22. Giuliano
22
GIULIANO
T he architect's renderings spread across my desk painted a picture that turned my stomach.
Not for what they showed—the proposed "renovation" to Alessandro's Providence wellness clinic looked pristine and modern. It was what they hid that made my blood run cold.
"Tell me again how you got these." I studied the elevation drawings, trying to make sense of certain design elements that seemed... off.
Enzo looked like he hadn't slept in days, the shadows under his eyes matching the darkness we'd uncovered. "Remember that interior designer who's been throwing herself at me at Sotto Voce? Turns out she's handling the finishing touches for Alessandro's clinic expansion. She was eager to impress me with her latest high-profile project."
"And the other documents?"
"She brought her whole portfolio to the club last night. Amazing what people leave unattended when they're trying to get another drink." His smile held no humor. "Had my guys photograph everything while she was distracted. But it's what wasn't in the official plans that got my attention."
"The discrepancies." Vincenzo moved from his spot by the window, pointing to specific areas. "See these load-bearing walls? They're rated for much more weight than a wellness clinic would need. And these elevator shafts." His finger traced the drawings. "They go down, but the plans only show them going up."
"It's exactly like Miami," Luca said quietly, and the room went still. Two years ago, we'd uncovered something similar hidden beneath another "wellness center" in South Beach. "The same basement layout. Same security setup. Same hidden elevator shafts."
"We were too late to stop it before it was operational," Rocco added, his voice tight with barely controlled fury. The memory of what we'd found there still haunted us all.
"Could be nothing," Nico said from where he sat, but his voice held doubt. "Except..."
"There's something else," Angelo said, spreading out more papers. "My contact at Alessandro's Boston clinic mentioned unusual patient transfers between his facilities. Women who check in for 'extended treatment' and then disappear from the system entirely."
"And now he's looking to expand," Enzo added grimly. "My bartender overheard him at the club last night, getting careless after a few drinks. Started talking about some partnership with Vittorio, something about medical supply chains. Kept going on about how Providence was going to make him a fortune."
"Vittorio's ports," I said, the pieces clicking into place. "Perfect cover for moving people through medical supply chains."
"It gets worse." Enzo's voice had that edge that meant whatever was coming would make me want to kill someone. "Alessandro's not just interested in Vittorio's shipping routes. He wants legitimacy. A seat at the big table."
My hand clenched around the papers, already knowing where this was going. "Pearl."
"Alessandro's been meeting with De Luca," Enzo added, naming Vittorio's long-time lawyer. "Three times this week. And he's suddenly showing up at all these society events, talking about 'strengthening old family ties.'"
"He was at the Rosetti wedding," Vincenzo noted quietly. "Asking a lot of questions about traditional ceremonies, family contracts."
Something cold settled in my gut as the pieces clicked together. De Luca only handled Vittorio's most important contracts - the ones that needed to look perfectly legitimate. And there was only one thing that would give Alessandro both legitimacy and access to Vittorio's world.
"Son of a bitch," Rocco growled, clearly reaching the same conclusion. "He's planning to marry her."
"Over all our dead bodies," Angelo growled, and seven voices echoed agreement, the room practically vibrating with barely contained violence.
"Construction starts Monday," Nico added grimly. "Once they begin the renovations..."
"We shut it down," I cut in. "All of it. Before he can expand beyond what he's already involved in."
"It won't be enough," a soft voice said from the doorway. "Not without proof that connects both of them to what's already happening."
Pearl stood there, dawn light in her hair. Something about her made my chest tight, how she could seem so small and yet so damn determined.
"You shouldn't be here," I said, even as every part of me ached to pull her closer. Nico's slight shift beside me spoke volumes.
"I heard enough." She moved into the room with that grace that always caught me off guard. Luca's usual smirk softened as she passed him, his attempt at lightness failing to mask his worry—like she belonged here in our world of shadows and secrets. Her eyes caught on the architectural drawings, and I saw the shadows of old memories flicker across her face. "Alessandro's been to the penthouse," she said softly. "They always turn up the music in the study when they talk. Like I wouldn't notice."
"Then you know why you need to stay far away from this," Enzo said, his usual smooth charm falling for just a moment as he moved to block her view of the plans.
