Chapter 5 - The Red Wax Evidence
The battle for the Romano estate lasted forty-five agonizing minutes.
From inside the locked master suite, I held Lily tightly against my chest as the sound of automatic gunfire, breaking glass, and tactical boots echoed through the lower corridors. Lily buried her face in my shoulder, holding her stuffed rabbit, while I prayed with every ounce of my soul for the safety of the man fighting below.
When the gunfire finally ceased, it was replaced by the loud, flashing lights of dozens of law enforcement vehicles cutting through the snow outside.
The heavy steel doors of the master suite unlocked with a loud mechanical click.
Alessandro stepped inside. His tactical vest was scorched, his face dusted with soot and snow, but he was completely unharmed. Behind him stood Dominic, holding a thick steel briefcase recovered from Marco Costa’s private vehicle.
"It's over," Alessandro announced softly, catching his breath. "The Moretti leaders were caught at the perimeter gate. State troopers and federal agents are seizing their headquarters in Manhattan right now."
I let out a sob of pure relief, setting Lily on the bed and running into Alessandro's arms. I didn't care about the soot or the gunsmoke on his clothes. I wrapped my arms around his neck, burying my face in his chest as he pulled me tight against him, lifting me slightly off my feet.
"You're safe," he murmured into my hair, holding me as if he would never let go. "You're both safe now."
The following morning, the sun broke through the storm clouds, illuminating the snow-covered Hudson Valley in brilliant white light.
The library was filled with federal prosecutors, state investigators, and forensic team members.
Marco Costa’s private steel briefcase had been opened on the central mahogany desk. Inside lay sixteen private account ledgers, certified property deeds, and offshore bank transfers detailing seventeen years of systemic corruption, bribery, and corporate theft executed by the Moretti family and their associates.
Every single document in the briefcase had been authenticated and sealed using Marco’s signature red wax stamp—the exact same red wax that Lily had spotted on the surveyor's blueprint three weeks earlier.
Chief Prosecutor Edward Vance stood beside the desk, closing a thick yellow folder.
"Mr. Romano," the prosecutor declared, shaking Alessandro’s hand firmly. "With the physical evidence recovered from this briefcase, alongside the testimony from your internal audit, the Moretti syndicate is effectively finished. Indictments are being issued for twenty-four senior members as we speak."
Alessandro nodded calmly. "And Marco Costa?"
"He's facing life without parole in a federal maximum-security facility," Prosecutor Vance confirmed. He paused, looking over at Lily, who was sitting on the rug near the window, drawing with a fresh box of fifty colorful crayons. "I must say, Mr. Romano... your security team missed that traitor for seventeen years. How on earth did you catch him?"
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Alessandro looked over at my daughter, a soft, unmistakable warmth lighting up his dark eyes.
"I didn't," Alessandro replied smoothly. "My head of security did."
