Kill Order Kiss Novel Chapter 10

Kill Order Kiss Novel Chapter 10

The Castellano indictments dropped on a Thursday in March, three weeks before Dante’s wedding to Bianca.

I watched the news coverage from my flat in London, a cup of tea growing cold in my hands. Seventeen arrests. Assets frozen across four countries. The trafficking ring dismantled, forty-three victims recovered, Bianca’s father, Enzo Castellano, was arrested at his home in a bathrobe, his face a mask of disbelief as

agents swarmed his property.

My name appeared nowhere in the reports. Catherine had kept her word-I was listed only as “a confidential

forensic source.” The Morettis were mentioned as “a cooperating adjacent organization,” which was generous,

considering they’d had no idea they were cooperating.

The wedding was canceled. Obviously.

Rome called that evening. “It’s chaos here. Dante’s locked himself in his study. He hasn’t spoken to anyone in

twelve hours.”

“Is the family safe?”

“Physically, yes. The feds made it clear we’re not targets-this time. But Dante knows someone fed them the financial data. He’s going through everyone with access.”

“Marco?”

“Marco disappeared two days before the arrests. Smart man.”

“Rome, you need to distance yourself from this. If Dante finds out you helped me-”

“He won’t. And even if he does-” A weary sigh. “I’m tired of being afraid of my own family, Val. You showed

me there’s another way.”

The following weeks were a blur of media coverage and academic recognition. Professor Ashworth, who could now publicly reference the case methodology, used it as a teaching framework. My paper on the forensic techniques involved was fast-tracked for publication in the Journal of Financial Crime. Job offers began arriving-consulting firms, government agencies, even a feeler from the FBI’s financial crimes division.

I was no longer hiding. I was building.

But the call I’d been dreading came on a rainy Sunday, exactly one month after the indictments.

An unknown number. I answered because I’d stopped being afraid.

“Valentina.” Dante’s voice was barely recognizable-hollowed out, scraped raw. “It was you.”

Not a question.

“Yes.”

“You destroyed the Castellano family.”

“I exposed a trafficking operation. The Castellanos destroyed themselves.”

A sound that might have been a laugh or a sob. “You know what this means for me? The merger was everything. Without Castellano’s network, we’re exposed. Vulnerable. Every rival family smells blood.”

“That sounds like a you problem.”

“People could die, Valentina. My people.”

“People were already dying, Dante. Forty-three people were being moved through shipping containers like furniture. Did you know that? Did you even look?”

сара

Silence.

“You didn’t,” I said. “Because you never look at the parts that make you uncomfortable. You just sign papers and trust that someone else is handling the ugly stuff. That’s not leadership. That’s cowardice.”

“I was trying to build something—”

“You were trying to build a kingdom on a grave. And you almost buried me in the foundation.”

His breathing was ragged. “I never wanted to hurt you.”

“But you did. And then you made me disappear so you wouldn’t have to watch.”

“Valentina-”

“I’m not done.” My voice was steady, clear-the voice of a woman who had rebuilt herself from rubble. “You

want to know the worst part? It’s not the kill order. It’s not the lies. It’s that you had two years to tell me the truth, and every single day, you chose the family over honesty. You let me love a version of you that didn’t

exist.”

“The version you loved was real-”

“Then where was he when my name was on that paper?”

No answer. There was no answer.

“Goodbye, Dante. For real this time.”

I hung up, and I felt nothing. Not anger, not sadness, not even relief. Just the quiet certainty of a closed door