"It was Salvatore's idea. All of it. The car bomb. The timing. The cover story. He planned everything. I just... I just executedit. I'm not a murderer by nature. I was protecting my family's interests. Securing my niece's future."
"By murdering your brother." Thomas DeLuca's disgust was obvious. "You killed Antonio Romano, a respected don who'd done nothing wrong except try to protect his daughter. And you did it for power and a marriage alliance."
"Salvatore said it was necessary. That Antonio was becoming a liability. That the marriage to Aria would benefit everyone. I didn't... I didn't know he'd be this brutal about enforcing it."
The Council erupted. Questions firing from all sides. Vincent trying to answer while simultaneously throwing my father under the bus as hard as possible.
Finally, Father Benedetto called for silence.
"Enough. We've heard sufficient testimony." He looked at his fellow Council members. "This is exactly the kind of betrayal that threatens our entire system. If dons can murder each other over personal desires without consequences, we descend into chaos. The codes that govern us become meaningless."
"Agreed." Giovanni nodded firmly. "Salvatore Accardi has violated multiple sacred laws. Murder of another don. Conspiracy. Territory violations. This cannot stand."
The Council members conferred quietly for several minutes. I stood there, arm throbbing, heart pounding, waiting for their decision.
Everything depended on this moment.
Finally, Father Benedetto stood.
"The Council has reached a decision. Don Salvatore Accardi is hereby stripped of his title and position. He is to be arrested and brought before this Council to answer for his crimes. His assets will be frozen. His operations suspended. Kai Accardi will assume control of the family with our backing, effective immediately."
Relief hit so hard I nearly staggered. Marco's hand on my shoulder steadied me.
"We're providing you with twenty armed men under Councilauthority. Bring Salvatore in. Alive. We want him to face proper justice, not a bullet in the dark. Do you understand?"
"Completely. I'll bring him in alive."
"Good. You have three days before the scheduled wedding. Plenty of time to secure your father and retrieve the girl. Once that's done, we'll convene again to discuss the Romano situation and what happens to Vincent." Father Benedetto's expression softened slightly. "Your mother would be proud, Kai. You've done what she couldn't. Brought him down through law instead of violence."
The meeting adjourned. Council members filed out, leaving me and Marco alone in the chamber.
"We did it." Marco's voice was awed. "Holy shit, we actually did it. You pulled it off."
"We pulled it off. Couldn't have done any of this without you." I gripped his shoulder. "Now comes the hard part. Getting Aria out alive."
"The Council gave you twenty men. That's more than enough to storm the estate, arrest your father, and get Aria to safety."
"Need you to coordinate with Lia. Make sure she knows we're coming. Have her get Aria ready to move fast when we breach the property." I pulled out my phone. Started typing a message. "Also need Mrs. Rossi in on this. She can help from inside."
"On it. What's our timeline?"
"Tonight. We move tonight. I'm not giving my father another day with Aria. Not another hour if I can help it."
This was it. The last chance I had. Either I got Aria out tonight or she'd be married to my father before I could stop it.
And if it came down to dying to save her? I'd do it without hesitation. Would take as many bullets as necessary as long as she walked away free.
Because that's what love was. Not the pretty romance novel version. The real thing. The kind that made you willing to burn everything down, including yourself, to protect the one person who made lifeworth living.
Aria had changed me. Made me better. Given me something to fight for beyond revenge.
And I'd be damned if I let her down now.
"Marco. I need you to promise me something."
"Here we go. Nothing good ever follows those words."
"If it comes down to a situation where you have to choose between saving me and saving Aria, you choose Aria. Every time. No hesitation."
