Chapter 12 Elio #2
Hour four. The raid was still ongoing but winding down. Agents had searched most of the building. Seized computers, files, hard drives. Diana documented everything, noting several items she'd challenge in court.
I was conferring with Sandro in his office when my phone buzzed. Text from security: ID on the camera guy. Valentino Russo. Freelance investigative journalist. Based in Brooklyn.
I went cold.
Valentino Russo. The journalist Julian had recommended. The one Luca had contacted to leak the Winston-Watson information.
What the fuck was he doing here filming the raid?
I showed the message to Sandro. His expression darkened.
"Get Luca. And Matteo. Conference room. Now."
Five minutes later, the four of us were gathered with Diana standing guard outside to ensure privacy.
"Valentino Russo was outside filming the raid," I said without preamble. "Professional equipment. Deliberate documentation. He got clear footage of federal agents, evidence being seized, everything."
"The journalist Julian recommended?" Matteo asked.
"Yes. The one Luca contacted about the Winston leak." I pulled up the enhanced photo on my phone. Showed it to them. "He was outside for at least an hour before my security spotted him. We tried to grab him but he disappeared."
Luca took my phone. Stared at the image.
Something shifted in his expression. Went sharp. Intense. Almost predatory.
"Let me see the footage," he said. Voice carefully controlled.
I pulled it up on my tablet. Showed him the security camera footage of Valentino filming. The way he moved. The efficiency of his setup. The deliberate angles he chose.
Luca watched without speaking. But I saw his jaw tighten. Saw his hands clench slightly on the edges of the tablet.
"This footage could bury us," Sandro said. "Every agent documented. Every piece of evidence photographed. If he publishes this alongside an article about federal overreach or investigative procedures—"
"He won't publish it," Luca interrupted. Voice hard. Certain.
"How do you know?" I asked.
"Because I'll make sure he understands his options." Luca handed back the tablet. His expression was cold. Determined. "I'll handle Valentino Russo. Make contact. Convince him that publishing this footage would be... unwise."
Something in his tone made me uneasy.
"Luca—"
"I said I'll handle it." He looked at each of us. "You focus on managing the legal fallout from the raid. I'll deal with the journalist. Trust me."
"What exactly are you planning to do?" Matteo asked.
"Whatever's necessary." Luca's smile didn't reach his eyes. "Valentino Russo won't be a problem. I promise you that."
I didn't like the cold look in his eyes. Didn't like how quickly he'd volunteered. Didn't like the intensity with which he'd studied that footage.
But we were out of options. If Valentino published that footage, it would give the FBI ammunition for their narrative. Would make Inferno look guilty regardless of what evidence they actually found.
"Fine," Sandro said. "You handle the journalist. But Luca? Don't do anything that creates more problems than it solves."
"I won't." Luca stood. "Send me everything you have on him. Background, where he lives. I'll make contact again within twenty-four hours."
He left without waiting for responses.
Matteo looked at me. "That was concerning."
"Very."
"Should we be worried about what Luca's planning?"
"Probably. But right now we've got bigger problems." I gestured toward the door where agents were still searching. "Let's get through this raid first. Deal with Valentino after."
***
Hour six. Finally, mercifully, the raid was ending.
Agents were packing up seized evidence. Loading boxes into vehicles. Wrapping up their documentation. Patterson approached with a grim expression.
"We're done here," he said. "For now."
"For now?" Diana's voice was sharp.
"The investigation is ongoing. We'll be reviewing everything we seized today. If we find evidence of criminal activity, we'll be back."
"With proper warrants that clearly specify scope and probable cause," Diana said. "Or we'll bury you in legal challenges that tie up your investigation for years."
Patterson's jaw tightened. "We'll be in touch."
He left with his team. Took three computers, seven boxes of files, and a dozen hard drives with him.
Not ideal. But not catastrophic either.
Sandro, Matteo, and I gathered in the main office after the last agent left.
"Status?" Sandro asked.
"They got computers from finance, my office, and operations," I said. "Files from storage. Hard drives from security. Nothing that should have anything incriminating on it, but we'll need to trace exactly what was on each device."
"Stefan already started that," Matteo said. "He's been tracking everything remotely. Says most of what they took is clean. A few items he's concerned about but nothing that should build a case by itself."
