Andreas's POV:

"You all right?" Veronica asked once we were in the car, out of the police station.

"Annoyed more than anything," I said, settling back, resting my head back and shutting my eyes. "What the fuck is this about a witness?"

"Bullshit," she scoffed. "I asked around. If anything, he has someone willing to go on the stand and make something up, but it's nothing. We have more alibis than he has supposed witnesses and all the lights were out. He has nothing real. His argument to hold you was laughable, really. I could escalate it if you want me to."

"No. Escalating shit like that is only good in threats, not in reality. Threatening his job face to face may work, but actually threatening it in the system? It would do nothing except raise red flags if it happens again."

"Agreed." Veronica absently picked at her long, fake red nails. "What then?"

"Nothing for now," I said, glancing out the window. "We'll deal with it when we need to. What time is it?"

"Four-thirty. You're not too late yet."

"Let's keep it that way," I said, leaning forward and clasping my hands together. "You got something with caffeine for me?"

"Always," she said, nudging an energy drink into my clasped hands.

"Thanks, Ver," I said, opening the can and taking a drink. "You good?"

"I'm good," she nodded. "Are you? Did you sleep?"

"Enough." I leaned forward and knocked on the window separating Veronica and I from the driver.

Jude lowered the divider. "Yes sir?"

"How far out are we?"

"About ten minutes, sir."

I checked the time on my watch and cursed. "Make it five," I said, settling back in my seat. The divider went up and I sighed. "That fucker kept me there for hours."

"All I can do is escalate," she shrugged. "Unless you have an idea I haven't thought of."

"An idea you haven't thought of?" I countered, looking over at her. "Let's be honest, what are the chances?"

"Low," she said, her lips quirking into a smile.

"I'm going to have to escalate it myself," I warned her.

"I figured. Warn me ahead of time so I'm ready for the heat."

"Just be ready," I said, downing the rest of the energy drink. "It needs to happen soon. Something fucking needs to happen soon."

"All right," she nodded. "There's your stop."

"You got taken care of?" I asked, unbuckling my seatbelt and glancing out the window.

"Yes. Ciara took care of me."

"In what way?" I asked, looking over at her. It was rare I could get a blush out of Veronica so it was amusing when I could. Her and Ciara's on again off again would never fail to stain her fair cheeks red.

"Shut up," she said, rolling her eyes. "Get to your game."

"I'll be in touch, Ver," I said, opening the car door and stepping out. I recognized the van across the parking lot and checked the time again. I had a couple minutes still.

I approached the van and the back door slid open. I stepped inside and walked to the back, seeing they already had the security videos I wanted.

"Boss," Jaz and Devrin both nodded.

"Go back to about five in the morning," I said as I walked over to the screens. "Shortly after the cops arrived."

They fast-forwarded to the point I was looking for and I narrowed my eyes. I leaned over Devrin's keyboard, recognizing that asshole, Adler, right away.

"This one," I said, pausing the video. "We need to do something about him."

"An officer is easier to take out," Devrin said, leaning back in his chair. "But you want to take out an FBI agent?"

"Shannon Adler's been on our asses too long," I said, tapping the screen.

"It's not going to be easy," Jaz said. "We could start with scaring him off."

"I'm not so sure he's going to scare off," I said, shaking my head. "He's been on this too long. He's too invested."

"He got family?" Devrin asked, looking back at me.

"Orphaned as a teenager, never adopted, has a couple that are like parents to him. They live out of state," I recited. Hadn't we been over this enough? "He's got no one close by."

"A girlfriend or boyfriend?" Jaz suggested.

"I fucking doubt it," I said, pulling out my buzzing phone and frowning at the screen. Another mess I'd have to take care of. There were way too many of them recently. "He's not away from work enough to have some willing to put up with that bullshit. Unless they were really fucking desperate. Regardless, check into it."

"Or he got a relationship before he got obsessed with taking you down," Devrin said. "I'll look into it. He has to have someone. A close friend, a girlfriend, something."

"Let me know what you find." I stepped out of the van, letting them close the doors behind me. It was almost time for the game to start. I walked across the field, responding to texts before I got to the reason I was here.

"You made it," my sister, Calista, said as I paused next to her.

"I told him I would," I said, sliding my phone into my pocket and searching the soccer field for my younger brother, Cohen.

After our mother died, our father left all of us behind. It was different for Calista and I, we were at least adults. Cohen was only eight and father leaving hit him much harder than it did for us. Or at least, harder in a different way. Cally was doing everything in her power to keep him happy and raise him away from the family shit, so that he would have the option to not be a part of it. I wasn't entirely sure how well that would work out since people already knew he was my brother and that could be used against me, but for now I let Cally handle it how she wanted to. She was the oldest, as she continued to remind me at any opportunity she could.

"I know, I just also know you were picked up by that agent again and I wasn't sure you'd be done in time. He's goalie today," she said, reaching into her bag and pulling out a water bottle. "You want one?"

"What happened to being afraid of the ball coming at his face?" I asked, accepting the water bottle and looking towards the goal, seeing Cohen waving at me. I smiled and waved back.

