"So what do we do?"
"We watch her. If she shows up at that courthouse, we'll know. But until then, we don't act." I met Giulio's eyes. "And we don't tell Piero. Not yet. He's still recovering. This would destroy him."
"Understood." Giulio made notes on his tablet. "I'll have someone keep eyes on Rosa this morning. See where she goes, who she contacts."
"Do it. But be discreet. If she is working with Viktor, she'll be watching for surveillance."
"Understood."
The pieces were moving into place. Viktor's surprise witness. Rosa's suspicious presence at Pier 76. The corrupted FBI agent.
It all pointed to one conclusion. But without proof, I couldn't act.
Not yet.
"And?" Cesare asked.
"Three agents on the case have financial irregularities. Unexplained income, offshore accounts. But nothing directly linking them to Viktor yet."
"If Viktor exposes FBI corruption at the hearing, it doesn't just get him released. It destroys the entire case. All evidence becomes questionable."
"Fruit of the poisonous tree," Cesare agreed. "One corrupted agent taints everything."
"So how do we stop it?"
Cesare and Giulio exchanged glances. The unspoken answer hung between them: we might not be able to.
"We prepare for the worst," Cesare said finally. "Viktor walks, we're ready to move immediately. Protection for you, for Piero, for anyone Viktor might target."
"I'm not hiding."
"I know. But you're also six weeks pregnant. We take precautions."
The wordpregnantstill felt surreal. A life growing inside me whilst everything around us threatened to collapse.
Twenty minutes later, Piero arrived in a wheelchair, looking marginally better than yesterday but still pale and drawn.
A nurse pushed him in, muttering about stubborn patients who wouldn't stay in bed.
"Brother," Piero greeted. "Big day."
"You should be resting," Cesare said.
"So should you. Yet here we are." Piero looked at me. "How are you holding up,cognata?"
"I’m terrified, angry, and ready to end this," I admitted with an exhausted sigh. Though I’d slept the night before, the exhaustion felt bone-deep. It had to be the pregnancy.
"Good. Fear keeps you sharp. Anger keeps you moving. And being ready—that's what matters."
Piero, Cesare, and Giulio discussed strategy—what to expect at the hearing, how to respond if Viktor was released, contingency plans stacked on contingency plans.
"I want to be there," Piero said. "At the courthouse. Not inside, but nearby. In case things go sideways."
Cesare shook his head. "You're barely healed. If shooting starts—"
"Then I'll be in a wheelchair with a gun. Better than sitting here useless."
The Monti stubbornness ran deep in both brothers.
