Iwoke at 6 a.m. to soft knocking on the hospital room door. Cesare was already awake beside me—alert despite the pain medication, his body tense with anticipation.
Today marked almost seven weeks since the wedding that changed everything.
And everything came down to today.
"Come in," Cesare called.
Giulio entered with coffee and grim determination etched into every line of his face. "Boss. We need to prep."
Cesare sat up carefully, wincing as the movement pulled at his chest. "Status?"
"Isabella is safe with her mother in a secure location. Sofia is ready to feed Viktor the false information about you not attending." Giulio paused. "And we have a problem."
Of course. There was always a problem.
"Show me," Cesare said.
Giulio pulled out his phone and played a voicemail on speaker. Agent Muñoz's voice filled the room, recorded at 11 p.m. last night.
"Mr. Monti. I wanted to give you advance warning. Viktor Kozlov's bail hearing is at 9 a.m. as scheduled. There's been a complication."
My stomach dropped. Complications were never good.
"Viktor's legal team filed an emergency motion last night. They're bringing in a surprise witness. Someone who claims to have evidence of FBI misconduct in Viktor's arrest."
Cesare's jaw clenched. Every muscle in his body went rigid.
The recording continued: "They wouldn't disclose that information. But Mr. Monti—if this witness is credible, if they can prove misconduct, Viktor walks. No bail, no conditions. Complete release."
The message ended.
Silence settled over the hospital room, heavy and foreboding.
"A surprise witness," I said slowly, processing the implications. "Someone claiming FBI misconduct. That's—"
"Viktor's insurance policy," Cesare finished. "The corrupted FBI agent Bianca warned us about. He's going to expose the corruption publicly, force the FBI to drop charges rather than face the scandal."
Giulio pulled up files on his tablet. "I've been digging into Agent Muñoz's team. Looking for anyone with connections to Viktor."
I hesitated, then decided to voice what had been bothering me since Pier 76. "There's something else. Rosa Vasquez."
Giulio looked up sharply. "Piero's assistant?"
"At the pier, during the rescue—Cesare saw her. She was with the FBI tactical team. Wearing their gear. Moving with them like she belonged."
"You think she's the corrupted agent?"
"I don't know what to think. She's been with the family for so long. But why would she be at a federal raid dressed like FBI unless she IS FBI?" I ran a hand through my hair. "It doesn't make sense. But neither does her being there."
Giulio's expression darkened. "Do you want me to take care of her? Before the hearing?"
The offer hung in the air. Simple. Clean. Permanent.
I considered it. If Rosa was the corrupted agent, if she was Viktor's surprise witness, eliminating her would solve the problem.
But—
"No," I decided. "I'm not one hundred percent sure it's her. And if I'm wrong, if we move against Piero's assistant based on a hunch—" I shook my head. "We can't risk it. Not without proof."
