"They did."
"I've been thinking about it. About maybe taking that on. Part time, alongside my journalism." He met my eyes. "It would be legitimate work. Helping with the transition to legal operations. Using my skills in a different way."
"You want to work for the organization?"
"I want to help make sure the transition succeeds. Want to use my skills to build something good." He leaned forward. "But only if you're okay with it. I don't want it to seem like I'm compromising my journalism again."
"You wouldn't be. This is different. Legitimate consulting work for a business going legal." I considered it. "You'd be good at it. And Stefan and Julian would value your expertise."
"So you think I should do it?"
"I think you should do whatever feels right to you. But yes, I think it could be good. For you and for us." I reached for his hand. "You're part of this now. Part of my life, my family, my world. Working with us on legitimate projects just makes sense."
"Okay." He squeezed my hand. "Then I'll talk to them. See what they need."
"They'll be thrilled."
We finished our coffee and started our day. Valentino disappeared into the office to work while I dealt with Inferno business. The domesticity of it felt surreal—both of us working in our shared space, occasionally emerging for more coffee or a quick kiss, living together like we'd been doing this for years instead of days.
Around noon, my phone rang. Sandro.
"We have a problem," he said without preamble. "Reeves is making moves. One of our contacts in the FBI says he's preparing to bring charges. Soon."
My blood went cold. "Against who?"
"All of us. But he's starting with you and Valentino. Building a conspiracy case around your relationship."
"Fuck."
"Emilio is on it. He's meeting with everyone in an hour. You need to be there." Sandro's voice was grim. "And Luca? Bring Valentino. He needs to hear this too."
"I will."
I hung up and went to find Valentino. He was at the desk in the office, surrounded by research materials, completely absorbed in work.
"We need to go," I said.
He looked up. "What happened?"
"Reeves is moving forward. Preparing charges." I grabbed my jacket. "Emilio wants to meet with us. All of us. Now."
The fear that flashed across Valentino's face mirrored my own. But he stood, closed his laptop, and reached for his coat.
"Okay. Let's go."
We drove to Sandro's estate in tense silence, both processing what this meant. The waiting was over. Reeves was making his move. And whatever happened next would determine everything.
When we arrived, everyone was already there, Emilio looking grim as he laid out documents on the conference table.
"Agent Reeves is preparing to bring charges against Luca and Valentino," Emilio said without preamble. "Conspiracy, obstruction, possibly RICO charges for Luca. He's building a case that Luca coerced Valentino into compliance and that Valentino knowingly protected criminal activity."
"Can he prove it?" Matteo asked.
"He has surveillance photos. He has the timing of Valentino's articles. He has witnesses who'll testify to the relationship." Emilio looked at Valentino. "He's going to paint you as either a victim or an accomplice. Either way, you're in trouble."
"What do we do?" Valentino's voice was steady despite the fear I knew he felt.
"We fight." Emilio spread out more documents. "We prove the articles were legitimate journalism. We show that the relationship developed naturally, not through coercion.We document the timeline of going legitimate. We make it impossible for him to prove conspiracy."
