Deadly Devotion

Chapter Fifteen: Family Business

The FBI didn't charge me right away.

Instead, they did something worse. They started watching. Constantly.

I noticed the car parked outside my apartment building. Different vehicles, same pattern. Always someone watching.

They followed me to work. To the grocery store. To Dante's apartment.

They wanted me to know they were there. Wanted me scared. Wanted me to crack and agree to cooperate.

It wasn't working. But it was making me paranoid.

"They're trying to break you," Dante said one night. We were at his apartment, looking out the window at the black SUV parked across the street. "Psychological pressure. Make you so uncomfortable you'll do anything to make it stop."

"I know what they're doing."

"Is it working?"

"No. I'm annoying them, not scared of them."

He smiled slightly. "Good. Don't let them win."

"What if they arrest me? What if this actually goes to trial?"

"Then we fight it. Michael says we have a strong defense. You weren't an agent anymore when you destroyed that evidence. You had no legal duty to preserve it."

"That might not matter to a jury."

"Then we make sure it doesn't get to a jury. We fight this at every step." He turned me to face him. "I'm not letting you go to prison. Whatever it takes."

"You can't control this."

"Watch me."

His confidence should have reassured me. Instead it made me nervous. Dante had resources. Power. Connections. But using them to help me would mean crossing lines he'd been trying not to cross.

"Don't do anything illegal," I said. "Promise me. Don't make this worse by breaking the law to protect me."

"I can't promise that."

"Dante..."

"I'll do whatever I have to do to keep you safe. If that means bending some rules, so be it."

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of. You trying to save me and destroying yourself in the process."

He pulled me close. "You're worth it."

"I'm not. I'm really not."

"That's not your call to make."

Three days later, the situation got more complicated.

I was at the gallery, going through shipping manifests, when Salvatore DeLuca walked in.

I hadn't seen him since that meeting where he showed me crime scene photos. Since he threatened me. Since everything fell apart.

My heart started racing.

"Mr. DeLuca. What are you doing here?"

"We need to talk. Where's Dante?"

"Meeting with architects. Won't be back for an hour."

"Good. That gives us time." He walked past me toward the stairs. "My office is upstairs, yes?"

"That's Dante's office."

"Today it's mine. Come."

It wasn't a request.

I followed him upstairs. He sat behind Dante's desk like he owned the place. Which, technically, he probably did.

"Sit."

I sat.

"The FBI is watching you," he said. "Watching my son. Watching this gallery. Making things uncomfortable for everyone."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Sorry doesn't help. What I need to know is if you're cooperating with them."

"No. I'm not. They asked me to. I refused."

"Why should I believe you?"

"Because I love your son. Because I destroyed evidence to protect your family. Because I lost my career refusing to betray Dante." I met his eyes. "I have nothing left to gain by helping the FBI. Everything I care about is tied to Dante now."

He studied me. "My son is in love with you. Really in love. The kind of love that makes men do stupid things."

"I know."

"Do you? Because the last time a woman had this much power over him, she used it. Badly. He was hurt for years after."

"I'm not her."

"No. You're worse. Because you're FBI. Because you already betrayed him once. And yet here you are, back in his life, in his bed, in his business."

"I know how it looks."

"Then help me understand. Why are you really here? What do you want from my son?"

"Just him. That's all. I don't want his money or his power or his connections. I just want to be with him."

"Even knowing what he is? What this family is?"

"Yes."

"You're either very brave or very stupid."

"Probably both."

He almost smiled. "My wife likes you. Says you're genuine. That you really do love Dante."

"I do."

"And she thinks I should give you another chance. Let you prove yourself."

"What do you think?"

"I think you're a risk. A huge risk. But Dante has made his choice. And I respect my son's judgment. Usually." He leaned forward. "So here's what's going to happen. You're going to keep refusing to cooperate with the FBI. You're going to keep working here, doing your job, staying out of family business. And if you ever, ever betray my son again, I will personally make sure you disappear. Permanently. Are we clear?"

"Crystal clear."

"Good." He stood up. "One more thing. The FBI is watching because they think you'll lead them to something useful. So you're going to be very careful about what you see and hear around this family. Understand?"

"I understand."

"Dante wants to protect you. Keep you separate from the business. But that's not possible anymore. You're in this now. Which means you need to know some things."

"What things?"

"The family is changing. Moving away from the old operations. Going more legal. But that takes time. And during that time, there are still things happening that you don't want to know about."

"Okay."

"If the FBI asks, if they pressure you, if they try to force you to talk about what you might see or hear, you say nothing. You know nothing. You saw nothing. Can you do that?"

This was it. The moment where I officially chose sides. Where I went from former FBI agent to criminal's girlfriend who looked the other way.

"Yes," I said. "I can do that."

"You understand what you're agreeing to?"

"I'm agreeing to protect Dante and his family. Whatever that means."

Salvatore nodded slowly. "Welcome to the family, Mia. For real this time."

He left me sitting in Dante's office, my hands shaking.

I'd just promised a mob boss I'd keep quiet about crimes. I'd just agreed to help his family avoid law enforcement.

