"Congratulations, by the way. On the baby. Six weeks, I hear? Such a delicate time. So many things can go wrong."
The threat was unmistakable. My hand went protectively to my stomach.
Cesare moved between us, blocking Viktor's view of me. "If you touch her—"
"You'll what? You're barely standing, Cesare. You were shot. Your brother nearly died. Your entire organization is compromised." Viktor leaned in close. "And now I know everything. Every plan. Every secret. Because Rosa has been mine for months. Not FBI.Mine."
The revelation hit like a freight train. Rosa wasn't just FBI; she was working for Viktor.
"Enjoy what's left of your empire," Viktor said, stepping back. "I'll be taking the rest of it. Starting with your wife."
He walked away.
Giulio appeared at our side. "Boss, we need to move. Now. This building isn't secure."
We exited quickly, surrounded by security. Outside, cameras flashed. Reporters shouted.
In the SUV, speeding away from the courthouse, I finally spoke: "Rosa is Viktor's spy. Not Sofia. Rosa."
"For how long?" Cesare asked Giulio.
"I don't know. But if she's been feeding him information for months—"
"Then he knows everything. Every safehouse. Every plan. Every weakness." Cesare's voice was hollow. "We're completely exposed."
My hand stayed on my stomach, protecting the life inside. The life Viktor had just threatened.
"What do we do?" I whispered.
Cesare looked at me, gray eyes hard as steel. "We disappear. Tonight. Before Viktor makes his next move."
"Disappear where?"
"I don't know yet. Somewhere he can't find us. Somewhere safe."
But we both knew: with Rosa knowing everything, nowhere was truly safe.
Viktor was free. And the war had just begun.
CHAPTER 22
Cesare
The call from Agent Muñoz came three weeks after the disastrous bail hearing.
Three weeks of Viktor being free. Three weeks of looking over our shoulders, waiting for his next move.
Three weeks of discovering that Rosa's evidence had been fabricated, just like we’d pointed out in court. They’d done their due diligence and confirmed the claim, but it was too late. We were already on edge and being hunted.
Rosa had been removed from the FBI immediately and was being processed internally, compromising several dozen other operations she’d been involved in before going dirty with Viktor.
"Mr. Monti. I wanted to inform you personally. Viktor Kozlov accepted a plea deal this morning."
My hand tightened on the phone. "What kind of deal?"
"After Rosa was arrested for perjury and conspiracy, her entire testimony fell apart. We recovered communications between her and Viktor proving she fabricated the FBI evidence. Once that came to light, we refiled all charges against Viktor—with additional charges for witness tampering and obstruction of justice."
"So he wasn't actually free."