"No." She slipped past him with that quiet determination that had first caught my attention in the interrogation room. "I know exactly where Vittorio keeps the real documents. I've seen him updating the shipping manifests late at night, watched him take those calls about 'special medical transport.' That hideous Picasso in his study, there's a safe behind it. I memorized the sequence when he thought no one was watching."
"Are you seriously suggesting what I think you're suggesting?" Angelo's voice was deadly quiet. Vincenzo's eyes met Pearl's for a fraction of a second, something unspoken passing between them.
"I go back." The words fell soft but sure, like she'd already made her peace with them. "Play the role he created for me one last time. Let him think his lessons took hold." Something flickered in her eyes. "Let Alessandro think he's winning."
"Absolutely not." The words ripped from my throat before I could stop them.
"Please listen," she said, holding her ground despite seven sets of eyes burning with protective fury. Her voice held that blend of steel and silk I'd come to know so well. "I know his routines, his security, every corner of that penthouse. I know when he takes his evening calls, when he updates his records." A ghost of a smile touched her lips. "I know that house better than anyone," she said. "The safe behind the Picasso, the late-night phone calls, the shipment records he keeps updating..."
"You're talking about walking right back into his hands," Rocco growled, raw emotion breaking through his usual barriers. His voice cracked as memories of his own family's losses surfaced. "After everything we did to get you out..."
"I'm talking about stopping this before it spreads beyond what we can control." Her voice caught slightly, revealing the cost of her courage. "I'm talking about stopping this before it gets worse," her voice caught. "Those girls... they're trapped in something much darker than my gilded cage ever was."
"There has to be another way," Luca said, but I could hear the uncertainty creeping in. "We could raid the current clinic, find evidence there..."
"And what?" She challenged gently, something almost tender in how she looked at each of us in turn. "Find a legitimate wellness center with some suspicious blueprints? You need more. And everything we need is in his study," she touched the blueprints lightly. "I just need to get to it."
"The risk is too high," I said, moving closer to her, drawn by that mix of vulnerability and strength. "If they catch you searching that safe..."
"They won't." Her certainty made my chest ache. "I spent years being exactly what he wanted, his perfect, obedient daughter. He's arrogant enough to believe I'd come crawling back after tasting the 'real world.' And Alessandro..." A shadow crossed her face. "His ego will blind him. Men like that, they see what they want to see."
"Pearl..." Enzo's voice held a pain I understood too well.
"Trust me," she said softly, looking at each of us. "I know what I'm asking. I know the danger. But I also know I can do this—with your help. Please, it will work."
"It's not about trust," Vincenzo said quietly. "You've seen what Alessandro's already involved in. If anything happened to you..."
"We need to move fast," she said. "Before this marriage contract happens."
"The contract," Angelo said slowly. "That's what really has you worried, isn't it?"
She met his eyes steadily, but I saw the fear she was trying to hide. "Once Alessandro has legal control over me, over my father's territory... there won't be any stopping him. He'll have everything he needs: legitimate business fronts, shipping access, social connections. The trafficking operation will just be the beginning."
Something shifted in the room. I thought of how we'd all changed since that first night, how she'd somehow become part of us without any of us meaning for it to happen.
"If—and I mean if—we consider this," I said carefully, each word feeling like it was being ripped from my heart, "it would have to be perfect. No room for error."
"I know." She reached for my hand, her touch sending electricity through my veins. The gesture held both determination and need. "That's why I need all of you. Your skills, your connections, your protection. Let me get the evidence we need to shut them down for good."
"We'd need time to plan," Vincenzo said, already thinking logistics despite his obvious resistance. "Cover stories, security overrides, extraction protocols..."
"To make sure you have every possible protection," Angelo added, the muscle in his jaw jumping.
"And multiple ways out if things go wrong," Rocco finished.
They moved closer without seeming to realize it, torn between wanting to protect her and knowing they couldn't stop her.
"It's your choice," I said finally, meaning so much more than just the mission. "All of it."
She paused, fingers trailing along the edge of my desk. The lamplight caught in her hair as her gaze moved from me to each of them, lingering just long enough to make my throat tight.
"I choose all of it," she said, voice low and full of promise. Then, letting her hand fall from the desk, "All of you."
The silence stretched. She took one slow step forward, then another. The others had drifted closer, drawn by that pull none of us could resist any more.
Her eyes darkened as she looked at each of us in turn. "I want to feel all of you tonight." The way she said it made my blood burn. "Show me who I belong to now."
One word was all it took.
"Please."