Page 113 of Auctioned Innocence
I pour coffee while Sofia secures the windows—an unconscious division of labor that speaks to how naturally we work together now. Whatever Mario’s brought, it’s serious enough that he risked coming here in person.
“I’ve got new intelligence,” Mario starts without preamble, opening his briefcase to reveal files that look like they came from very official sources. “And it’s worse than we thought.”
He spreads documents across the coffee table—financial records, communication intercepts, surveillance photos. The kind of material that costs lives to obtain.
“Viktor’s network isn’t just about human trafficking,” he continues, his voice grim. “It’s about complete restructuring of how our families operate. He’s been working with the Calabreses to destabilize the entire Council system.”
I lean forward, studying the documents with interest. “Dominic Calabrese is involved in this?”
“Up to his neck. Viktor approached him right after Anthony’s conviction—offered him revenge against all the families that helped bring his brother down, plus a piece of the new power structure.” Mario points to financial records showing massive transfers between shell companies. “Dominic’s been funding the operation, but Viktor’s been the strategic mastermind.”
“Creating chaos,” Sofia says, understanding immediately.
“Exactly. The auction house was just the beginning—they’ve been orchestrating ‘incidents’ across multiple territories. Making it look like family conflicts are escalating, that the current peace is breaking down.” Mario points to a timeline that makes my blood run cold. “Car bombings in Boston blamed on Irish-Italian tensions. Drug shipments hijacked and blamed on territorial disputes. Three family representatives’ daughters kidnapped in the past six months.”
Sofia stares at photos of young women—all around her age, all from prominent families. “I didn’t see these girls at the auction…”
“That’s because there are multiple of them across the country. Dominic’s been systematically targeting family connections as revenge for Anthony’s downfall—the Renaldis, the DeLucas, the Irish families that helped bring his brother down. But Viktor’s convinced him this is bigger than just revenge.” Mario’s expression darkens. “The goal is to convince the Council that the current system is failing, that stronger centralized control is needed.”
“With Viktor in charge,” I finish, understanding immediately. It’s brilliant in its simplicity. Use Dominic’s thirst for revenge to create the problem, then offer himself as the solution.
“Exactly. Viktor’s positioning himself as the solution to the chaos he and Dominic are creating. And he’s got allies—family representatives who think centralized power would benefit them, politicians who want to control organized crime through one point of contact instead of dealing with multiple autonomous families.”
The scope of it is staggering. Not just revenge for his brother, but a complete takeover of the criminal underworld’s power structure.
“There’s more,” Mario continues, pulling out communication intercepts. “He’s got someone inside our security network. High-level access. Someone who’s been feeding him locations, protocols, timing for the past six months.”
Fear licks through my insides. “Someone close.”
“Has to be. Look at this pattern.” Mario spreads out a map showing compromised safe houses, failed operations, narrow escapes. “They knew exactly when and where to hit us. Knew our backup protocols. Even knew about some of our emergency procedures that only a handful of people should have access to.”
I study the intelligence with growing anger. Someone we trust, someone with access to our most sensitive information, has been selling us out. The betrayal runs deeper than Viktor and Dominic’s network—it’s personal.
“Any idea who?” Sofia asks.
“Working on it. But in the meantime, nowhere is completely safe. Which is why you need to keep moving.” Mario pulls out new phones, fresh identification, emergency cash. “Tonight.”
“Where to?” I ask, though part of me already knows we’re running out of places to hide.
“A warehouse in Queens I’ve kept off all the books. Should buy us time to plan our counterattack.” Mario meets my eyes, and I see the same determination that’s kept him alive through decades in this business. “Because that’s what this is now. Not hiding, not running. We’re going to expose the entire goddamn conspiracy and bring down the entire network.”
“What do you need from us?” Sofia asks.
Mario turns to her, his eyes studying her.
“I need you to survive long enough to gather the evidence we need to prove Viktor and Dominic are behind all of this.” Mario’s smile is sharp as a blade. “And I need you both to remember that you’re not just fighting for yourselves anymore. You’re fightingfor every girl they’ve taken, every family they’ve destroyed, every life they’re going to ruin if we don’t stop him.”
We spend the next few hours planning, mapping Viktor and Dominic’s networks, identifying targets and potential allies. The conspiracy runs deeper than any of us imagined, but there are weaknesses. Rivalries between their allies. Evidence trails they can’t completely erase. People who might turn if presented with the right leverage.
“The key is proving Viktor and Dominic orchestrated the other incidents,” Mario explains, pointing to financial records. “If we can connect them both to the Boston bombing, the kidnappings, the hijacked shipments—we can show the Council that they’ve been manipulating everyone from the beginning.”
“And if we can’t?” Sofia asks softly, voicing the one question that’s been on my mind.
“Then the Renaldis become the scapegoat for everything, and Viktor gets exactly what he wants—chaos followed by his consolidation of power, with Dominic’s revenge as the perfect cover story,” Mario says coolly.
As afternoon shifts toward evening, Mario prepares to leave. He’s got his own network to coordinate, his own part of the war to fight.
“Stay sharp,” he tells us at the door, pressing additional weapons into our hands. “Trust no one completely. And remember—this ends with Viktor and Dominic dead, their networks in ashes.”
