Chapter 9 - The WineryThe meeting was scheduled for midnight.
Antonio chose the hour.
Of course he did.
Apparently villains had branding standards.
The abandoned winery sat beyond miles of dark vineyards. Stone buildings surrounded a central courtyard where dead vines climbed rusted trellises.
Tessa arrived alone.
At least, that was what Antonio was meant to believe.
A microphone rested beneath her collar.
A tracking device was sewn into her shoe.
Leo and Carlo waited nearly a mile away with six trusted men.
Matteo Russo waited separately with his own people.
Isabella coordinated both groups because she was apparently the only person capable of preventing two mafia families from shooting each other before the rescue began.
Tessa carried a leather case.
Inside were Greg’s fake records.
The actual archive remained locked inside First National Bank.
If they survived tonight, they would retrieve it tomorrow.
Antonio appeared beneath the winery arch.
He looked exactly as he did on Sunday mornings.
Gray suit.
Silver tie.
Pleasant grandfatherly face.
Tessa hated that.
“Tessa.”
“Where’s my father?”
“Inside.”
“I want to see him.”
“You will.”
Antonio gestured.
She followed him into the barrel room.
Michael sat in a wheelchair near the far wall.
Alive.
Bruised.
But alive.
“Dad.”
His head lifted.
“Tessie.”
She moved forward.
A guard blocked her.
Antonio extended a hand.
“The case.”
“Let my father go first.”
He smiled.
“You’ve spent too much time around my nephew.”
“Maybe.”
“You’ve made him reckless.”
“I think he managed that before me.”
Antonio chuckled.
“You know, he never brought women home.”
“I lived there as an employee.”
“Not what I meant.”
Tessa held the case tightly.
“Release my father.”
“Open it.”
She placed the case on a barrel.
Antonio examined the pages.
Tessa watched his face.
Greg had done well.
Very well.
Antonio turned pages slowly.
For five minutes, he seemed convinced.
Then he stopped.
Tessa’s pulse spiked.
“This account is wrong.”
“What?”
“Atlantic Freight never cleared through Panama.”
He looked at her.
“These are fake.”
The room exploded into movement.
Antonio grabbed Tessa.
A gun pressed against her ribs.
“Leo!”
Outside, Leo heard through the microphone.
Tessa knew because gunfire erupted almost instantly.
Antonio dragged her backward.
Michael shouted.
“No!”
Tessa struggled.
Antonio struck her.
Pain burst across her cheek.
Then a window shattered.
Smoke filled the barrel room.
Men shouted.
Tessa dropped.
Antonio fired.
Leo entered through the side door.
His eyes found Tessa immediately.
“Down!”
She crawled toward Michael.
Carlo covered them.
Matteo’s men attacked from the courtyard.
The winery became chaos.
Tessa reached her father.
“Dad.”
She cut the rope around his wrists using a broken piece of metal.
A guard appeared.
Tessa froze.
The man aimed.
Leo fired first.
The guard fell.
Leo reached them.
“Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re bleeding.”
“My lip.”
His expression became murderous.
“Leo.”
“I know.”
He breathed.
Control returned.
“Get Michael out.”
“What about Antonio?”
“My problem.”
“No.”
Tessa grabbed his shirt.
“Our problem ends when my father is safe.”
Leo looked toward the corridor where Antonio had disappeared.
For once, revenge lost.
He lifted Michael from the wheelchair.
“I’ve got him.”
Michael stared at Leo.
Fear mixed with recognition.
“Santoro.”
“Yeah.”
“My daughter.”
“I know.”
“Don’t hurt her.”
Leo stopped.
Tessa’s heart broke.
“I won’t.”
Michael grabbed his shirt.
“Promise.”
Leo looked directly at him.
“I promise.”
They escaped through the courtyard.
Isabella waited beside an SUV.
When Michael saw her, his mouth fell open.
“Bella?”
Isabella’s eyes filled.
“Hello, Michael.”
Leo stared.
“You two know each other?”
“Later,” Tessa shouted.
They loaded Michael inside.
Then Carlo’s voice came through the radio.
“Antonio heading east.”
Leo looked toward the dark vineyard.
Everything in him wanted pursuit.
Tessa could see it.
“Go.”
He looked at her.
“You’re safe?”
“Yes.”
“Your father?”
“With me.”
Leo hesitated.
Tessa touched his hand.
“Go finish it.”
He nodded.
Leo and Carlo disappeared into the vines.
Antonio made it nearly half a mile before they trapped him at an old stone irrigation house.
When Leo returned forty minutes later, Antonio was alive.
That surprised everyone.
His hands were bound.
Blood ran from his nose.
But alive.
Tessa looked at Leo.
“You didn’t kill him.”
“No.”
“Why?”
Leo’s face was exhausted.
“Because you would always wonder whether I killed him for justice or because I was angry.”
Tessa stared.
“So what happens?”
“Federal authorities receive the archive.”
Antonio laughed.
“You think evidence will save you?”
Leo looked at him.
“No.”
“I’m in that ledger too.”
Tessa froze.
Leo continued.
“I’m prepared to answer for what I did.”
Antonio’s smile vanished.
Carlo stared at his boss.
Isabella whispered, “Leo.”
He ignored her.
“I spent twenty years telling myself I was different because I had rules.”
He looked at Tessa.
“But rules don’t erase bodies.”
Her chest tightened.
“You could go to prison.”
“Yes.”
“Years.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m tired of building every relationship around what people are afraid I might do.”
Tessa stepped closer.
Antonio began shouting.
“You ungrateful idiot! Your father built everything for you!”
Leo turned.
“My father built a cage.”
Then he looked at Isabella.
“You escaped it.”
Finally, at Tessa.
“I want to.”
Sirens sounded in the distance.
Not Santoro vehicles.
Federal agents.
Isabella had contacted them.
Antonio’s face transformed.
“You brought police?”
Leo almost smiled.
“I’m evolving.”
Agents flooded the vineyard.
Antonio was arrested.
So were several of his men.
Leo voluntarily surrendered his weapon.
Then an agent approached him.
“Leonardo Santoro?”
Tessa’s stomach dropped.
Leo nodded.
“You’re coming with us.”
She grabbed his hand.
The agent looked down but did not interfere.
Tessa whispered, “What happens now?”
Leo looked at her.
“I don’t know.”
That was perhaps the first time Leo Santoro had ever admitted uncertainty.
“I might be gone a while.”
She felt tears burn.
“I never asked you to surrender.”
“I know.”
“You don’t have to become a saint.”
“Good. I’d be terrible at it.”
She laughed through tears.
Leo lifted his hand.
Stopped before touching her face.
Tessa leaned into his palm.
Permission.
His thumb moved gently beneath her eye.
“I’m sorry about your date.”
She stared.
“Seriously?”
“It went badly.”
“My father was kidnapped.”
“Yes.”
“You were shot.”
“Yes.”
“We found out your mother has been secretly manipulating an actuary.”
“Terrible evening.”
Tessa laughed harder.
Leo smiled.
Then the agent touched his shoulder.
“Time.”
Leo leaned down.
He did not kiss her.
He waited.
Tessa kissed him.
Softly this time.
“Come back,” she whispered.
His eyes closed.
“I’ll try.”
May you like
Then Leo Santoro walked toward the waiting federal vehicle.
And for the first time in his life, he allowed someone he loved to watch him leave.
