Page 73 of The Mafia King's Baby

“I know what happened.” Her voice carries less certainty than before. “But maybe we should examine all the evidence before drawing conclusions.”

The shift in her tone sends panic through my chest. She’s wavering, backing away from supporting Yefrem as the tactical team treats him like just another criminal who happened to be present during a violent federal incident.

“Patricia?” I strain against Leonid’s grip, desperation making my voice crack. “He threw himself on top of you when the shooting started. He saved your life!”

She touches the cuts on her face again, and for a moment, something flickers in her expression. Recognition, maybe, orthe beginning of clarity about what happened in those crucial seconds.

“I... yes. Someone did shield me from the gunfire.” Her voice carries the hesitancy of someone trying to separate traumatic memories from shock-induced confusion. “But everything happened so fast…”

“It was him.” I point toward Yefrem, who’s being led toward the door with his hands secured behind his back. “He covered you with his own body. If he wanted you dead, he would have let Torres kill you.”

Patricia watches Yefrem’s calm demeanor as the agents escort him away. “Why would he do that? Risk his own life for someone he doesn’t know?”

“Because he’s not the criminal you’ve been told he is.”

But I can see the doubt in her eyes, the way trauma and official procedure are combining to make her question her own memories of what happened. The tactical team’s treatment of Yefrem as just another suspect is influencing how she interprets the events she witnessed. “We’ll sort this out properly.” Her words sound more like something she’s telling herself than a promise to me. “When we have all the facts.”

Leonid finally releases my arm as they finish removing Yefrem from the apartment. “She’s in shock. Give her time to process what happened.”

“We don’t have time.” I watch through the destroyed doorway as they load Yefrem into a federal transport vehicle. “Every minute he spends in custody is another minute they can use to build a case against him.”

Lipsey holds up a hand to quiet the debate. “We’ll sort this out at the office. For now, we secure everyone involved and document the scene.”

“This is wrong.” I follow the group toward the hallway. “You’re arresting the wrong man,” I say again.

Leonid catches my arm gently. “Let them go through their procedures. The truth will come out.”

“What if it doesn’t? What if they decide he’s guilty regardless of the evidence?” I blink back tears.

“Then we deal with that problem when it happens. Right now, cooperation is our best strategy.”

I want to argue, to demand they release Yefrem immediately, to force them to see the truth that seems so obvious to me, but Leonid’s calm pragmatism reminds me that emotional outbursts won’t help our situation. “Where are they taking him?”

“A federal detention facility probably. That’s standard procedure for suspects in federal crimes.”

The word ‘suspects’ sits wrong in my ears. Yefrem isn’t a suspect in the crimes we’re trying to expose. He’s a victim of them, but the federal agents see only his criminal background and assume guilt regardless of current circumstances.

Patricia approaches me while the tactical team continues processing the scene, her movements careful and deliberate. “I need you to understand something. What happened here tonight changes everything, but it doesn’t erase the past.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your partner may have saved my life, but he’s still admitted to killing federal agents. That’s not something I can ignore, regardless of the circumstances.”

The words hit like cold water. “Those agents were corrupt. They were trying to kill you.”

“That’s what you’re telling me, but I have to verify that independently.” Her tone is professional and aloof. “I can’t just take your word for it because someone acted heroically in one moment.”

I glare at her. “So you’re going to let them prosecute him?”

Her expression doesn’t falter, remaining cool and distant, though she still appears slightly shocked. “I’m going to follow the evidence wherever it leads. If he’s innocent of the charges against him, that will come out in the investigation.”

“And if the investigation is corrupted by the same people who tried to kill you tonight?” Frustration bleeds through my tone.

She’s quiet for a long moment, clearly wrestling with that possibility. “Then I’ll have to decide whether to trust the system I’ve served for twenty years or trust the word of people I met a few hours ago.”

The uncertainty in her voice tells me everything I need to know. Patricia wants to do the right thing, but she’s not sure what that is. The trauma of nearly being murdered, combined with years of training to trust official procedures, is creating a conflict she can’t easily resolve.

“I understand your position.” I keep my voice calm despite the fear clawing at my chest, because I don’t really understand how she can react this way, contrary to what she witnessed,but antagonizing her won’t help Yefrem. “I hope you’ll consider that sometimes the system fails, and sometimes, the right thing exists outside official procedures.”

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