Deadly Devotion

Chapter Nine: The Decision

I went back to Dante's apartment and found him pacing.

"What did he say?" he demanded the moment I walked in.

"He gave me his blessing. Said he approves."

Dante searched my face. "You're lying. What really happened?"

I couldn't tell him. Not yet. Not until I figured out how.

"He showed me photos. Crime scene photos. Told me what happens to people who betray the family."

Dante went pale. "He threatened you?"

"He was making sure I understood what being part of this family means."

"That son of a bitch." Dante grabbed his phone. "I'm calling him right now."

"Don't." I caught his arm. "It's fine. He was just being protective of you. Testing me."

"By threatening you with violence? That's not okay, Mia."

"I passed the test. That's what matters."

He pulled me into his arms, held me tight. "I'm so sorry. I should have gone with you. Should have protected you from that."

"It's fine. Really."

But it wasn't fine. Nothing was fine.

That night, I lay awake long after Dante fell asleep. Staring at the ceiling. Thinking about Salvatore's photos. About Chen's timeline. About the decision I had to make.

I had one week. Seven days before the FBI moved in and arrested everyone.

I could stay silent. Let it happen. Complete my mission. Bring down the family that killed Brian.

Or I could tell Dante the truth. Give him a chance to run. Betray the Bureau and everything I'd sworn to uphold.

There was no good choice. Every option ended in devastation.

I turned my head and looked at Dante sleeping beside me. His face peaceful, relaxed. Trusting.

He loved me. Wanted to marry me. Was planning a future with me.

And I was the weapon that was going to destroy him.

I made my decision.

The next morning, while Dante was making coffee, I called Chen from the bathroom.

"I'm telling him," I said quietly. "Tonight. I'm telling Dante everything."

Silence. Then, "Are you out of your mind?"

"He deserves to know. Before the raids. Before everything falls apart."

"If you tell him, he'll run. He'll warn the family. They'll destroy evidence, disappear. Years of work will be ruined."

"I know."

"Mia, listen to me. You cannot do this. I'm ordering you, as your superior, do not tell Dante DeLuca anything."

"I have to."

"Why? Because you're in love with him? That's not a good enough reason to betray your oath, your badge, your dead partner."

Brian. She was using Brian against me.

"Brian would understand."

"Would he? Would he understand you protecting the people who killed him?"

"I'm not protecting them. I'm giving Dante a choice. A chance."

"A chance to escape justice. That's what you're giving him." Her voice was hard. "If you do this, you're done. Fired. Possibly prosecuted for obstruction. Your career is over."

"I know."

"And it won't change anything. We still have all the evidence you gathered. We still move forward with the raids. You telling him just gives them a head start."

"Then why does it matter if I tell him?"

"Because it makes you a traitor. Because it proves Marco and Salvatore were right not to trust you. Because it turns you from an agent doing her job into a criminal protecting other criminals."

She wasn't wrong. But I didn't care anymore.

"I'm telling him tonight. Do what you have to do."

I hung up before she could respond.

All day, I rehearsed what I'd say. How I'd tell him. What words could possibly explain that everything between us was built on a lie.

Dante noticed my tension.

"You've been quiet all day," he said that evening. We were supposed to go to dinner with some of his business associates. I'd begged off, said I wasn't feeling well.

"Just tired."

"You're always tired lately. Maybe you should see a doctor."

"I'm fine. Just stressed."

"About what? Work?"

"About us. About your family. About everything."

He sat beside me on the couch, took my hands. "Talk to me. Whatever it is, we can handle it."

This was it. This was the moment.

"Dante, there's something I need to tell you. Something about who I really am."

His expression shifted. Guarded. "What do you mean?"

Before I could answer, the front door burst open.

Marco stormed in, Uncle Tony right behind him. Two other men I didn't recognize followed.

Dante stood immediately. "What the hell is this?"

"This," Marco said, his voice cold, "is the end of your little fantasy."

He threw a folder on the coffee table. Photos spilled out.

Photos of me. Entering the FBI building. Talking to Chen. Getting into a Bureau vehicle.

My blood turned to ice.

"I knew something was off about her," Marco said. "So I had her followed. Real professional surveillance. Not the half assed check we did initially." He looked at me with pure hatred. "Mia Santos. Or should I say, FBI Special Agent Mia Santos."

Dante looked at the photos. Then at me. His face went completely blank.

"Dante," I started.

"Don't." His voice was flat. Dead. "Don't say a word."

"Let me explain."

"Explain what?" Marco laughed harshly. "Explain how you've been f*****g my brother while gathering evidence against us? Explain how you played him like a fool?"

"It's not like that."

"Then what is it like?" Dante's voice was still eerily calm. "Tell me, Mia. Or whatever your real name is. What is it like?"

"My name is Mia. That part was real. And I am an art consultant. That's real too. But yes, I'm also FBI. I was sent undercover to investigate your family."

The words hung in the air like poison.

"How long?" Dante asked.

"What?"

"How long have you been lying to me? Since the beginning?"

"Yes. Since the gallery. That meeting wasn't an accident. I was supposed to get close to you."

Something flickered in his eyes. Pain. Then it was gone, replaced by ice.

"And the rest? Everything between us? Was that part of the job too?"

"At first. But then it became real. What I feel for you is real."

"Bullshit," Marco spat. "Everything about her is a lie. We should kill her right now."

Uncle Tony pulled out a gun.

Dante held up his hand. "No."

"Dante, she's FBI. She's been gathering evidence on us for weeks. God knows what she's found, what she's reported. We have to eliminate the threat."

"I said no." Dante's voice was hard. "Nobody touches her."

