Come back to me.
Please come back to me.
CHAPTER 12: ELIO
I SEALED THEsafe room door and stood in my office listening to the sounds of the raid happening throughout the building.
Every instinct I had screamed to go back inside. To stay with Julian. To protect him directly instead of leaving him alone in that small room while chaos erupted around us.
But I couldn't. I had responsibilities. A club to protect. Partners who depended on me. Employees who needed direction. If I disappeared into the safe room with Julian, it would raise questions I couldn't answer.
So I forced myself to walk away from the bookshelf concealing him and focus on the immediate crisis.
My phone buzzed. Text from Sandro:Diana's on her way. Stall them until she gets here. Don't let them seize anything without her reviewing the warrant first.
Diana Martinez. Our lawyer. The same one who'd gotten us through the RICO trial. If anyone could handle federal agents with an overly broad warrant, it was her.
I went to the main floor where agents were herding employees into groups. They'd separated everyone by department. Bartenders in one corner. Security in another. Kitchen staff against the far wall.
The lead agent—tall, white, early forties with the kind of confidence that came from federal authority—approached me.
"Elio Marino?"
"Yes."
"Special Agent Tom Patterson. We have a warrant to search these premises." He held out paperwork. "You're welcome to review it while we conduct our search."
I took the warrant but didn't look at it. "My attorney is on her way. You'll wait for her arrival before seizing anything."
"We have legal authority to—"
"And I have legal counsel who'll ensure you follow proper procedure. You can search while we wait for her. But nothing leaves this building until she reviews that warrant and confirms its scope."
Patterson's jaw tightened. "Mr. Marino, obstruction of a federal investigation is—"
"Not what I'm doing. I'm exercising my legal rights. You can proceed with your search. You just can't remove evidence until my attorney confirms you're operating within the bounds of your warrant." I met his eyes. "Unless you'd like to explain to a federal judge why you refused to allow counsel to review documentation before seizing property?"
He stared at me for a long moment. Then nodded curtly. "Fine. But the clock's ticking. If your lawyer isn't here in thirty minutes, we proceed without her."
"She'll be here in fifteen."
I walked away before he could respond. Pulled out my phone and texted my security team:Cooperate fully. Record everything. Every search, every question, every item they touch. Multiple cameras. I want documentation of their entire presence here.
Responses came back immediately.Already on it. Every agent's being recorded from multiple angles.
Good. If they overstepped, we'd have proof.
I found Matteo in the security office. He was watching agents search the space with barely contained violence radiating off him.
"The moles?" I asked quietly.
"Locked in the basement storage room. Secured before the agents arrived. They don't know we have them." His voice was low. Controlled. "We'll handle them after this is over."
"And Stefan?"
"Safe room in our apartment. He's watching on remote monitors but he's protected."
I nodded. Of course Matteo had secured Stefan first. Just like I'd secured Julian.
