"You infiltrated a criminal organization wearing a wire and carrying a hidden camera. That's evidence you were gathering intelligence, possibly for your father's FBI cooperation. They could spin that a dozen different ways." I gripped his shoulders. "I'm not letting them take you, Stefan. I'm not letting them use you as a weapon against us or against yourself."
"So you're locking me up?" His voice was sharp. Hurt. "I just escaped one cage, Matteo. I just chose freedom. And now you're putting me right back in one?"
The accusation stung because it was true.
"I'm trying to protect you."
"By controlling my movements? By posting guards? By making sure I can't leave without your permission?" Stefan pulled away. "That's exactly what my father did. Controlled where I went. Who I saw. What I could do. Told me it was for my own good. For my protection."
"This is different—"
"Is it?" His eyes held mine. "Or are you just another man deciding what's best for me without asking what I actually want?"
The words hit like a punch to the gut.
Because he wasn't wrong.
I'd made the decision to increase security without consulting him. Had posted guards without explaining why. Had restricted his movement without asking if that's what he wanted.
I'd become exactly what I'd promised I wouldn't be: another person controlling Stefan's life.
"Fuck." I dragged a hand through my hair. "You're right. I should have talked to you first. Should have explained the situation and let you decide how to handle it."
"But you didn't." Stefan's voice was quieter now. Hurt underneath the anger. "You just decided. Like I don't get a say in my own safety."
"Because the thought of losing you terrifies me." The admission came out raw. "The thought of FBI agents grabbing you, pressuring you, hurting you—it makes me want to burn down the entire federal government. So I did what I always do. I tried to control the situation. Tried to eliminate the threat before it could touch you."
"By putting me back in a cage."
"By keeping you safe." I moved toward him. "I know it feels like the same thing. I know the restrictions are similar to what your father did. But Stefan—I'm not trying to control you because I think you're weak or useless. I'm trying to protect you because you matter more to me than anything else."
"Intentions don't change the result." Stefan's voice cracked slightly. "I'm still locked down. Still can't move freely. Still dependent on you for permission to leave. That's a cage, Matteo. Even if you're building it out of concern instead of contempt."
He was right. Completely, devastatingly right.
"What do you want me to do?" I asked. "Remove the guards? Let you move freely even though the FBI might grab you? Pretend there's no threat?"
"I want you to ask me what I want instead of deciding for me." Stefan's eyes were bright with unshed tears. "I want you to treat me like a partner instead of something precious you need to lock away. I want—" He stopped. Took a breath. "I want to feel like I'm choosing to stay instead of just accepting another version of captivity."
The words destroyed me.
I'd promised Stefan freedom. Choice. Agency over his own life. And at the first sign of real danger, I'd taken it all away without even asking.
"I'm sorry," I said. "You're right. I should have talked to you. Should have explained the threat and let you decide how to handle it."
"So tell me now." Stefan crossed his arms. "Explain exactly what the FBI could do. What they might charge me with. What leverage they have. All of it."
I took a breath and laid it out.
The FBI's interest in Stefan as a potential witness. The fact that his infiltration attempt gave them legal grounds to question him. The possibility they'd try to pressure him into testifying about Giuseppe's operations or ours. The threat of charges if he refused to cooperate—conspiracy, racketeering by association, obstruction of justice.
"They could argue you were part of Giuseppe's criminal enterprise," I explained. "That you were gathering intelligence on his orders. That makes you complicit in whatever he was doing. They could offer you immunity in exchange for testimony. And if you refuse, they could charge you and use the threat of prison to force cooperation."
Stefan's face was pale by the time I finished. "So I'm trapped either way. If they grab me, I either betray you or face federal charges."
"Yes."
"And the guards? The restrictions? That's to prevent them from grabbing me in the first place?"
