164

Luca's POV

The sound of tires crunching gravel outside brought a wave of relief over me. My guys were back, and I had no doubt they’d completed the task. I walked to the window, watching as they stepped out of the van, one of them holding a small, padded case. A sense of accomplishment filled me.

I opened the door before they even knocked, motioning for them to come in. The leader of the group, Matteo, handed me the case. “It’s done,” he said simply, his tone firm but respectful.

“Good,” I replied, opening the case to inspect the contents. There it was—the gun Dean had so desperately tried to keep hidden. Its weight in my hand felt like the weight of victory.

Matteo leaned closer. “What’s next, boss?”

I placed the gun carefully on the table and turned to face him and the others. “Now we wait. Dean doesn’t know we’ve got the real weapon. For now, I want you all to lay low. No sudden movements. If Dean catches even a whiff of what we’re up to, he’ll disappear, and we can’t afford that.”

They nodded in unison, and I dismissed them. Alone again, I picked up my phone and dialed Jenny.

She answered on the first ring. “Luca, what’s going on?”

“It’s done,” I said, pacing the room. “We’ve got the gun. Now I need you to focus on Dean. Keep an eye on him, follow his movements, and report everything back to me. He’s bound to slip up now that we’ve rattled him.”

“Consider it done,” Jenny said confidently. “But there’s something else. I’ve found out where they’re keeping Lia.”

That got my full attention. I stopped pacing, gripping the phone tightly. “Where?”

“She’s locked in a spare room in the west wing,” Jenny said. “Alina had her moved there after she saw the video. She’s stalling for now, but it won’t be long before Dean gets involved.”

I let out a slow breath, processing the information. “Good work. Keep your distance for now, but don’t let her out of your sight. I’ll handle the rest.”

Jenny hesitated for a moment. “Do you really think we can get her out before Dean makes his next move?”

“We don’t have a choice,” I said firmly. “Lia has been vindicated. She doesn’t deserve to stay locked up another minute. Dean’s days of manipulating everyone around him are over.”

Jenny agreed and hung up. I stood there for a moment, formulating the next steps.

I grabbed a notepad and began sketching out a rough plan. Getting Lia out wouldn’t be easy. The west wing was heavily guarded, and with tensions running high, any misstep could result in disaster. I needed to be smart, to anticipate every possible obstacle.

The first step was to secure a distraction. If Dean or Alina were occupied elsewhere, it would give me the window I needed. I jotted down a few ideas, knowing I’d need Jenny and Bianca’s help to pull it off.

The second step was the extraction itself. Lia was likely under lock and key, so I’d need someone on the inside to disable the security system. Matteo’s team could handle that. They’d proven themselves capable tonight, and I trusted them to get the job done.

Finally, there was the escape route. Once Lia was out, I couldn’t bring her back here—it would be the first place Dean would look. I’d already scouted a safe house outside the city, hidden and secure. It would be the perfect place to lay low until the dust settled.

As the plan started coming together, a sense of determination took hold. Lia had suffered enough. She’d been dragged through the mud, accused of a crime she didn’t commit, all because of Dean’s lies. Now that I had the evidence to expose him, it was time to put an end to this.

I picked up the gun from the table, studying it closely. This small piece of metal held the power to change everything. With it, I could not only prove Lia’s innocence but also take Dean down once and for all.

My phone buzzed with a message from Jenny: Dean just arrived at Alina’s office. Looks tense.

I smiled to myself. Let them talk. Let them dig their own graves. Meanwhile, I’d be working in the shadows, putting the final pieces of the puzzle together.

I called Matteo again. “We’ve got another mission,” I said. “Get the team ready. This one’s delicate, but it’s the most important one yet.”

“Yes, boss,” he replied without hesitation.

I ended the call and leaned back in my chair, my mind racing. Tomorrow, we’d set the plan in motion. Lia would finally be free, and Dean would face the consequences of his actions.

For the first time in a long while, I felt like we were one step ahead.

___

Alina's POV

The moment Dean walked into my office, I couldn’t keep the anger from boiling over. I stood from my chair, glaring at him as he casually shut the door behind him. “Where the hell have you been?” I demanded, my voice sharper than intended.

He raised his hands in mock surrender, his face an unreadable mask. “I’ve been handling a few things. What’s the problem now?”

“Handling things?” I scoffed. “What exactly were you handling, Dean? Because I’ve been getting some very interesting messages.”

His expression faltered, a flicker of unease crossing his features. Before he could utter a word, I picked up my phone and shoved it in his face, showing him the video of him and Luca together. His jaw tightened, and for a moment, I thought he might deny everything.

“Explain this!” I yelled, throwing the phone onto the desk in front of him.

Dean hesitated, his gaze shifting between me and the video. “It’s not what it looks like,” he said finally, his voice calm but calculated.

“Not what it looks like?” I repeated, my fury mounting. “You’re meeting with Luca, Dean! The same man who’s been working against us! What are you hiding?”

He opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, my phone buzzed again. I glanced at the screen and froze. Another video had come in this time, with audio.

My heart raced as I clicked play. Dean moved closer, trying to get a look, but I turned away, refusing to let him touch the phone. I plugged in my earphones, pressing them in tightly, and the office fell silent save for the sound of the video playing in my ears.

As I listened, my blood ran cold. The voices were unmistakable—Dean and Luca, discussing Merlin, Lia, and the gun. Every word they exchanged unraveled another thread of the lies I’d been fed.

I yanked the earphones out and played the video aloud, my hand trembling as I held up the phone.

Dean’s face went pale. “Alina, listen—”

“Don’t you dare!” I snapped, stepping back as the realization hit me like a freight train. “You lied to me! You’ve been lying to me this entire time! Everything Lia said—it was true, wasn’t it?”

His hand twitched, and before I could react, he pulled a silver blade from his pocket, pointing it at me with a dangerous gleam in his eyes.

I stumbled back, the shock paralyzing me. “Dean...what are you doing?”

“Sit down, Alina,” he commanded, his voice icy and devoid of emotion.

“You’re really like this?” I whispered, my voice barely audible as I pieced it all together. The manipulation, the deceit, the lengths he’d gone to protect himself—it all made sense now.

“Sit down,” he repeated, this time with more force.

With no other choice, I sank into the chair, my mind racing. He approached me slowly, pulling a length of rope from his pocket.

“Dean, please, we can talk about this,” I pleaded, trying to buy time.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” he said coldly, tying my hands firmly behind the chair. “You shouldn’t have gotten involved, Alina. You should’ve just trusted me.”

“Trusted you?” I hissed, my anger reigniting despite my fear. “After everything you’ve done? You’re a monster!”

He finished tying the rope and leaned down, his face inches from mine. “You think I’m the monster?” he said with a bitter laugh. “You have no idea what I’ve been through to get here. But don’t worry—you’ll understand soon enough.”

He straightened and walked to the door, pausing with his hand on the knob. “Don’t scream,” he warned, glancing back at me. “It won’t help you.”

With that, he slipped out of the office, leaving me bound and seething. As the door clicked shut, I let out a shaky breath, the weight of the situation crashing down on me.

Dean was a liar, a manipulator, and now a threat to everyone around him. For the first time, I realized just how deep h
is betrayal ran and how far he was willing to go to protect himself.

But this wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.