Her tears were rolling freely down her cheeks as she lifted her eyes to meet his. "I've been so determined to get away from you because I couldn't bare knowing that in the moments that mattered the most to me, you chose not to be there. What I needed wasn't for you to go away, I needed you to be there for me but you weren't." She sniffled, choking on her words. The last thing she wanted was to become so undone like this before him, to show him how much his actions had affected her, but now that she was sitting right in front of him, she didn't care. Ignoring everything that had happened over the last few days, he was finally right there. She looked up at him to see his expression had softened, the wall that had shielded his eyes, cracked as emotions flickered through them.

"And you know what, I get it, every aspect of what you do horrifies me, but I just want to be your daughter again. I want to be here with you." She sobbed, burying her face in her hands. Years of pent up emotions erupted out of her. She felt a firm, but gentle hand on her shoulder, and looked up to see her father was standing next to her. 

He lifted her from her seat, and pulled her against his chest, his arms wrapping around her. Her eyes widened, barely registering what was happening, but once she did, she embraced him back, accepting the shoulder to cry on she'd so desperately needed these past years.

"I know, I know, and I'm sorry." His words sounded broken. He held her, letting her cry until finally, the streaks on her face dried. She pulled away and looked up at him.

"I just don't want you to abandon me again," She whispered. He looked down at her, shaking his head like he didn't know what to do.

"I'm not a good man Amira. I know you only see the good in me, but that's because I worked hard to hide the darkness from you. If you want to stay, you'll have to prove that it's a life you can handle. But, I'll gladly send you to a place where you can go on living a normal life. I'll make arrangements for you to take on a new identity, move to a new place and have a fresh start. Ultimately, the choice is yours, but I won't abandon you." His eyes lingered on hers.

All this time she was afraid that her father despised her, afraid that he was a merciless monster who killed without remorse . . . but now she wasn't sure what to believe. She thought the man she knew was gone, but there he stood, right in front of her, determined to make her happy. 

She could take his offer to go somewhere new, take on a new persona and pick up where she left off, and she was tempted to, but for some reason, she wanted to stay. Was it because she was worried people would come after her, that she had a job to do, or maybe even that she had missed him?

"I don't want to leave." She said, surprised by how firm her voice was. She should go, get out of this mess while she could, but she didn't. Maybe it was her emotions getting the best of her, but she wanted her dad back.

He looked disappointed with her response, but nodded.

"Ok, you can spend the night here. I'll have my assistant take you to one of the rooms upstairs. I have some meetings, but I'll be done later and we can have dinner together. I believe we have a lot of catching up to do." He leaned in and kissed her head gently.