Chapter 6 - The Confession That Could Send Him to Prison
Dante Romano walked into the FBI’s Manhattan field office at 9:03 Monday morning.
No arrest warrant.
No subpoena.
No immunity agreement.
Just a lawyer, Luca, and three encrypted drives containing enough evidence to ignite half of New York’s criminal economy.
Sonia found out after he was already inside.
She called him twelve times.
He did not answer.
At 10:14, she called his attorney.
“At least tell me if he’s under arrest.”
“He is not.”
“Could he be?”
“Yes.”
“That is not helpful.”
“It is honest.”
She hated everyone around Dante for learning that word.
At noon, news broke.
FEDERAL RAID TARGETS ROMANO-AFFILIATED BUSINESSES.
Then:
ROMANO HOLDINGS EXECUTIVES QUESTIONED.
Then:
DANTE ROMANO SEEN ENTERING FBI OFFICE.
Emma stood beside Sonia in the safe-house kitchen.
“Is he turning himself in?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did he kill anyone?”
“Emma.”
“I’m asking because we’re emotionally invested now.”
Sonia glared.
Emma sighed.
“Fine.”
At two, Thomas called from rehabilitation.
“I saw the news.”
“Don’t watch television.”
“I’m sixty-two, not twelve.”
“Dad.”
“Did he do it for us?”
Sonia sat.
“No.”
Silence.
Then, “Good.”
She frowned.
“What?”
“A man shouldn’t rebuild his whole soul for a woman he met near a steak.”
“Dad.”
“He should do it because he knows who he wants to be.”
Sonia looked at the television.
“I think he does.”
At 4:40, Dante finally called.
“Hello.”
She nearly screamed.
“Where are you?”
“Outside.”
She ran to the front window.
A black sedan waited.
She hung up and opened the door.
Dante stepped out.
Same suit.
No handcuffs.
No agents.
Sonia crossed the sidewalk and hit his chest.
Hard.
He stared.
“That hurt.”
“Good.”
Then she hugged him.
The movement surprised both of them.
Dante froze.
Then his arms closed around her.
Slowly.
Not possessively.
Carefully.
Sonia pressed her face against his chest.
“You disappeared.”
“I was in an FBI interview.”
“You had a phone.”
“My lawyer told me not to use it.”
“I hate your lawyer.”
“He likes you.”
“I hate him more.”
Dante laughed softly.
She stepped back.
“Are you going to prison?”
“Possibly.”
Her face fell.
“Not immediately.”
“What did you admit?”
“Enough.”
“That means nothing.”
“I gave them financial records, names, property locations, and historic transactions.”
“Did you admit crimes?”
“Yes.”
Her stomach dropped.
“What kind?”
“Tax violations. Illegal gambling proceeds. Payments to public officials.”
“You bribed people.”
“Yes.”
She closed her eyes.
“I’m sorry.”
“No.”
Dante looked at her.
“Do not apologize for asking me to become accountable.”
“I didn’t ask you to confess everything.”
“I needed leverage.”
“For Gabriel?”
“For a cooperation agreement.”
“So you did negotiate.”
“Yes.”
“Immunity?”
“No.”
She stared.
“What did you get?”
“Charging consideration.”
“That sounds intentionally vague.”
“It is.”
“Maximum?”
“If everything goes badly?”
“Yes.”
“Ten years.”
Sonia stopped breathing.
“Dante.”
“Likely much less.”
“How much less?”
“Maybe eighteen months. Maybe probation.”
“Maybe.”
“Yes.”
She turned away.
He let her.
That mattered.
“I hate this.”
“I know.”
“Part of me wants you to take everything back.”
“I know.”
“Part of me wants you to lie.”
“I know.”
She looked at him.
“Stop understanding me.”
“No.”
Tears filled her eyes.
“You could lose years.”
“Yes.”
“Because Gabriel is horrible.”
“No.”
Dante’s voice softened.
“Because I did things that were crimes before you met me.”
She looked away.
“I cannot blame Gabriel for those.”
The truth hurt.
That was why it mattered.
Federal agents raided three warehouses that night.
They recovered counterfeit cancer drugs, opioids, forged prescription labels, guns, and almost six million dollars in cash.
Caleb Ross began cooperating.
Vinny began cooperating too.
Everyone wanted a deal.
Everyone gave pieces.
Gabriel remained missing.
Then, on Wednesday, Sonia disappeared.
Not kidnapped.
She left voluntarily.
That distinction almost did not matter to Dante when he found the note.
I NEED TO SEE SOMETHING FOR MYSELF. DO NOT FOLLOW ME. I MEAN IT.
He stared at it.
Then swore.
Luca stood in the doorway.
“What?”
“She told me not to follow.”
“And?”
Dante looked furious.
“I’m trying to respect boundaries.”
Luca laughed.
“Boss, this is the funniest thing that’s happened all year.”
“Find out where she went.”
“You just said—”
“Do not follow her.”
“Ah.”
“Find out.”
Luca continued smiling.
“Healthy.”
Dante threw a pen at him.
Sonia had gone to Lombardi’s.
