He kissed me. Soft and sweet and full of emotion. "I'm going to spend the rest of my life proving you didn't make a mistake. That I'm worth what you've sacrificed."
"You already have."
We lay tangled together, skin to skin, hearts beating in sync. The ugliness of the auction felt distant now. Abstract. Like it had happened to different people in a different lifetime.
This was real. This warmth. This connection. This love that had grown in the darkest soil and bloomed anyway.
I traced patterns on his chest and let myself drift. Content. Safe. Exactly where I belonged.
Afterward, lying in his arms, I thought about Stefan Romano. About the defiance in his eyes. About Matteo's predatory focus.
About how their story was just beginning while ours was still being written.
And I hoped—desperately hoped—that whatever Matteo did, it wouldn't destroy us all.
But hope felt fragile tonight.
After seeing what I'd seen.
After understanding how deep the darkness went.
After realizing that loving Sandro meant being complicit in a world I'd once believed I could fight.
CHAPTER 26: SANDRO
THE RICO INDICTMENTSarrived three weeks after the auction.
I sat in my attorney's office and read through the charges. Racketeering. Money laundering. Extortion. Wire fraud. All four of us named. Matteo. Elio. Luca. Me. The federal prosecutors were seeking life sentences for all of us.
Diana Martinez looked grim as she walked me through the details. "This is substantial. Vincent Paglia's testimony is the centerpiece, but they've got eight months of financial records to support it. Recordings from the wire he wore. Witness statements corroborating the structure of your organization."
"How strong is their case?"
"Strong. But not unbeatable." She tapped the indictment documents. "There are procedural issues. Warrant scope problems. Questions about how they obtained some of this evidence. And Vincent's credibility is compromised by the embezzlement."
I called Emilio from the car on the way back to the estate. Told him the indictments came down. Asked him to come over so we could discuss it.
He arrived within an hour.
I handed him the documents and watched his face as he read. Expected fear. Panic. Maybe regret for tying himself to someone facing life in prison.
Instead his expression hardened with pure fury.
"This is bullshit," he said flatly. "Half of this evidence was obtained through warrants that were too broad. The surveillance was invasive beyond what's legally defensible. And Vincent's testimony is tainted because he was actively embezzling while gathering information for them."
He started making notes in the margins. Circling sections. Drawing connections. His legal mind already working on the defense.
"You're not scared?" I asked.
"I'm furious." He looked up at me. "They're trying to destroy you with evidence they obtained illegally. They're relying on testimony from a thief who had every incentive to manufacture evidence to save himself. This case has holes we can exploit."
I watched him dive back into the documents and felt something shift in my chest. He wasn't running. Wasn't second-guessing his choice. He was fighting.
For me.
"The trial's set for six months from now," I said. "I'm out on bail but I can't leave the city. I'll need to meet with the legal team constantly. Prepare testimony. Review evidence."
"Then I'm moving in." He said it like there was no other option. "We'll work on this together. Diana's good but she'll need help with strategy. I can consult."