"Diana's assessment?" Sandro looked at our lawyer.
"They overstepped in several areas. I've got documentation.
We can file suppression motions on at least forty percent of what they seized.
The warrant was too broad and they took items outside reasonable scope.
We'll fight it in court." Diana's expression was confident.
"This raid was aggressive but ultimately ineffective.
They were fishing. They didn't find the big catch they were hoping for. "
Relief flooded through me. We'd survived. Again.
"The three moles?" I asked Matteo.
"Still secured. We'll handle them tonight. Quietly. They won't be feeding information to anyone ever again."
I nodded. That was a problem for later. Right now I had a more immediate concern.
Julian.
I'd left him in that safe room six hours ago. Six hours of isolation and fear while he watched the raid unfold on monitors. Six hours of not knowing if I'd be able to come back for him.
I needed to get to him. Now.
"I need to check on something," I said. "Secure the building. Make sure everyone's accounted for. I'll be back in twenty minutes."
Sandro gave me a knowing look. "Go. We've got this handled."
I didn't wait for further permission. Just headed straight for my office.
My hands were shaking as I pressed the hidden release on the bookshelf.
Six hours. I'd left Julian alone for six hours while federal agents swarmed the building. While I'd been managing crisis and coordinating with lawyers and trying to keep everything from falling apart.
Six hours of not knowing if he was okay. If he was scared. If he'd stayed hidden like I'd asked or panicked and tried to come out.
The bookshelf swung inward. I unlocked the steel door.
"Julian. It's me. It's over. You can come out now."
I opened the door.
Julian was sitting on the floor against the far wall, knees pulled up to his chest. The monitors in front of him were still displaying security camera feeds. His face was pale. His hands were shaking.
When he saw me, his whole body sagged with relief.
"Elio—"
"I'm here. I'm here. It's over. You're safe."
I crossed the small room in three steps and dropped to my knees in front of him. Pulled him into my arms. Held him as tightly as I could without hurting him.
Julian buried his face in my shoulder. His whole body was trembling.
"I've got you," I said against his hair. "I've got you. You're safe. I promised I'd come back. I promised."
"I know. I knew you would. I just—" His voice cracked. "It was so long. Six hours watching on monitors. Seeing agents everywhere. Seeing you dealing with them and I couldn't help. Couldn't do anything except sit here and wait and be terrified something would go wrong—"
"Nothing went wrong. We're okay. Everyone's okay. The agents are gone. The raid's over."
"What did they take?"
"Computers. Files. Nothing incriminating. Diana says we can fight most of it in court." I pulled back to look at him. Cupped his face between my hands. "Are you okay? Did you stay hidden the whole time?"
"Yes. I followed your instructions exactly. Didn't come out. Didn't try to contact anyone. Just stayed here and watched the monitors and tried not to lose my mind."
"I'm so sorry. I hated leaving you here alone. Every minute of that raid I wanted to come check on you. Make sure you were okay. But I couldn't risk—"
"I know. You were protecting me. I understand." Julian's hands came up to cover mine where they rested on his face. "I trust you, Elio. Completely. Even when it's terrifying. Even when I'm alone in the dark watching danger unfold. I trust that you'll come back for me."
The words hit harder than they should have. That trust was a responsibility I wasn't sure I deserved. Wasn't sure I could live up to.
What if something had gone wrong? What if the agents had found the safe room? What if I'd been arrested and couldn't come back for him?
What if my protection wasn't enough?
"Julian—"
"Don't." He cut me off gently. "Don't start second-guessing yourself. Don't start thinking about all the ways this could have gone wrong. It didn't. I'm safe. You kept me safe. That's what matters."
I pulled him close again. Just held him. Let myself feel the relief of having him back. Of knowing he was okay.
My chest felt tight. Full of emotions I didn't have words for. Fear and relief and something deeper. Something I'd been avoiding naming for weeks.
Love.
I was in love with him.
The realization should have terrified me. Should have made me pull away. Should have triggered every instinct I had about maintaining distance and avoiding attachment.
Instead it just made me hold him tighter.
"Come on," I said finally. "Let's get you out of here. Get you somewhere more comfortable."
