He was right. That was the real danger. Not criminal charges but professional destruction. The kind of damage that couldn't be fixed with money or threats or violence.
"Then we make sure his reputation stays intact. When this assault case is over and we've won decisively, Emilio will be known as the attorney who defended against a corrupt prosecution and exposed witness tampering." I leaned forward. "That's the narrative we build. Not 'bought attorney' but 'brilliant defender who saw through lies.'"
"And Antonio?" Matteo asked. "What do we do about him while we're building narratives?"
"We make it clear that threatening Emilio again would be the last mistake he ever makes." I looked at each of them. "But we do it carefully. Nothing that ties back to us. Nothing that gives the FBI ammunition for their RICO case."
"I can handle that," Matteo said. Eager. Ready for violence.
"Not yet. First we see what happens with the board meeting." My phone buzzed. Text from Thomas:Dropped Mr. Rossi at Sterling. He looked confident.
Good. Emilio would need that confidence.
"There's another issue," Elio said, pulling out his own phone. "I received a message this morning about someone tryingto gather intelligence on our operations. Young man. Mid-twenties. Been asking questions about Inferno's security, our business practices, who handles what."
"Another Costello plant?" Luca asked.
"Possibly. Or someone else trying to take advantage of our current distraction." Elio showed us a grainy security photo. "Vincent's tracking him but so far he's been careful. Professional."
I studied the image. Dark hair. Athletic build. Expensive clothes that didn't quite fit the neighborhood he'd been spotted in. "Keep watching him. If he makes a move, we'll handle it."
"Speaking of handling things," Matteo said, leaning back in his chair. "I still think we're being too soft on Antonio. He threatened Emilio with bombs. Sent his men to Emilio's apartment. That deserves more than a message delivered by some low-level enforcer."
"What do you suggest?" I asked, though I suspected I knew.
"I suggest we grab Antonio. Bring him somewhere private. Have a very clear conversation about what happens when you threaten people under our protection." Matteo's smile was cold. "Then we let him go with injuries that'll take months to heal. Physical reminders every time he looks in the mirror."
"Too risky with the trial coming up," Elio countered. "If Antonio shows up beaten right before he's supposed to testify against us, the judge will assume we intimidated him. That's grounds for obstruction charges."
"So we wait until after the trial. Then we handle him properly." Matteo looked at me. "But we need to do something before then. He's still out there recruiting allies. Still building his coalition. If we wait too long, we'll be fighting multiple families instead of just the Costellos."
He had a point. Antonio was getting bolder. The bomb threat had been designed to terrorize, not kill. But next time he might escalate to actual violence instead of theatrical threats.
"Here's what we do," I said, making the decision. "Today we focus on keeping Emilio employed and safe. Tomorrow we send another message to Antonio. Not violence. But something that makes it clear we're watching him. That we know about his meetings with other families. That we're not intimidated by his coalition building."
"What kind of message?" Luca asked.
"The kind that reminds him we have leverage he doesn't want exposed." I pulled up files Vincent had compiled. "Antonio has a gambling problem. Owes money to three different bookies. His family doesn't know because they'd see it as weakness. If they found out, his position in the organization would be compromised."
"So we threaten to expose him to his own family?" Elio looked thoughtful. "That's elegant. Hits him where he's vulnerable without creating evidence against us."
"Exactly. We leak information to his father. Make sure old man Costello knows his son's been gambling away family money. Antonio gets punished by his own people. We stay clean." I closed the files. "After the trial, if he's still a problem, then Matteo can have his conversation. But until then, we play this smart."
My phone rang. Richard Sterling. I answered on the second ring.
"The board meeting just ended," Richard said without preamble. "I pushed hard for Emilio's withdrawal. Presented all the arguments about liability and safety. The managing partners were inclined to agree."
"Were?" I caught the past tense.
"Emilio made his case. Said he wasn't abandoning a client because of threats. Said that setting that precedent would destroy the firm's reputation more than any liability exposure. Said if we forced him to withdraw, he'd resign and finish the case independently." Richard paused. "He was very convincing."
"So he's staying?"
"He's staying. Against my better judgment and the managing partners' concerns. But he made it clear this was non-negotiable." Another pause. "He also said that if anything happened to him because of this case, we shouldn't hold you responsible. That he was choosing this with full awareness of the risks."
My chest tightened with something I didn't want to name. Pride, maybe. Or possession. Or the dangerous combination of both.
"Thank you for letting me know."
