"Done. Let me call Diana. See if she'll take the RICO case too."
"She will. For the right price." He finished buttoning his shirt. "Emilio, this is serious. Life in prison serious. Are you sure you want to be part of this?"
"I'm sure. We handle it together. Like everything else."
The next two weeks were brutal.
I worked eighteen-hour days reviewing the evidence the FBI had compiled. Transaction records showing suspicious wire transfers. Recordings of conversations between the partners. Witness statements from former employees who'd turned informant.
Vincent Paglia had given them everything. Every financial irregularity. Every questionable transaction. Every piece of the organizational structure. The FBI had built a comprehensive case that would be extremely difficult to beat.
Diana agreed to represent all four partners. She brought in two additional attorneys from her firm. We set up a war room at her office and started building the defense.
I consulted on strategy. Reviewed every document. Identified weaknesses in the prosecution's timeline. Built arguments for why legitimate business transactions were being misconstrued as criminal activity.
Sandro watched me work with something like wonder.
"Why are you doing this?" he asked one night when I was still at his estate at 2 AM reviewing bank records.
"Because I love you."
"That's not enough of a reason to destroy your career completely."
"It's the only reason that matters." I looked up from the spreadsheet. "You're facing life in prison. I'm not going to sit on the sidelines and watch that happen. I'm going to fight for you with everything I have."
"Even though it means becoming exactly what you hated three months ago? A corrupt attorney who helps criminals avoid justice?"
"You're not a criminal. You're a businessman who operates in gray areas. There's a difference."
"The FBI doesn't see a difference."
"Then we make them see one." I went back to the records. "Now let me work. I think I found something in the wire transfer documentation that could help."
He came up behind me. Wrapped his arms around my shoulders. Rested his chin on top of my head. "I don't deserve you."
"Probably not. But you're stuck with me anyway."
One week after the verdict in the assault trial, federal agents arrived at Inferno at 6 AM with arrest warrants.
I got the call from Sandro at 6:23. "They're arresting me. Matteo, Elio, and Luca too. We're being processed downtown. Bail hearing's this afternoon."
"I'll be there. Don't say anything without your attorney present."
"I know the drill, Emilio."
"I know you do. But I'm telling you anyway because I love you and I'm terrified." My voice cracked slightly. "Please be careful."
"Always. I'll see you at the hearing."
I called Diana immediately. She was already on her way to the federal courthouse. I met her there at noon. We spent two hours preparing arguments for why bail should be granted.
At 2 PM, all four partners were brought into the courtroom in handcuffs. I watched Sandro shuffle in wearing an orange jumpsuit. Hair mussed. No tie. No expensive suit. Just another defendant facing federal charges.
Our eyes met. He gave me that small nod.
I nodded back. Tried to project confidence I didn't entirely feel.
The bail hearing was perfunctory. The prosecution argued all four defendants were flight risks with substantial resources and international connections. They recommended remand without bail.
