"Mr. Rossi? Mr. Sterling would like to see you in his office when you have a moment."
A moment. That meant now. I gathered my notes and took the elevator two floors up to the executive level where the senior partners had their corner offices with views of the city.
Richard was already at his desk despite the early hour, reviewing something on his computer. He gestured for me to sit without looking up.
I waited.
After thirty seconds that felt like thirty minutes, he closed his laptop and focused on me. Really looked at me, assessing in that way senior partners did when they were deciding whether an associate was worth their time.
"You look like hell," he said finally.
"I've been working."
"I can see that." He pulled a thick folder from his desk drawer and slid it across the polished surface. "Background information on your client. Compiled by our investigator. You should read it."
I picked up the folder. It was heavier than the case file. "I've already reviewed—"
"Not the public records. The real background. Who he is, what he's done, why you should be very careful about how deep you get into this case." Richard's expression was unreadable. "I'm not going to lecture you. You're an adult. You made your choice. But you should know what you're choosing."
I tucked the folder under my arm. "Thank you."
"The preliminary hearing went well, by the way. Morrison's clerk mentioned your arguments were impressive. Keep that up."
I left before he could say anything else. Took the folder back to my office and locked the door. Sat at my desk with my hands on the manila cover and tried to decide if I wanted to open it.
I knew what would be inside. Evidence of the things Sandro had admitted and the things he'd left unsaid. Proof that he was exactly as dangerous as everyone kept warning me he was.
I opened it anyway.
The investigator had been thorough. Every arrest was documented with the full police report—not the sanitized versions available to the public, but the originals with all thedetails. The charges. The allegations. The evidence that had mysteriously disappeared or become inadmissible before trial.
Five arrests over ten years. I'd known that already. What I hadn't known were the specifics.
2017: Witness intimidation. Federal charges related to a RICO investigation. Three witnesses who were supposed to testify against Vitale's organization suddenly developed amnesia. Charges dropped due to lack of evidence.
2019: Conspiracy to commit murder. A rival businessman was killed in what police suspected was a contract hit. Evidence pointed to Sandro ordering it. The evidence disappeared from the police lockup. No witnesses came forward. Case closed as unsolved.
2021: Racketeering. Part of a broader federal investigation into organized crime. Eighteen months of investigation, hundreds of hours of wiretaps, dozens of witnesses interviewed. The case fell apart when the lead investigator was caught fabricating evidence. Everything thrown out. Sandro walked.
2023: Money laundering. Financial records showed suspicious transactions through shell companies. The accountant who'd provided the records was found dead three weeks before trial. Ruled a suicide. Charges dismissed.
And now, 2025: Assault. Matteo DeLuca breaking a man's arm in what was definitely excessive force disguised as self-defense.
I read through each case twice. The pattern was clear. Evidence disappeared. Witnesses recanted or died. Prosecutors found their cases collapsing from the inside.
But it was the last page that made my stomach turn.
A list of attorneys who'd previously represented Sandro Vitale. Seven names. Next to each name, notes about what had happened to them after.
Vincent Calabrese - Disbarred for witness tampering (2025)
Holly Fry - Disbarred for falsifying evidence (2023)
Rebecca Thorn - Resigned from practice, whereabouts unknown (2021)
David Wright - Convicted of obstruction of justice, currently serving 7 years (2019)
Anthony Rizzo - Disbarred for ethical violations (2017)