"Why the hell not?" Marco demanded.

"Because she's leaving. Right now. And she's never coming back." Dante looked at me with eyes that were completely empty. "Get out."

"Dante, please. Let me explain."

"There's nothing to explain. You did your job. Congratulations. Now get the f**k out of my apartment."

"I love you."

He laughed. Actually laughed. It was the worst sound I'd ever heard.

"You love me. That's rich. You've been lying to me since the moment we met. You've been in my bed, in my life, gathering intelligence to destroy my family. And you love me." He stepped closer. "You don't know what love is."

"I do. I know I lied about who I was. I know I was sent here to betray you. But what happened between us, that was real. I fell in love with you for real."

"Get out before I change my mind about letting you live."

"Dante..."

"GET OUT!" he roared.

I flinched. I'd never heard him yell before.

Uncle Tony moved toward me, gun still in his hand. "I'll make sure she leaves."

"Touch her and I'll kill you myself," Dante said quietly. Dangerously. "She walks out of here unharmed. That's non negotiable."

"She's a federal agent. She knows everything."

"She knows nothing that matters. And by tomorrow, whatever evidence she gathered will be irrelevant. We move everything. Change everything. Burn it all down and start over." He looked at Marco. "Call everyone. Emergency meeting. Tonight. We're going dark."

Marco nodded, already pulling out his phone.

Dante turned back to me one last time.

"You have ten minutes to pack your things and leave. If you're still here after that, I can't protect you."

"What about the raids? The FBI is moving in one week."

His smile was cruel. "Let them come. They won't find anything. You think you're the first person who's tried to infiltrate this family? You think we don't have contingencies?" He leaned close, his voice low and hard. "By the time your people show up, we'll be ghosts. Everything you worked for, everything you sacrificed, it'll all be for nothing."

"I was trying to tell you. Before they came. I was going to warn you."

"How noble. The FBI agent with a conscience." He straightened. "Nine minutes."

I looked at him. At the man I loved. The man whose heart I'd just shattered.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "For what it's worth, I'm so sorry."

"It's not worth anything. Now get out."

I grabbed my purse. Walked to the door on shaking legs.

At the threshold, I turned back. "I meant it. When I said I loved you. That was real."

"You don't get to say that to me. Not anymore. Not ever again."

I left.

Behind me, I heard Marco's voice. "We should still kill her. She's a liability."

"No."

"Why not?"

Silence. Then Dante's voice, so quiet I almost didn't hear it.

"Because despite everything, I can't."

The door closed behind me.

I made it to the street before I started sobbing.

My phone was already ringing. Chen.

"They know," I said when I answered. "Marco found out. Showed Dante proof."

"f**k. Are you safe? Where are you?"

"Outside his building. He let me leave. But they're moving everything. Going dark. He said by the time we raid, there won't be anything to find."

"We move now. Tonight. Before they can relocate everything."

"It's too late. He's already making calls."

"Goddamn it, Mia. This is exactly what I was afraid of." She took a breath. "Come in. Right now. We need to debrief and figure out what we can salvage."

I hung up and called a car.

While I waited, I looked up at Dante's building. At the penthouse windows where I'd spent so many nights. Where I'd fallen in love. Where I'd just destroyed everything.

The lights were on. I could see shadows moving. The family mobilizing. Protecting themselves.

Because of me. Because I'd failed. Because I'd let my heart get in the way of my job.

The car arrived. I got in.

As we pulled away, my phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number.

Unknown: You took everything from me. My trust. My heart. My future. I hope it was worth it.

I stared at the message. Tears streaming down my face.

It wasn't worth it. None of it was worth it.

I'd completed my mission. Gotten close to Dante. Gathered evidence. Done my job.

And I'd lost everything that mattered.

My career was probably over. The case was compromised. And the man I loved looked at me like I was nothing.

Like I was the enemy.

And maybe I was. Maybe I'd always been the enemy.

I just hadn't realized it until it was too late.

At the FBI field office, Chen was waiting.

"Tell me everything," she demanded.

I did. The photos Marco had. The confrontation. Dante's reaction. His plan to move everything.

"How much time do we have?"

"Hours. Maybe less. He was calling people when I left."

She swore viciously. "We can't get warrants that fast. Can't coordinate raids across multiple locations. By the time we're ready to move, they'll be gone."

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry doesn't fix this." She looked at me with disgust. "You got too close. Let your feelings compromise the mission. And now years of work is gone."

"I know."

"Do you? Do you understand that the DeLuca family is going to walk? That they'll keep operating, keep hurting people, and it's because you couldn't keep your emotions in check?"

"I understand."

"I don't think you do. But you will. When Director Morrison hears about this, when the investigation falls apart, when you're facing disciplinary action. Then you'll understand."

She was right. I knew she was right.

But all I could think about was Dante's face. The look in his eyes when he told me to get out.

The way his voice cracked when he said I'd taken everything from him.

"Go home," Chen said tiredly. "Write up your report. And pray that somehow we can salvage this."

I left the field office and went back to my real apartment. The one I'd barely lived in for weeks.

It felt empty. Foreign. Like it belonged to someone else.

I sat on my couch in the dark and thought about everything that had happened.

About Brian, dead because of the DeLucas. About justice and revenge and doing what was right.

About Dante. About love and betrayal and choices that destroyed everything they touched.

I'd made my choice. I'd fallen in love with my target. Let my heart override my duty.

And now everyone paid the price.

The DeLucas would escape. My career was over. And Dante would spend the rest of his life hating me.

Some loves destroyed everything they touched.

Ours had destroyed us both.

And there was no coming back from that.