Chapter 16 Elio #2
"I'm sure. It's handled."
I called Sandro. "Meeting. My office. One hour. It's done."
When I walked into my office an hour later, all three partners were waiting. Sandro, Matteo, and Luca. All looking at me with varying degrees of curiosity and concern.
"Jake Byrne was the mole," I said without preamble. "I caught him accessing restricted files during the investor meeting. Took him to the Pier 47 warehouse. He confessed to everything."
"And?" Matteo asked. His tone was dangerous. Expectant.
"And I let him go."
Silence. Heavy and shocked.
"You what?" Matteo's voice was deadly quiet.
"I gave him forty-eight hours to leave the city. Told him if he ever comes back, if he ever contacts the FBI again, I'll kill him. But for now, he's alive and going."
Matteo stood. Moved toward me with barely controlled violence. "You let a traitor walk away? After months of feeding information to the FBI? After he compromised our security and put all of us at risk? What the fuck were you thinking?"
"I was thinking he was coerced. The FBI threatened to prosecute his wife for tax fraud. He was protecting her. That's not the same as voluntary betrayal—"
"It's exactly the same! He chose to betray us. The reason doesn't matter. The standard procedure is clear. Betrayal means death. We can't show weakness—"
"It's not weakness." Sandro's voice cut through Matteo's anger. "It's strategy."
We both looked at him.
"Explain," Matteo said.
"If we kill Jake, we look guilty. Dangerous.
Exactly what the FBI wants to portray us as.
We confirm their narrative that we're a violent criminal organization that murders anyone who crosses us.
" Sandro leaned back in his chair. "But if we let him go—if we show mercy to someone who was coerced—we look more reasonable.
More human. We look like a legitimate business that fired a problematic employee rather than murderers covering up crimes. "
"That's PR spin—"
"That's reality. Jake is now a compromised witness.
He can't testify against us without admitting he was coerced into spying.
Without admitting the FBI blackmailed him with threats against his wife.
That undermines their entire case. Makes them look corrupt and manipulative.
" Sandro looked at me. "Elio's decision wasn't just mercy.
It was strategically sound. It makes us look better while making them look worse. "
Matteo was quiet for a long moment. Then: "What did Jake give them? What damage did he do?"
"Financial structures. Meeting schedules.
Security protocols. He also recruited the three low-level moles and facilitated their contact with FBI handlers.
" I pulled up the files. "His handler was David Reeves.
The same agent investigating us now. Jake provided everything Reeves asked for over months. "
"And you don't think that deserves death?" Matteo's voice was still hard. Still angry.
"I think it deserved consideration. Jake wasn't greedy. Wasn't ambitious. Was just trying to protect his wife from federal prosecution. The FBI used his love against him. That's coercion, not betrayal for personal gain."
"So we let everyone who claims they were threatened just walk away?"
"No. We assess each situation individually. Make decisions based on circumstances rather than blind adherence to procedure." I met Matteo's eyes. "I'm not saying we go soft. I'm saying we think. We choose. We use mercy as a tool when it serves us better than violence."
Luca spoke up for the first time. "I agree with Elio and Sandro. Killing Jake would've been easy. Expected. Boring. Letting him go shows we're more sophisticated than that. Shows we can be merciful when appropriate. That's actually more intimidating than mindless violence."
Matteo looked at each of us. Then sat back down. "Fine. But if this backfires—if Jake talks or comes back or becomes a problem—I'm handling it my way. No more mercy."
"Agreed," I said. "If he breaks the terms, he's yours."
The meeting ended. Sandro left first, followed by Luca. Matteo lingered.
"Julian's changing you," he said. Not accusatory. Just observational.
"Yes."
"Is that good?"
"I don't know yet. But I think so. I think maybe being more human makes me better at this. More strategic. Less reactive."
"Or maybe it makes you weak. Soft. Vulnerable." Matteo paused. "But I've been there. Stefan changed me too. Made me question things I always accepted. Made me want to be better. So I get it. Just—be careful. Mercy has its place. But so does violence. Don't forget that."
"I won't. Trust me. I know exactly when violence is appropriate."
Matteo left. I sat alone in my office and thought about what I'd done. The mercy I'd shown.
And the violence I was still capable of.
Because showing Jake mercy didn't mean I'd gone soft. It meant I could distinguish between different kinds of threats.
