I couldn’t quite understand why the situation unsettled me so deeply. She was supposed to be nothing more than a pawn in this game—a means to an end, a debt to be collected. Yet, the prospect of causing her harm weighed heavily on my conscience. Even as I reminded myself that she was technically innocent, merely a product of her circumstances, I found myself battling with the reality of what I was about to do. The internal strugglemade every moment heavier, the line between obligation and morality blurring with each passing second.
As I moved cautiously through the shadow-filled rooms, my gaze lingered on the photographs that adorned the walls. Her face smiled back at me from the framed moments, an image of innocence untouched by the burdens her father would later impose upon her. Despite everything, she seemed untouched by the darkness that had overtaken our lives. Maybe in some ways she truly was still innocent. That realization didn’t stop me, though, as I pressed on, crossing her home with steady, deliberate steps, forcing myself to ignore the discomfort gnawing at my conscience.
With each glance at those captured memories, the weight of what I was about to do settled heavier on my shoulders. I tried to convince myself that my actions were justified, that I was only acting out of a need to protect those I loved—my family, my wife. But when I searched for logic, I found only self-preservation. I knew deep down that my motivation was the simple, desperate urge to save myself. Having a man like him as my father-in-law was a curse, not a blessing. He was the Devil and being married to his daughter would not bring me security or peace.
If anything, it sealed my fate. Because no matter what choice I made, no matter how far I went to protect my family, I was certain that eventually, the Devil would swallow my soul.
Moving upstairs, I proceeded slowly, methodically inspecting each room. I took careful note of the scattered belongings and the overwhelming sense of abandonment. With every door I opened, I tried to piece together what might have been left behind, until I suddenly froze, rooted to the spot by what I saw next.
There she was—lying motionless, on her bed. The sight of her unmoving form sent a jolt of shock through me.
I entered the room with utmost caution, my footsteps barely making a sound on the floor. Coming to a stop beside her, I was unsettled by her eyes—staring blankly, lifeless and wide. Instinctively, I extended a trembling hand, pressing my fingers gently against her neck, desperate to find even the faintest sign of a pulse. When none came, dread overtook me. I staggered backward, horror seizing my chest as I scanned the room for anything I had missed in my initial shock. Laid out on the bed, all around her, were photographs: images of us together in my downtown office, her bent over my desk, pain etched onto her face while I smiled—cruelly, unforgivably—at her suffering.
My thoughts reeled, unable to settle on any one idea, when suddenly a blinding flash of white pain erupted in my skull. Voices shouted all around me, “Freeze! You are under arrest!”
In an instant, I was slammed against the bedroom wall, police officers restraining me with force and conducting a thorough search of my person.
“Found the murder weapon!” one officer shouted from somewhere behind me, the words echoing through the chaos of the moment.
“What?” I protested, struggling against their grip. “I didn’t kill her! She was dead when I got here!” My voice was desperate, pleading—but I knew from the way the officers moved, they had already made up their minds.
The evidence was overwhelming—at least it appeared that way to the officers, who now regarded me as the prime suspect. Panic and disbelief warred inside me, but my protests fell on deaf ears. Any hope of explaining myself dissolved beneath the cold, unyielding gazes of law enforcement, as the truth of the situation seemed forever beyond my reach.
Suddenly, I realized it was no accident that I had found Kate like this—that bitch, Mischief, had this scene meticulously arranged to ensure I would be the one to take the fall.
I suddenly understood the cruel truth—she had orchestrated everything to frame me. Each word that cunt uttered, every seemingly harmless threat, came rushing back with new meaning. I could still see her in my memory, that sweet, deceptive smile on her lips as she sat in my home, pretending to offer help while subtly making it clear she was always one step ahead.
She was strategic in her manipulation, knowing that if she referenced theDevil, my thoughts would immediately turn to Crispin Sinclair. And she was right—I fell for her plan without hesitation. My ingrained fear of Sinclair made me easy to control, and she used that fear to remove me from the picture. But her motives were a mystery. I had never met her before; to my knowledge, she was a stranger. Yet, she seemed to know the most intimate details of my life—about me, my family, even my wife. She spoke fluently of the Biker Federation, the ongoing war, and alliances, as if she had been present through it all and I realized, too late, how easily I had walked into her trap.
“Massimo Vitale, you are under arrest for the murder of Katherine Barbari. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law—”
The room spun with the weight of accusation, every breath a struggle as reality closed in around me. My thoughts raced, searching desperately for some detail, some proof that could clear my name, but the walls seemed to shrink, trapping me within the nightmare that bitch Mischief had so meticulously crafted.
