"You know this could go very wrong," he said quietly.
"Everything since the wedding has gone wrong. This is just another complication."
"Is she worth it? Really worth risking everything?"
I didn't hesitate. "Yes."
Piero nodded slowly. "Then I'm with you. Whatever happens."
"You should stay here. Command center. If this goes south, someone needs to manage the fallout."
"Fuck that. You're my brother. Where you go, I go."
The solidarity meant more than I could articulate, even though it could jeopardize everything if we both ended up in harm’s way. "Thank you."
Paola emerged from the bedroom in dark jeans, a black sweater, her hair pulled back. She looked younger. Smaller. Vulnerable without the armor of designer clothes and diamonds.
But her eyes were determined.
I handed her a Kevlar vest. "Put this on."
"Do you really think—"
"Put it on. Non-negotiable."
She did, adjusting it over the sweater. Too big—sized for my men—but it would work.
I showed her a small panic button disguised as a phone charm. "Clip this to your belt loop. If anything happens—if we get separated, if you're in danger—you press this. It sends your location to every phone on our network."
"Okay."
"I mean it, Paola. Anything feels wrong, you press that button and you run. You don't wait for me. You don't try to be heroic. You survive. Understood?"
She met my eyes. "Understood."
I pulled her close, kissed her forehead. "I won't let anything happen to you."
"I know."
But we both knew that wasn't a promise I could actually keep.
The team assembled in my foyer at 3:30 a.m.—eight people total. Me, Paola, Piero, Giulio, and four security specialists. Rocco staying behind to monitor cameras and communications remotely. Matteo staying to manage contingencies.
I ran through the plan one more time:
"We enter through the basement garage. Service corridor to Viktor's building. We have a thirty-second window when the cameras loop—Rocco will handle that remotely. Three locked doors between us and Viktor's private elevator. Giulio's team handles those. We go up to Viktor's penthouse. Fast, quiet, professional. We locate Bianca and the documents. If Viktor is there, we handle him. Preferably without killing him—that would cause too many complications. But if necessary..." I left it hanging.
"We retrieve the documents, secure Bianca if possible, extract the same way we came in. Total time inside the building: fifteen minutes maximum. Any longer and response teams will arrive."
Giulio added: "Rules of engagement: no shots unless absolutely necessary. Suppressors on all weapons. We're ghosts. In and out."
Everyone nodded understanding.
Two vehicles—one SUV for me, Paola, Piero, and Giulio. A second for the security team.
The city at 3:45 in the morning was different—quieter, darker, more dangerous. Empty streets and shuttered storefronts. The hour when predators owned the night.
Paola sat in the back seat next to me, hand clasped in mine. Neither of us spoke. What was there to say? We were about to break into a rival Don's home, potentially kill her sister, steal documents that could destroy us.
