Page 34 of Beautiful Evidence

"You brought it?" he asks. He stops a few feet away, not reaching for the envelope until I offer it. His eyes flick from my face to the shadows around us, checking for trouble.

I nod and hand him the envelope. Inside, there are three printed photos, two audio transcripts, and a flash drive, each one carefully labeled and arranged—and I have duplicates of everything at home in my safe too.

He opens it and studies the contents without speaking. One of the photos catches in the wind, and he slaps it back against the others with a flat palm. His jaw works while he reads. The transcript outlines Greco’s proposal to Luca—seize Costa property under the pretense of a corruption crackdown. The photos show meetings that weren’t supposed to happen. One of them has a date stamp that matches the day Emilio met with the financial oversight committee.

"They’re coming," I say. "Fast. If we don’t pivot, they’ll crush us." I shift my weight slightly, watching his face for any reaction. I haven't worked with Emilio's brother often, and I don't want to start now, but if Gordo is willing to help me keep Alessia out of hot water and Emilio isn't, I don't have a choice.

Gordo folds the documents back into the envelope and slips it under his arm. His face doesn’t change. "It doesn’t matter," he says. He shrugs like it’s already out of his hands, a man resigned to whatever comes next.

I frown. "What do you mean, it doesn’t matter?" I step closer, trying to catch his eyes. My body is so tight it feels like I might snap. If this fucker decides to give up the way his brother did, I will spill blood. A lot of it.

"I’m leaving Rome tonight for good. I’m done covering tracks, and I won’t keep pretending it’s not falling apart." He glances away, toward the freeway, like he’s already halfway gone in his mind.

My fists clench at my sides. "You think your walking away fixes this?" I ask. I fold my arms across my chest, holding tight to what’s left of my self-control, but my voice is sharper than I intend it to be. Gordo might not be my boss, but he's a dangerousman in his own right. I just can't fathom him walking out on his daughter.

"It doesn’t fix anything. But I’m not dragging her down with me." He stares past me at the road, as if he sees something there I can’t. His mouth pulls tight with something close to regret.

"Alessia?" I say. I already know the answer, but I need to hear it.

He doesn’t look surprised. "She’s all you want, right?" he asks. He tilts his head, waiting for confirmation. There’s no emotion behind the question—just clarity. It's like he's washed his hands of her too. It sickens me.

"I’m staking a claim," I say. "I’m not letting anyone else call the shots with her." I keep my tone even. There’s no apology in it, because I’m not sorry. She is mine now, and I won't let this family make her the scapegoat.

His expression hardens. "Then you’d better protect her—with your life, if it comes to that," he says. He points a finger at me, eyes narrowed like he’s measuring my resolve. "You keep her out of this. That subpoena? Destroy it. Don't let her go to the hearing. Keep her safe."

"I already am," I say. I meet his stare without blinking. My stance is squared and solid, but I have no idea how to do what he's asking. I can't force her not to testify, and I can't make her destroy evidence, either.

For the first time, Gordo looks at me like he sees me clearly. He doesn’t see Emilio’s cleaner or Costa muscle. He sees someone else entirely.

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small brass key and a folded sheet of paper. "Take this. There’s an account under analias. It’s enough to start over somewhere safe—for her. Don’t use it unless you have to," he says. He holds it out like he’s handing over the last piece of himself. His hand lingers until I take it.

My fingers close over the key, and our eyes meet. It's like he's transferring rights or something, which I know she'll never accept, but as a father, he's at least trying. That's more than he's done her whole life.

"What about you?" I ask. My voice is quieter now, the edge of my rage worn off. The question feels pointless, but I ask it anyway because I have to have an answer for her if she asks me.

"My fate’s sealed," he says. "Hers isn’t. Keep her clear of the family mess or none of what I'm doing matters." He shoves his hands back in his pockets. The conversation, to him, is finished. He’s already turning away.

"Emilio’s not going to let this go quietly," I say. "He’ll see this as betrayal. He'll call you a coward." I take a step after him, needing him to hear it before he disappears into the night.

Gordo nods. "He’ll want blood—maybe yours," he says. He glances back, the look in his eyes heavy with everything he’s not saying. "I know how it ends for me. I just want her to be safe."

"He won’t get it," I say. I speak with certainty, though I know the risk is real and closing in.

"Then be smarter than him," Gordo says. "Stay ahead of it. Cut ties where you can. And don’t think for a second that you can save us both. You’ll have to choose." He says it like a man who already made peace with the decision because he knows I have to choose his daughter. Even if we have to feed his name to keep her clean.

I look down at the key and the paper in my hand. The brass is cool against my skin, grounding me. "I already have," I mumble, but something in my chest tightens as I say it. There’s no turning back.

He turns without another word and walks toward his car, climbs in, and pulls away without checking to see if I’m still watching.

I stay where I am, standing in the same place, carrying the burden of her safety in the palm of my hand. The key is cold, but the responsibility it carries burns hot in my palm.

I don’t know how yet, but I have to find a way to protect her and keep this family from tearing itself apart. Gordo might be out, but the fallout he left behind is mine to clean up. And if I want Alessia safe—if I want any of us to survive this—I have to outmaneuver Emilio, outthink Greco, and find a path forward that doesn’t end in blood.

Because the next choice I make could save her… or destroy everything.

21

ALESSIA

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