I'd officially crossed the line from law enforcement to criminal.

And the scary part was, I didn't feel guilty about it.

I just felt relieved that Salvatore wasn't going to have me killed.

That night, I told Dante about the conversation.

"My father came to the gallery?" He looked furious. "To threaten you?"

"To test me. To make sure I wasn't working with the FBI."

"What did you tell him?"

"The truth. That I refused to cooperate. That I chose you over them."

"And what did he say?"

"That I'm in the family now. For real. And that means looking the other way about certain things."

Dante's jaw tightened. "I didn't want you involved in that side of things."

"I know. But your father's right. I'm already involved just by being with you. Might as well accept it."

"You shouldn't have to accept it. You shouldn't have to compromise your values because of me."

"My values already went out the window when I destroyed that evidence. When I chose you over my oath. This is just accepting the reality of what I already did."

He pulled me close. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry being with me means all of this."

"I'm not. I'd rather have you and all the complications than be without you."

"You say that now. But what about when the FBI arrests me? When they raid the family businesses? When everything gets ugly?"

"Then we deal with it. Together. Like you keep saying."

He kissed me hard. "I don't deserve you."

"Probably not. But you're stuck with me anyway."

Two weeks later, everything changed again.

I was working late at the gallery when Marco showed up. Again. But this time he didn't look angry or suspicious. He looked worried.

"Where's Dante?"

"Meeting downtown. Should be back soon. What's wrong?"

"We have a problem. A big one." He paced the gallery floor. "There's a rival family making moves. Trying to take over some of our territory. My father wants to handle it the old way. Dante wants to negotiate. They're fighting about it."

"What's the old way?"

Marco looked at me. "You really want to know?"

"No. Probably not."

"Smart." He kept pacing. "But here's the thing. If my father wins this argument, people are going to get hurt. Badly. And the FBI is watching us closely right now because of you. If we make a move and it goes wrong, if people end up dead, the heat is going to be intense."

"So what do you want me to do about it?"

"Talk to Dante. Get him to convince my father to do this his way. Negotiate instead of going to war."

"Why would he listen to me?"

"Because you're the only person he listens to anymore. He's in love with you. Obsessed with you. If you tell him this is important, he'll fight harder."

"I can't get involved in family business. Your father specifically told me to stay out of it."

"This is different. This is preventing a war. This is keeping my brother alive." Marco stopped pacing, looked at me directly. "Please. I know you don't owe me anything. I know I was awful to you. But I'm asking you to help save my brother's life."

The desperation in his voice was real. Marco actually cared about Dante. Actually wanted to protect him.

"Okay," I said. "I'll talk to him."

"Thank you."

He left just as Dante arrived.

One look at my face and he knew something was wrong.

"What happened?"

"Marco was here. He said there's a problem with a rival family. That your father wants to handle it violently and you want to negotiate."

Dante's expression went dark. "Marco shouldn't have told you about that."

"He's worried about you. About what might happen if this goes wrong."

"It's family business. You don't need to worry about it."

"Don't do that. Don't shut me out. You said we were in this together."

"This is different. This is dangerous. If things go bad, I don't want you anywhere near it."

"Too late. I'm already near it. I'm with you. Which means whatever threatens you, threatens me too."

He was quiet for a long moment. "The Castellano family is trying to move into our territory. Taking over some of our operations. My father wants to hit them hard. Send a message. But that means violence. Possibly deaths. The FBI is already watching us. If we go to war now, it gives them an excuse to come down on us with everything they have."

"So negotiate. Find another way."

"I'm trying. But my father sees it as weakness. Says I'm going soft. That I care more about staying out of prison than protecting the family honor."

"Honor isn't worth dying for. Or going to prison for."

"You don't understand. In this world, honor is everything. Respect is everything. If we back down, other families will see us as weak. They'll all try to take what's ours."

"Then find a middle ground. Show strength without starting a war."

"How?"

"I don't know. But you're smart. You went to Harvard. You can think of something better than just killing people."

He almost smiled. "You have a lot of faith in me."

"I do. Because I've seen what you can do when you actually try. You're not just some thug. You're better than that."

"My father doesn't think so."

"Then prove him wrong."

He pulled me close. "You know what you're asking? You're asking me to fight my father. To go against everything he's built. Everything he believes in."

"I'm asking you to be who you really are. Not who he wants you to be."

"And what if I lose? What if I fight him and he chooses Marco instead? What if I end up with nothing?"

"Then you have nothing. But you'll have it honestly. On your own terms."

He held me for a long time, not saying anything.

Finally, he spoke. "Okay. I'll try it your way. I'll find another solution."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet. This might blow up in my face spectacularly."

"Then we'll deal with it. Together."

"Together," he agreed.

We stood in the empty gallery, holding each other, both knowing that the stakes just got a lot higher.

Because this wasn't just about us anymore. This was about family. About power. About choices that could get people killed.

And I'd just pushed Dante to make a choice that might destroy his relationship with his father.

All because I loved him too much to watch him become something he didn't want to be.

I just hoped I was right.

Because if I was wrong, if this went badly, Dante would lose everything.

And it would be my fault.

Again.