Outside, Bruno is waiting by the car, leaning against the hood. "How'd it go?"
"He'll leave." I get in the passenger seat. "He's smart enough to know when he's beaten."
"And if he's not? If he tries something stupid?"
"Then we finish this the hard way." I close my eyes briefly. "But he won't. He knows I'm serious."
Bruno starts driving, pulling away from the restaurant.
My phone buzzes in my pocket. Another text from Tommy.
Tommy: Costa girl just left her house. Heading to the port. Same two bodyguards with her.
The port. Where everything went wrong. Where I failed her.
Me: Keep your distance. Don't let her see you.
Tommy: Copy that.
I lean my head back against the seat, exhaustion washing over me. Liana is at the port right now. Working. Running her father's business operations.
This is what she wanted all along. What she fought for with every chaotic act.
To be taken seriously. To be in charge. To be more than just someone's wife.
And I tried to take that away from her without even realizing it.
"Boss?" Bruno glances at me with concern. "You okay?"
"No." I close my eyes. "But I will be."
"When this is over with the Benedettis?"
"When she's safe." I open my eyes and look out at the city passing by. "When I know the Benedettis can never touch her again. When I've proven—to her father, to her, to myself—that I can actually protect her the way I should have from the beginning. Then maybe I'll be okay."
"And if she still doesn't want you back after all this?"
"Then at least I'll know I did the right thing," I say finally. "For once in this entire mess."
Bruno doesn't respond, understanding that there's nothing to say.
We drive in silence through the city streets.
My phone buzzes again. This time it's a photo from Sal.
Another picture of Liana, at the port now. Standing between two massive shipping containers. The two bodyguardsflanking her protectively. She's talking to someone I can't see, gesturing with her hands, clearly in the middle of conducting business.
She looks confident. Powerful. Completely in her element.
This is who she really is beneath all the acts and games.
And I never saw it. Never bothered to look closely enough.
I save the photo, adding it to the small collection I've been keeping. Even if I can't have her, I need to remember this moment.
Who she is. What she deserves. Why I'm doing all of this.
By the end of the week, the Benedettis will be gone from this city.