"Tyrel worked with him on it," she shrugged.

"Ah," I nodded. "I see."

Tyrel was her boyfriend and I'd thought several times about killing him, but I hadn't. Yet. There was just something about him I didn't like but she didn't see it. She thought I was overprotective and overbearing and while I had a tendency to be protective, it wasn't just that. I didn't trust the guy. I hadn't figured out what it was about him that bothered me yet but for his sake, he'd better I hope I figured it out before he did something to hurt Cally because then I would kill him. Gladly.

"I know you don't like him," she said, rolling her eyes.

"I never said that."

"You didn't have to."

"You could invite him over for dinner," I suggested. "Might help. That is if you're intending to stay with him."

"I am, as I've said several times," she said giving me a side-glance. "How am I going to explain your place?"

"Tell him I'm a well-off entrepreneur," I shrugged. "It's not entirely a lie."

Well-off entrepreneur was good enough. I did have my own business, several actually. I even had to work under an asshole for the time being. It was about as legitimate as any other business, in my opinion. All businesses were corrupt, we just used guns. At least, that's what I tried to tell myself.

"You can't shoot him if I bring him over," she said, setting her hand on her hip.

"If he doesn't give me a reason to then I won't have to, will I?" I countered.

"Just watch your brother's game," she sighed. "Are you still taking Cohen tonight?"

"Of course I am," I said, taking a sip of my water. "It's Throwback Thursday and he's vastly undereducated in what good TV shows existed before this shit they put on for kids now. Did you pack a bag for the night?"

"Jude has it."

"Do you want to join us or do you have plans?"

"I have plans. It's Thirsty Thursday for me and I'm looking forward to being alone with my man."

"That was unnecessary," I said, making a face. "I don't want to know what you do in your private time. If you don't want me to shoot him, then you best not tell me what you two do alone."

"You're a little too protective, I hope you know."

"I have reason to be," I reminded her.

Lips tight, her nose scrunched up as she made a face and didn't argue. She didn't argue because she knew I was right. "Just watch the game, André."

"How's work going?" I asked. She changed jobs more than anyone I knew but it wasn't a lack of commitment, it was her trying to find her place in the world.

"Fine I guess," she shrugged. "I don't know what I want."

I knew that very well. We'd grown up in the mob life, not something that happened by choice but something we were born into. Cally didn't want to be a part of it but after years of it being all we knew, she didn't know what she wanted and spent her first couple years in college just partying while she tried to discover herself. Then mom died, and dad abandoned us. Cally cleaned up immediately to take charge over Cohen.

She didn't want him to feel lost like she did, unsure of what to do with her life when all her decisions were made for her until she was eighteen. She wanted him to have the freedom to decide what he wanted without anything influencing it. I wanted that for him, as well. For her too. My ship already sailed, but theirs didn't have to. They could still have a sense of vague normalcy, they just would always have guards around them. They could distance themselves from the life all they wanted but I was still firmly in it, and as long as I was in it, they were targets.

"Can you take Cohen overnight Saturday?" She asked. "Some of my friends wanted to have a girl's night and I usually say no, but..."

"I don't know why you ever say no," I said honestly. "I will take him any night you want off. He's always welcome, you know that."

"I just didn't know if you were busy and it's last minute."

"I've said before and will say again, Cally," I said, looking over at her. "It doesn't matter if it's last minute. I will always take him whenever you need. What's happening for girl's night?"

"Oh, they're doing a bunch of stuff," she said. "I was only going to join in for dinner and then drink afterwards at Rida's place."

"Are you skipping the other stuff because you want to or because you're worried about me taking Cohen?"

"No, I know you'll take him," she shrugged, wrapping her arms around herself.

"What's the other stuff they're doing?"

"Nothing important," she shrugged. "They're just all going for mani-pedi's ahead of time and that fancy new place downtown."

Fancy new place downtown. Mani-pedi's. I knew my sister. That was exactly her speed, exactly something she would love to do. If she knew I'd take Cohen, there was only one other reason she wouldn't be going for that part of it too.

"So then it's a money issue," I commented.

"André, I swear to God..."

"Calista, you take care of our brother, feed him, put a roof over his head, give him everything he needs," I pointed out, taking out my wallet and thumbing through the cash, handing her a couple hundreds. "Don't act like this is a handout when you're taking care of the most important person in the world to both of us. Go do your girl's night and have fun. For once, don't worry about anything. If that's possible. Cohen and I will be fine, and you know I have the money."

"I don't need the money."

"I don't think you do," I said, raising an eyebrow. "But I want to give it to you, and I can hardly even call it giving with all you do for our family."

"Fine, but I'm not happy about it," she said, snatching the money and trying to look away before I could see the smile.

"Fine, don't be happy about it," I shrugged. "I hope you have a terrible time and you're filled with guilt for every perfectly manicured step you take."

"Asshole," she said with a breathy laugh before we both turned our attention to Cohen as the ball was kicked to his end of the field.

Everything else was fucked, but I'd kill for my siblings. I already had, but I'd kill more for them. Even if the kill was a nosy FBI agent. I'd take the heat as long as it meant they stayed protected.