I was in no hurry to send Damian to prison.
I sat in my Bellavere studio overlooking the River Aurelia and thought about it for an entire afternoon.
Finally, I called Lumi and said something that left even her momentarily speechless.
"Leave the lawsuit pending. Don't drop it, but don't push it forward either. I want him alive, and I want him to live a long time."
Lumi was silent for 3 seconds before she laughed.
"What do you have in mind?"
I lifted my coffee, my tone even.
"Whatever he loves most, I'll take away. Whatever he fears most, I'll make him face every single day."
The first blow struck the network of connections Damian prized above everything else.
He had spent 10 years building a web of favors so dense nothing could penetrate it.
He attended every important wedding, se