The restaurant remained closed.
Yellow regulatory notices covered the front door.
She had kept an employee key.
Inside, the dining room smelled stale.
Chairs sat upside down.
The table where Dante had pretended to collapse remained near the window.
She walked to the kitchen.
Marco had mentioned one detail during questioning.
Boxes entered through the rear freezer.
But Vinny never opened them downstairs.
He took something upstairs.
Lombardi’s second floor held old private dining rooms and an office.
Sonia climbed.
Vinny’s office had been searched.
Drawers open.
Computer gone.
She noticed a framed photograph lying face down beneath the desk.
She lifted it.
Mr. Lombardi.
The old owner.
Beside him stood Dante’s father, Salvatore Romano.
And Thomas Mitchell.
Sonia froze.
Her father.
Twenty years younger.
Standing beside a mafia boss.
“What?”
A floorboard creaked behind her.
She turned.
Gabriel Romano stood in the doorway.
Gun in hand.
Sonia stopped breathing.
“You were difficult to find,” he said.
Every instinct screamed.
Run.
No path.
He blocked the door.
“I’m surprised Dante let you come alone.”
“He didn’t know.”
Gabriel smiled.
“Good.”
Sonia looked at the gun.
“What do you want?”
“The photograph.”
She tightened her grip.
“Why?”
“Because your father never told you who he used to be.”
Cold moved through her.
Gabriel stepped inside.
“Thomas Mitchell wasn’t always a hardware-store owner.”
Sonia stared.
“You’re lying.”
“He worked for my father.”
“No.”
“He handled books.”
“No.”
“He laundered money through restaurants.”
Sonia’s stomach turned.
Gabriel smiled.
“Lombardi’s was one of them.”
She looked at the photograph.
Her father had never mentioned knowing Salvatore Romano.
Never.
“Why would he leave?”
“Your mother.”
That sounded plausible enough to hurt.
Gabriel continued.
“She made him choose.”
Sonia’s mouth went dry.
“And he chose her.”
“Yes.”
“Why does that photograph matter?”
“It doesn’t.”
She stared.
“You just held a gun on me for it.”
“The photograph is bait.”
Her blood chilled.
“For who?”
Gabriel smiled.
“Dante.”
Sonia’s phone rang.
Gabriel held out his hand.
“Answer.”
She looked at the screen.
Dante.
Of course.
Gabriel smiled.
“Speaker.”
Sonia answered.
“Hi.”
Dante immediately heard it.
Her voice.
Wrong.
“Where are you?”
“Lombardi’s.”
Silence.
Then his tone changed.
“Are you alone?”
Sonia looked at Gabriel.
“No.”
Dante’s breath stopped.
“Gabriel?”
Her eyes filled.
“Yes.”
Dante closed his eyes.
Luca was already moving.
Police.
FBI.
Everyone.
Gabriel took the phone.
“Hello, brother.”
“Let her go.”
“You always sound so noble around her.”
“What do you want?”
“The cooperation files.”
“No.”
Gabriel pressed the gun against Sonia’s side.
She flinched.
Dante heard.
“Gabriel.”
“Delete your copies. Withdraw cooperation.”
“That won’t stop the investigation.”
“It gives me time.”
“To run?”
“Yes.”
“Then run now.”
“With no money?”
Dante almost laughed.
“That’s what this is about?”
“It is always about money.”
“No.”
Dante’s voice became colder.
“With you, it has always been about being second.”
Gabriel’s face changed.
Sonia saw it.
Dante had found the wound.
“Careful,” Gabriel said.
“You were second to me.”
“Stop.”
“Second to Matteo in Mother’s heart.”
“Shut up.”
“Second to Father’s respect.”
Gabriel raised the gun.
Sonia moved.
Not bravely.
Instinctively.
She slammed the framed photograph into his wrist.
The gun fired.
Glass exploded.
She ran.
Gabriel grabbed her coat.
The fabric tore.
Sonia hit the stairs.
Another gunshot.
Then the front windows shattered inward.
Federal agents.
Police.
Chaos.
Sonia reached the dining room and dropped.
“Hands!”
“Gun!”
“Down!”
She covered her head.
Gabriel appeared above.
Weapon raised.
Then stopped.
Twelve guns pointed at him.
For a second, Sonia thought he would fire.
Suicide by police.
Instead, slowly, Gabriel placed the gun down.
Hands raised.
Dante entered behind the tactical officers.
He saw Sonia.
Everything else disappeared.
He crossed the room.
Stopped before touching her.
“Are you hurt?”
She shook her head.
Then slapped him.
Again.
He stared.
“That one hurt more.”
“You found me.”
“Yes.”
“I said don’t follow.”
“I didn’t.”
She stared.
“Luca tracked your employee key.”
“That is following with technology.”
“Possibly.”
She started laughing.
Then crying.
Dante opened his arms.
She fell into them.
Across the room, Gabriel watched.
His face was empty.
As agents cuffed him, he looked at Sonia.
“Ask your father who he really is.”
Dante stiffened.
May you like
Sonia looked at the broken photograph still in her hand.
She already intended to.
