Roberto talks. Rory records. I deliver copy and witness location to Alessandro with enough structure that destroying it becomes costly.
If Alessandro protects Dante again, I’ll know.
I reach the chapel through the side door and slip back inside. The old women are gone. The candles still burn.
Luca stands near the front now. Inside.
My stomach drops. He turns before I can decide whether to retreat. His expression doesn’t change. That’s the worst thing about him. A man with a face like Luca’s doesn’t need accusation. His stillness does all the work.
“Miss Brennan.”
“Mr. Romano.”
“Your prayers took you far.”
“God is everywhere, I’m told.”
“Not on a motorbike.”
“Perhaps you lack imagination.”
His gaze moves over me. Shoes damp. Hem stained. Gloves clean. Breath controlled, but coming too fast.
He knows I left. Of course he knows I left.
“Are we returning?” he asks.
Not:where were you?Not:what did you do?
“Yes,” I say.
Luca opens the chapel door for me. Outside, the car waits exactly where he left it. He doesn’t ask where I went; he doesn’t need to. Men like Luca don’t report questions. They report answers.
By the time we reach the estate, Alessandro will know I found Roberto Greco.
The only thing I don’t know is whether I found him first.
Chapter 16
He Shuts It Down
POV:Alessandro
Luca doesn’t tell stories. He lists. Chapel. Side exit. Motorbike. Gas station. Name: Greco. Contact made. Terms arranged. She moved faster than I expected. Not carelessly. Not emotionally. Every step placed with intention. Every risk calculated within the limits of what she believes this system is.
That limitation matters more than anything she’s done.
I set the report aside and open the second file already waiting on my desk.
Roberto Greco.Gas station clerk. Minor debts. No structure. No protection. The kind of man who survives by knowing when to disappear. Luca flagged him, so of course I moved him. Much as it’s good to see how far Evie will push, there’s only so much I can allow. Shecannotget too much on my son, or shit will hit the fan.
So it’s no surprise when she comes to me, her arms folded across her chest, red-hot anger burning in her cheeks because her plan didn’t come to fruition.
I let the silence settle before I speak. “You went to the village.”
“Yes.”
Her honesty shocks me, so I push. “You left the chapel on a motorbike.”
