This ends now.
I dial Tommy's number first.
"Boss?"
"Set up a secure line with my father and Roberto Bonacci. Tonight."
"Both of them? Together?"
"Together. It's time for a joint operation."
There's a pause. "You sure about this?"
I look back at Viviana, who's started setting the table for two, completely unaware that everything is about to change again.
"I'm sure. The Vergas want a war? We'll give them one. But on our terms."
"Who was that?" Viviana asks when I join her in the kitchen, but I can already tell from her expression that she knows something's shifted.
"Business." I sit down across from her, but my mind is already moving through tactical considerations. Entry points, timing, casualty assessments.
"What kind of business? Anything I should know about?"
I'm quiet for a moment, cutting my chicken with mechanical precision while I decide how much to tell her. She deserves the truth, but she also deserves to sleep tonight without nightmares.
"The kind that ends this. All of it."
Her fork freezes halfway to her mouth. "What do you mean?"
"I'm tired of running and hiding you away like some dirty secret. Tired of looking over my shoulder every time we step outside." I meet her eyes. "The Vergas won't stop, Viviana. They'll keep coming until they destroy both our families."
"What are you going to do?"
"What I should have done weeks ago. End them. Joint operation. Both families working together. One coordinated strike to eliminate the Verga organization completely."
She sets down her fork, and I know her appetite is gone.
"When?"
"Tonight."
"That's not much time to plan."
"It's enough." I reach across the table, taking her hand, feeling how cold her fingers are. "I know this is scary, but it's the only way we can have a real future. No more safe houses, no more hiding, no more looking over our shoulders."
"What if something goes wrong?”
"Don’t worry, nothing will go wrong." I tighten my grip on her fingers, wishing I could be as certain as I sound. "But if it does, if something happens to me, there's a protocol already in place. Tommy knows what to do. He'll get you somewhere safe."
"Don't talk like that. You’re scaring me."
"I have to. You need to understand what's at stake here."
"I understand perfectly. You're risking your life for me."
"I'm risking my life for us." I bring her hand to my lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. "For the future we talked about. For the chance to be together without all this hanging over us."
She's quiet for the rest of dinner, but I sense her mind working, processing the implications of what I've told her.