Jake was coerced. Forced. A victim who'd been weaponized against us.
But Dante? Dante was a predator. A monster who'd hurt Julian intentionally. Who'd tried to rape him. Who was still watching him. Still sending threatening messages.
If Dante ever came for Julian—if he ever touched him again—there would be no mercy.
***
I found Stefan in the financial office an hour later. He was staring at his computer screen but not actually working. Just sitting there. Processing.
"You heard," I said from the doorway.
"Sandro told me. Jake was the mole. You let him go." Stefan didn't look up. "He worked with me. I trusted him. Gave him access to systems he used to betray us."
"He was coerced—"
"I know. Sandro explained. I understand the logic." Stefan finally looked at me. "But it still hurts. Knowing someone I trusted was feeding information to the FBI. Using access I gave him to compromise our security. It feels personal."
I sat down across from him. "It is personal. He betrayed your trust specifically. You have a right to be angry."
"I'm not angry. I'm just—disappointed. Hurt. I thought I was better at reading people. Thought I'd know if someone was lying to me for months."
"He was good at hiding it. And he was scared for his wife. Fear makes people convincing liars."
"Do you regret letting him go? Matteo wanted him dead."
"No. I don't regret it. It was the right call strategically. And I think—I think Julian would've wanted me to show mercy. Would've wanted me to consider that Jake was coerced rather than corrupt."
Stefan smiled slightly. "Julian's good for you. Makes you think before acting. Makes you more human."
"That's what Matteo said. Though he would have preferred I kill Jake."
"It's true. That Julian’s good for you, I mean.
You're different than you were before Julian.
More thoughtful. More willing to question standard procedures.
That's growth." Stefan paused. "But I know you well enough to know you're still capable of violence when necessary.
Jake got mercy because he deserved it. But if someone threatens Julian directly—"
"I'll kill them. Slowly. Without hesitation."
"Good. Because being merciful doesn't mean being weak. It just means being selective about when you use violence." Stefan stood. "I need to find Jake's replacement. Someone I can actually trust. Someone who won't spend months betraying us."
"Take your time. Vet them thoroughly. We can't afford another mole."
After Stefan left, I went looking for Julian.
I found him in our apartment. He'd gone straight there after the investor meeting ended. Was sitting on the couch with his laptop, probably following news coverage of FBI investigations or analyzing our business ventures.
He looked up when I walked in. "Is it done?"
"It's done. We found the mole."
Relief flooded his face. "Who was it?"
"Jake Byrne. Been feeding information to the FBI for months. Coerced through threats against his wife."
Julian set aside his laptop. "What happened to him?"
"I let him go."
Surprise. Complete surprise. "You what?"
"I gave him forty-eight hours to leave the city. Told him if he ever comes back, if he ever contacts the FBI again, I'll kill him. But for now—he's alive. Free to start over somewhere else."
Julian stared at me. Processing. Then he smiled. Soft and proud and full of love.
"You showed mercy."
"I did. Because he was coerced. Because he was protecting someone he loved. Because—because I thought about what you would want me to do. What kind of person you'd want me to be."
Julian moved across the couch. Pulled me close. Kissed me thoroughly.
"I'm proud of you," he said against my mouth. "Proud that you chose mercy. Proud that you thought about consequences beyond just eliminating a threat. Proud that you're changing."
"You're changing me. Making me better. More human."
"Is that good?"
"It's the best thing. You make me question procedures I always accepted. Make me think about nuance and circumstances. Make me want to be the kind of person who deserves your love."
"You already deserve it. But I love watching you grow anyway." Julian pulled back to look at me. "What did the partners say?"
"Matteo was angry. Wanted Jake dead. Sandro agreed with my decision strategically. Luca thought it showed sophistication. Stefan was hurt by the betrayal but understood."
"And you? How do you feel about it?"
"Certain. I made the right choice. Jake wasn't evil.
Just desperate. He deserved mercy." I touched Julian's face.
"But don't mistake mercy for weakness. I showed Jake mercy because the situation warranted it.
But there are people who won't get that consideration. People who've earned violence instead."
"Like Dante."
It wasn't a question. Julian knew. Understood.
"Like Dante. If he ever comes for you. If he ever touches you again. If he ever does anything beyond sending threatening cards—there won't be mercy. I'll kill him. Slowly. Make him suffer. Make sure he understands exactly what he took from you and what he'll never have."