The officer’s monotone words droned in my ear, each syllable pressing in on my skull like a vise. Bright lights flickered overhead, casting harsh shadows on the battered walls, while the cold metal of his handcuffs bit sharply into my wrist—grounding me in a reality I desperately wanted to escape. Fury surged in myveins, drowning out logic and fear. I jerked against his grip, my pulse hammering.
“Oh, save it, asshole.” My voice was ragged, thick with defiance and desperation as I spat the words out, refusing to let them see the panic clawing at my insides. “I want my fucking lawyer.” My words echoed, half snarl, half plea—a last scrap of control in a world suddenly gone feral as I was dragged roughly from the room.
The officers wasted no time hauling me down to the precinct. The process was cold and clinical—I was fingerprinted, photographed, and then subjected to a humiliating strip search. Once the procedure was finished, they shoved me into a barren interrogation room. There were no windows—just a single metal desk and two metal chairs, the fluorescent lights above buzzing quietly.
I stared down at my cuffed hands, flexing my fingers to calm the tremor that threatened to give me away. The phone call remained a distant hope—a right, sure, but one they’d dangle just out of reach. I’d been through this before with the Chicago PD; they knew my face, my family name, and more important, so did District Attorney Miguel Santos. He lived for moments like this, when he could toy with a Vitale on his own turf. My mind flashed to our last encounter—Santos’s glare, his clipped words, the relish he took in every near miss. I braced myself for his games, swallowing panic and forcing my breathing steady, even as my heart tapped an erratic rhythm against my ribs.
The door swung open with a screech. Santos swaggered in, all sharp suits and sharper grin, his badge gleaming like a challenge. Flanking him, Officer Cimorelli fixed his gaze on the far wall—refusing to look at me like I knew he would—while two detectives hovered, their expressions set and hungry. I forced myself upright, jaw clenched, nerves sparking under my skin.
“Well, well. Are we skipping the small talk, Miguel?” I drawled, sliding into the metal chair with practiced ease. “You know, I almost missed your charming, welcoming committee.” My words tasted like steel—measured, laced with sarcasm, a feint to mask the tension in my shoulders.
Santos dropped a heavy file onto the table, the slap echoing around the sterile room. He didn’t sit right away—he dragged the chair back slowly, metal grating on tile, savoring each second. I felt the hairs on my arms rise, a cold sweat prickling at my collar. I pressed two fingers to my temple, feigning boredom while tracking every subtle move.
Santos finally lowered himself with deliberate calm. He thumbed through the file before splaying out a fan of crime scene photos—Kate, blood and regret splashed across glossy paper. He didn’t look at me. “You think you’re untouchable, Vitale?” His voice was silk stretched over gravel, that old edge of personal vendetta. “Chicago’s not your playground anymore.” He stabbed a finger at one of the pictures, lips curling. “You gift-wrapped the murder weapon for us, didn’t you?”
My throat tightened, but I let a crooked smile slip. “All this effort just for me? I’m flattered, really. But if you want a confession, you’ll need to do better than recycled threats.” I leaned in, eyes locked on his, refusing to flinch. “And I’ll say it again—lawyer.”
The detectives shifted, exchanging glances. Santos’s expression didn’t change, but I caught the flicker in his jaw. I let my eyes roam over each face—Cimorelli’s mask cracked fora half-second, gaze darting my way before he stiffened. “You know, I could make this easier for you,” I said, dropping my voice. “Maybe share a roster of the officers in this precinct who enjoy a little extra holiday cash from the Vitale family.”
That landed. Cimorelli’s fingers twitched around his cellphone, and he typed something fast, knuckles white. I hid my smirk, settling back, forcing an easy posture that felt like wearing someone else’s skin. In the silence, Santos and the detectives began circling, building their case with words sharp as knives—certain they already had me. But beneath my calm, my mind raced with everything I was going to do when I got my hands on that vile woman when the interrogation room door finally slammed open and there stood the cause of all my problems.
Grinding my back molars, I watched her stride into the interrogation room as if she owned it, her heels clicking with each step. Without hesitation, she slammed her hand down on the metal table, cutting through the tension in the air. My patience—already threadbare from Santos’s relentless needling and the suffocating presence of the detectives—frayed even further at the sight of her. My nerves prickled, every muscle tensing beneath my suit. I could sense the dangerous edge in the room; whatever move she was about to make, it wasn’t one I could predict. But one thing was certain: if the officers decided to leave us alone together, there was every possibility this would turn into a double homicide.
“Gentlemen, please tell me you are not talking to my client without his attorney present.” The words sliced through the tension in the room, her presence commanding immediate attention. She entered with authority, her posture unyielding, and her gaze locked onto the assembled detectives. The force of her arrival left no doubt—this was not her first time defending someone in a hostile interrogation room.
