I took my last drag of the cigarette, then stubbed it out in the ash tray, extinguishing the crimson light. I took a deep breath in and closed my eyes.

When I opened them, I saw the thousands of blinkering city lights. I smiled to myself. All of these buildings, I thought, they are practically my possessions, however, I still wasn’t happy. I could have anything I wanted and in just a single flick of a knife, it could be mine.

I was unlike my father and my mother and all my aunts and uncles. Their mafia schemes didn’t impress me, nor make me happy.

I needed to break free from this. I would expose them.

That’s actually why I was here, on this balcony. I was going to show everyone who they really were. That’s what they deserved.

People may ask me why I would betray my family, why I would break them. But they betrayed me first. When they threatened my friend and then killed her parents, or when they broke into a kid at school’s house when I was ten. At thirteen I thought that maybe they were okay, now, at 23, I know I will do anything to stop them.

Growing up in a family like mine, you learn that you need to have plans if you want to succeed. So that is what was on my mind as I reached out to the door handle to enter the speakeasy to meet with a police.

As much as I hated the law, I hated my family more. I was serious when I said that I would do anything to stop them.

I opened the glass door and walked in.

- - - - - - - -

The bar was nice and classic. Gold adorned the high ceiling and columns as velvet draped all around the room. The light from the windows was hypnotizing as it ignited the room.

One of these beams of sunlight landed on a man sitting in a chair. Not just any man, Officer Boursaw, the man I was supposed to see. His messy black hair and the fact that he was lazily resting his hand on his freckled face gave me the impression that he didn’t actually care about his job. That, and the fact that he recommended we meet at a speakeasy. This was both relieving socially and disappointing legally.

He looked up and found me standing as if I was lost and waved excitedly.

“Good evening Anna Gallo, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?”

I took the seat across from him and spoke, “I have something worth revealing.