American Yakuza Ii by Isabella

Merging mafia crime tropes with high-stakes romance, The Lies That Bind continues the dark contemporary sapphic saga of Luce Potter and Brooke Erickson. Luce Potter runs her sprawling, illicit business empire with absolute control, but her world unravels when she is targeted by deep-seated betrayal and deception from within. To protect the woman she loves, Luce intentionally distances herself from Brooke, leaving Brooke devastated, isolated, and fighting to uncover the truth behind her partner's sudden rejection. The tension amplifies when Colby Water, a federal agent investigating Luce's ties to the Yakuza syndicate, realizes a personal deception from her own past is tangled in the case. The novel balances intense action, criminal intrigue, and a deeply emotional, protective lesbian relationship.