Page 109 of Precious Legacy

“Good,” Dad smirks, tapping my hand with his. “Because you’re stronger than any of that.”

“You’re only just realizing this?” Mom chimes in, tutting before sipping on her own coffee.

Dad only snorts at her little dig. I love their dynamic, even if my dad can be suffocating at times. I’ve since come to the understanding that it’s in his nature to want to protect us. I’ve felt so trapped by his words and actions that I didn’t stop to think about the reasons why he is the way he is.

“So what’s going to happen to Prescott?” I hesitate to ask, glancing at Roman.

“You don’t need to know, sweetheart.” Reaching a hand behind me, Dad strokes my back soothingly. “The less you know, the better.”

Frowning, I peer over my shoulder at him. “That’s…” I take a deep breath, but it does nothing to calm the rising inferno of rage within me. I have a right to know what’s going to happen to the dead body in my apartment. “That’s not fair,” I protest. “I want to know. I have a right to know.”

Varo steps forward, his eyes dark and filled with determination. Being twins, we have the exact same colored eyes, but Varo has this ability to portray his emotions through them; I swear they change color based on his mood. “You can’t know, Lani. Not if you’re going to be a cop,” he states.

My mouth gapes.Does he think I’ll betray him? Does he think I’m incapable of keeping his secrets?

“Prescott is dealt with,” Varo tells me assertively. “Now you just need to focus on what you want to do.”

“If you still want to join the NYPD, that is.” Dad smiles down at me, and it’s a comforting gesture that has me smiling back.

“I do,” I reply with conviction. It’s the one thing I haven’t changed my mind about. It’ll take a minute for this all to sink in, but I make a silent promise that I will get through the next few months. I still have my morals, even if they’re a little greyer than before. I want to make something of myself that doesn’t involve The Five, and even though that means I’ll have to cross lines to meet the needs of the family, I’m willing to do that. “There’ll be an inquiry into his death.”

Nobody has brought up the huge elephant in the room and I get the sense they don’t want to. Whether they’re aware of what Prescott did to me all those years ago or not, I’m grateful thateveryone is keeping quiet. After all, there’s nothing to be said. He’s dead and so are Ashton and his friend.

“We’ve got it covered.” Roman nods at my brother in confirmation.

“Someone will notice he’s missing, though!” I can’t stop the tumble of worries from falling out. “Anyone could have seen him last night, and it wouldn’t take much to put two and two together. Prescott can’t be the only one who knew who I was. Even Savannah figured it out!”

“Baby girl,” Dad says gently. “You don’t need to worry about any of that. Just focus on the academy and leave the rest to us.”

I don’t even know what that means, but I’m suddenly resentful that I never took the time to understand the family business as much as my brother. I can hazard a guess that it has something to do with covering mine and Roman’s asses, because it wasn’t me that killed Prescott last night. As much as I wanted it to be me, it was Roman that pulled the trigger.

I think I’ll forever be scarred from that moment, when time froze and my life flashed before my eyes. I’ll never forget the fear and panic that crawled through me as I fought for my life. But most of all, I’ll regret not letting Roman handle Prescott in the first place.

Maybe dad’s right, not knowing is safer for me. Whatever narrative Roman and my brother weave, I have to trust that it won’t come back on me.

“Cleanup is confirmed,” Ryder announces before pocketing his phone. His features are hauntingly similar to his son’s. The icy glare, the sharp jawline, the shadowy demeanor… they’re all Genovese traits that are both terrifying and captivating.

“Good,” Dad says before turning to Roman. “You think you can handle the rest?”

The rest?

“Haldon is already on it.”

“On what?” I interject. I’m starting to get really irritated by all the secrecy and vague conversations. Regardless of my plans to join the NYPD, I’m still a part of this family.

“It’s a surprise, Presh,” Roman smirks at me. I hate how delicious he looks, but more than that, I hate surprises and he knows it.

“Ro and I have a few things to tie up,” my brother announces, patting Roman on the back. They make a hasty exit before I can question them about why they’re being so secretive. I know that those two have their own relationship and I never want to come between that, but if it involves me, I’ll be the first to rip them a new one.

“We’re going to head out,” Ryder declares, wrapping his arm around his wife’s waist. “Sloan has some meetings.”

Sloan’s been such a valuable member of women’s support against domestic violence and abuse that she founded White Ribbon, a charity built to support and protect women who have become victims of assault. She’s always so busy with meetings and galas that it’s a wonder she has time for anything else. I can understand why she throws herself into the charity so much. She suffered a similar incident before Roman was born. While we don’t talk about it, we all know about it and what’s worse is Roman’s father was the one to dish the punishment out… on his own father no less.

That sort of trauma is something I admire her coming back from. It’s also why I offer her my appreciation when she stops beside me as she’s leaving to pull me into a hug. “You know where I am if you need to talk.”

I’m not sure I’m ready for that just yet, because I’m barely coming to terms with my own past. Even though it was five years ago, I’ve buried it for so long that it’s taken me until now to really acknowledgeeverything.

I should never have blamed Roman for what happened that night. Sure, he has his flaws, his own demons and regrets, but we were both just kids, blindly following our own motivations. Roman was mine, and I made the wrong call that night. But if there’s one thing I can say, it’s that I’ve learned from my mistakes. In more ways than one.

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