Chapter 36
Chapter Thirty-Six
PRESENT
After leaving Owen and Theo at the stables with Gabriel, Anton, and Luis, Santi and I head over to the ranch offices. The last thirty minutes have been wordless. Like we’re holding our breath.
When we arrive, it’s as if I’m under a sky full of lightning, the air is charged and thick.
Santi’s sitting next to me at the head of the table, his broad shoulders stiff, his jaw set in that way that tells me he’s trying to stay calm. I know him well enough now to recognize when he’s barely keeping his emotions in check. Beside him, Ava’s perched on the edge of her chair, her laptop open and glowing, casting her face in a pale blue light. She got back here before us and has already been working, pulling threads and finding answers.
Enzo leans against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, his dark eyes unreadable behind his Clark Kent glasses. Rio is at the far end of the room, also near the window, his stance casual but alert, sleeves rolled up exposing all those tattoos one might not expect from the CEO of one of America’s fastest-growing tech companies. The twins are so different yet so alike in looking for answers out in the landscape.
Even though Santi’s warmth radiates, I’m close enough to feel it, for some reason, I can’t shake the idea that there’s still a chasm between us—one I’m not sure how to cross. We’re here together, yes, but what comes next could change everything. If this case doesn’t close soon, can I put Owen’s foster application at risk? What would Santi and I even do? Remain friends until this is all finally put right?
The thought of me not having him after losing him once makes my heart sink. Not when I’ve come this far.
“All right,” Ava starts, her fingers flying over her keyboard.
She’s not one for pleasantries when it comes to her work. She’s so young and yet so commanding in her element.
“Let’s get to it. The evidence Paul brought forward to the FBI wasn’t just useful; it was a bombshell. Financial records, backdoor communications, blackmail… You name it, Nic’s empire is in shambles because of it.”
Relief runs through me. For all his faults, my father did something right. Finally. Too bad that relief is tempered by years of disappointment and anger that also still simmers beneath the surface.
“So Nic’s going down?” Tension is coiled around Santi’s every word.
Ava glances up, her eyes sharp. “Nic’s cracked. The pressure from the evidence, plus the FBI’s interrogation, forced his hand. He’s taken a plea bargain.”
“What does that mean?” I ask. “For us? And the threat Nic left…”
Enzo steps forward, arms folded across his chest. “He’s cooperating fully with the FBI in exchange for a reduced sentence. He’s exposed the ’Ndrangheta’s operations. Names, locations, financial pipelines… everything.”
“He turned on the ’Ndrangheta?” Santi asks.
“He doesn’t have a choice thanks to the additional evidence and a few other links we’ve exposed here at GhostEye,” Ava replies. “The FBI’s making sure he’s protected, but let’s be real—for a reduced sentence he’ll have to burn every bridge he has. He’ll need to offer significant intel.”
Enzo leans on the table. “The ’Ndrangheta will be scrambling now. When this kind of thing happens, an organization needs to scatter. They’ll be more focused on cleaning up their mess.” A beat. “And finding someone who will take care of Nic in prison.”
Rio still stares out the window. “Karma is a bitch.”
Enzo pulls together his eyebrows as though he agrees with his brother. “While the ’Ndrangheta stays out of sight they won’t be worried about coming after Kat. Also, they’ll know you don’t have anything else; intimidation won’t serve any purpose. I’d think you’re off their radar. At least for now.”
The words should be reassuring. They should let me breathe easier. But criminals like the ’Ndrangheta have never been predictable. They spend decades learning how to slither through the cracks of justice, rebuilding their power from the shadows. And I know one thing for sure—monsters don’t disappear just because the lights are on.
Ava reaches out and touches my arm reassuringly. “We’ll get them before they have a chance to emerge. We’re working on it with the FBI. Truly, what your dad brought to the table has made a huge impact on the speed of this investigation.”
“So what will happen to Paul?” Santi’s words are softer now, for my benefit, I’m sure.
He knows, want to or not, I can’t untangle my heart from my own father. He matters to me more than I want to admit.
Rio shoves off from the wall he leans on and wanders over. “Paul’s in a complicated spot. The FBI recognizes his cooperation, but his hands aren’t clean. The deals Nic made? They happened under Paul’s company. Even if he claims ignorance, he’s responsible for creating an environment where it could all happen.”
“Right. So what happens to him?” I need to know.
“He’ll likely face charges,” Rio says bluntly. “But his cooperation—and the fact that he brought the evidence directly to the FBI—will work in his favor. He’ll get a lighter sentence, probably probation if he’s lucky. But his career? I’d bet on that being over.”
I nod slowly, a million questions filling my heart, tightening my chest. I should feel satisfied. Vindicated. But all I feel is an ache that doesn’t have a name. I don’t know who my father is to me anymore. He was once my oppressor but he’s trying to change… isn’t he? Still, he’s no hero despite playing a huge role and bringing this to a close.
My father is a flawed man who made too many wrong choices. It’s almost as if he’s in purgatory, being cleansed of his sins with fire.
I wonder what he sees when he looks at me now. A daughter? A disappointment? Or just another consequence of his choices?
“He did the right thing in the end,” I say, more to myself than anyone else.
“Barely,” Enzo drapes his arm around the back of Ava’s chair. “If he’d stepped in sooner, none of this would have happened.”
And Enzo doesn’t even know about what my father did to Santi all those years ago. No matter how relieved I am that his information led to this hopefully being resolved swiftly, I will never forgive him for what he did to us.
Santi’s hand moves to mine, his fingers brushing against my knuckles, offering me silent comfort.
Ava still scans her screen. “Now the FBI’s going to dismantle what’s left of the ’Ndrangheta’s operations in the US and beyond. It’ll take time, but with Nic’s cooperation, they’re making fast progress.”
Do I simply carry on like normal? Can I?
“So what do I do now?” I wish I didn’t sound so lost.
Ava pauses, her fingers still on the keyboard. Her gaze meets mine and it’s full of empathy, full of the same complicated bittersweet feeling I have right now.
Santi told me her story. Ava was once a prisoner, held captive for nearly fifteen years.
“You need to move forward, Kat.” Her eyes glisten but she offers me a smile full of both heartache and happiness. “You’re free.”
She blinks quickly, chasing away her emotion, and Enzo pulls her into his chest and kisses her hair.
Free. My whole life, freedom was always just out of reach, obscured by the expectations and decisions of others. First, my father, whose guidance came wrapped in a suffocating grip disguised as love. Every choice, every path, was his to dictate. Then Nic, whose control wasn’t disguised at all—his chains were visible, unrelenting, and designed to make me forget I ever had a choice to begin with.
I gaze at the love of my life; his fierce brown eyes are full of hope. My heart is full of it, too.
This is what freedom looks like. It’s the quiet strength to decide—on my terms—what comes next. To be my own damn self for the first time in my life.
Santi wraps his arms around me, pressing a firm, warm kiss to my forehead. “Are you okay?”
I let out a breath, the corner of my mouth lifting in a smile. “Yeah.” I am okay. The truth of it settles in my chest. “Let’s get the boys and go for a ride.”
Freedom means nothing alone. It’s meant to be shared, to be held tight between people who make it matter. And I know exactly who that is. Santi, Theo, Owen— my family .