"It means we're exposing Winston tonight instead of tomorrow. The information goes out in the next two hours." He pulled on his shirt. Looked at me. "Get dressed. You need to be there. This affects you most of all."
I got dressed quickly. My hands were shaking. Not from fear. From anticipation.
This was it. The point of no return.
We drove back to Inferno in tense silence. Elio's hand found mine. Squeezed.
"Whatever happens," he said, "you're protected. I protect what's mine. Remember that."
"I remember."
We walked into Inferno together. Into the conference room where Sandro, Matteo, and Luca were already waiting.
This was it. The moment everything changed.
I sat down next to Elio and prepared to watch my father's empire burn.
And I didn't feel guilty.
I felt free.
CHAPTER 10: ELIO
THE CONFERENCE ROOMwas tense when Julian and I walked in at 3:30 AM.
Sandro was already at the table, laptop open, face grim. Matteo stood by the window, arms crossed, radiating controlled violence. Luca sat with his usual careful composure, but his eyes were sharp. Alert.
"What happened?" I asked, taking my seat. Julian sat beside me, close enough that our shoulders touched. I didn't move away.
"Winston's people found Antonio Greco," Sandro said without preamble. "One of our informants in Chicago. They questioned him. Extensively. He didn't give up anything useful, but it means Winston knows someone's been asking questions about his FBI connections. He's getting paranoid. Tightening security. We need to move now before he locks down completely."
"How's Antonio?" Matteo asked.
"Alive. Hospitalized. He'll recover." Sandro looked at me. "But this changes the timeline. We can't wait until tomorrow. We need to leak the Winston-Watson information tonight. Within the next few hours."
Julian spoke up. "If we just leak it directly to the families, they'll know it came from someone with inside access. Winston will immediately suspect me. The Vitales will be implicated."
"What do you suggest?" Sandro asked.
Julian leaned forward, hands clasped on the table. "We give the information to a journalist. Someone who'll investigate immediately and publish it independently. That way it looks like investigative reporting instead of mob retaliation. The Vitales can act shocked along with everyone else. You distance yourself from the leak while still achieving the goal."
Luca sat up straighter. "That's smart. The families will focus on the reporter and the FBI, not on who might've provided the initial tip."
"Do you know any journalists we can trust?" Sandro asked Julian.
"Several. I did pseudonymous writing for small publications while I was in school. Built connections in investigative journalism circles. There's one in particular who'd be perfect for this. Valentino Russo. He's been investigating FBI corruption for years. Has a reputation for protecting his sources and publishing the truth regardless of consequences. If we give him this, he'll verify it independently and run with it by breakfast time."
"How do we know he won't expose us as the source?" Matteo asked.
"Because protecting sources is sacred to him. He's been threatened, sued, even arrested for refusing to reveal sources. He won't break that." Julian looked at each of them. "But I should warn you—he's idealistic and stubborn. He'll need convincing that this is legitimate and not just fabricated evidence meant to start a war."
"I'll handle making contact," Luca said. "I can be very convincing. If this Valentino Russo is as principled as you say, I can frame this as exposing corruption. Give him something real to investigate. He'll do the rest."
Sandro looked at Luca. Raised an eyebrow. "You sure you want to handle this personally? We could send—"
"I'll do it." Luca's tone was final. "If we're trusting a journalist with information this sensitive, I want to manage the contact myself. Make sure it's done right."
"Fine," Sandro said. "Julian, send Luca everything you have on Valentino Russo. Contact information, background, anything that'll help. Luca, you make contact within the hour. Frame it as a tip from a concerned source. Give him enough to verify independently. Let him think he's uncovering this himself."