I helped him stand. His legs were unsteady from sitting for so long. I kept my arm around his waist as we left the safe room.
The bookshelf swung closed behind us. Concealing the space where Julian had spent six hours in isolation. Where he'd waited and trusted and believed I'd come back for him.
"Where are we going?" he asked.
"My apartment. You need rest. And I need to not be in this building for a few hours."
We took the private elevator down to the garage. Got in my car. I drove toward my apartment with one hand on the wheel and the other holding Julian's.
Neither of us spoke. We didn't need to. The silence was comfortable. Heavy with things we weren't quite saying but both feeling.
At my apartment, I pulled Julian straight to the bedroom. We both stripped down to basics—him in boxers and a t-shirt, me in just boxers. Crawled into bed together.
Julian pressed against my chest. I wrapped my arms around him.
"Thank you," he said quietly. "For protecting me. For keeping me safe. For coming back like you promised."
"I'll always come back for you. Always." The words came out rougher than I intended. More emotional. "You're mine to protect, Julian. That's not changing."
"Good. Because I don't want anyone else protecting me. Just you."
I kissed the top of his head. Held him close. Let myself have this moment of peace after six hours of controlled chaos.
He was safe. I'd kept him safe. That was all that mattered.
"I saw Valentino on the monitors," Julian said after a while. "Outside filming. Did you know he was there?"
"Yes. We spotted him during the raid. Tried to grab him but he got away."
"What was he doing there?"
"Don't know. But Luca's going to find out. He volunteered to make contact. Handle the situation."
"Handle it how?"
I thought about the cold look in Luca's eyes when he'd seen Valentino's photo. The intensity with which he'd studied the footage. The certainty in his voice when he'd said Valentino wouldn't publish.
"I don't know. But I trust Luca to handle it without making things worse."
I hoped I was right about that.
Julian was quiet for a long moment. Then: "Elio?"
"Yeah?"
"I need to tell you something. I realized it today. In the safe room. Watching you on the monitors and being terrified I might lose you."
My heart rate kicked up. "What did you realize?"
He pulled back to look at me. His eyes were serious. Vulnerable. Full of emotion.
"I—" He stopped. Shook his head. "Never mind. It's not the right time. We're both exhausted. It can wait."
"Julian—"
"It can wait," he repeated. But he smiled. Kissed me softly. "Just know that you matter to me. More than I can put into words right now. And I'm grateful you came back for me. That's all I need to say tonight."
I wanted to push. Wanted to know what he'd been about to say. But he was right. We were both exhausted. Both running on adrenaline and fear and relief.
Whatever he needed to tell me could wait until we'd both had rest.
"You matter to me too," I said. "More than is probably smart. More than I planned for. But that's not changing either."
Julian smiled against my chest. "Good."
We lay together in comfortable silence. Both processing the day. Both grateful to be safe.
I thought about the raid. About Winston's moles feeding information to David Reeves. About Valentino filming outside. About Luca's concerning reaction.
Tomorrow we'd deal with all of it. Tomorrow we'd handle the fallout and plan our next moves and figure out how to neutralize remaining threats.
But tonight, I just held Julian and let myself have this moment of peace.
He fell asleep first. I felt his breathing even out. Felt his body relax completely against mine.
I lay awake watching him. Thinking about trust and responsibility and the weight of protecting someone who mattered this much.
I'd spent years avoiding attachment because it made people vulnerable. Made them weak. Made them compromise themselves in ways that got people killed.
But holding Julian now, feeling the trust he had in me, knowing he'd spent six hours alone and afraid but never doubted I'd come back—
Maybe attachment wasn't weakness. Maybe it was strength. Maybe having someone worth protecting made you fight harder. Think smarter. Work better.
Maybe loving someone wasn't a liability. Maybe it was the thing that made surviving worth it.
I pulled him closer and let myself acknowledge what I'd been avoiding for weeks.
I was in love with Julian Bianchi.
Completely. Irrevocably. Terrifyingly in love.
And that changed everything.
But for once, the change didn't scare me. It just made me more determined to protect what we were building. To keep him safe. To make sure nothing and no one could take this away from us.
I kissed his forehead and closed my eyes.
Tomorrow we'd deal with consequences. Tonight, we were safe.