Chapter 18: Betrayal's Sting

POV: Vincent

"Let her go," I said, stepping between Scarlett and her father.

Director Justice smiled coldly. "I'm not holding her. She's free to leave with me anytime she wants."

"Scarlett," I said without taking my eyes off Justice. "Get behind me."

But when I looked over my shoulder, she wasn't moving. She stood frozen between us like she was choosing sides.

"Dad," she said quietly. "How did you find me?"

"I've always known where you were," Justice replied. "The tracking device in your phone. The cameras watching Vincent's every move. Did you really think you could hide from the FBI?"

My blood turned to ice. "Tracking device?"

Justice pulled out a tablet and showed me a map with a blinking red dot. "My daughter has been broadcasting her location for weeks. Every place she's been, every person she's met."

"I didn't know," Scarlett whispered.

"Of course you didn't," Justice said gently. "You're not a spy, sweetheart. You're just a girl who got caught up in something dangerous."

Tommy Romano laughed. "Touching family reunion. But we have business to finish."

"The business is finished," Justice said. "Scarlett is coming home with me."

"Actually," Tommy said, pulling out his gun, "the business is just getting started."

Everything happened at once. Justice's agents drew their weapons. Tommy's men did the same. I grabbed Scarlett and pulled her down as bullets started flying.

"This way!" I shouted, dragging her toward the edge of the pier.

We jumped into the freezing lake water just as gunfire erupted behind us. The cold hit me like a hammer, but I kept swimming toward shore.

When we finally crawled onto the beach, both of us were shaking and gasping.

"Vincent," Scarlett said through chattering teeth. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Sorry for what? For lying to me? For being FBI royalty? Or for getting me shot at by both sides?"

"For all of it."

I looked at this girl who'd turned my life upside down. Even soaked and shivering, she was beautiful. Even knowing who she really was, I still loved her.

And that made me furious.

"Three weeks," I said. "Three weeks you've been lying to my face."

"I was protecting both of us."

"From what?"

"From this!" She gestured toward the pier where gunshots still echoed. "From everyone wanting to use us against each other."

"Maybe they should."

Scarlett's face crumpled. "Don't say that."

"Your father killed mine, Scarlett. He's been hunting my family for years."

"And your family has been dealing drugs and murdering people for years!"

"That's different."

"How is it different?"

"Because it's who I am!"

The words hung between us like a wall. I was Vincent Capone, heir to a crime family. She was Scarlett Justice, daughter of the FBI Director. We came from worlds that were meant to destroy each other.

"Vincent," she said softly. "Can we go somewhere safe? Just for tonight? Tomorrow I'll figure out what to do."

I almost said no. Almost walked away and let her deal with the mess alone. But then I saw the fear in her eyes and remembered how she'd taken care of me when I was wounded.

"One night," I said. "Then you go back to your father where you belong."

We found shelter in an abandoned warehouse on the south side. I started a fire in an old barrel while Scarlett sat shivering against the wall.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked.

"When? When you saved me from assassins? When you were teaching me to fight? When we were falling in love?"

"Any of those times would have been good."

"And what would you have done if I'd told you I was FBI Director Justice's daughter?"

I was quiet because we both knew the answer. I would have killed her or turned her over to Tommy.

"That's why I didn't tell you," Scarlett said. "Because I knew you'd choose your family over me."

"Family is everything in my world."

"What about love?"

"Love gets people killed."

"Then why did you save me tonight?"

I stared into the flames, trying to find an answer that made sense. "I don't know."

"Yes, you do."

"Fine. Because I love you. Because even knowing who you are, even knowing this is impossible, I can't let you get hurt."

Tears ran down her face. "I love you too."

"That doesn't change anything."

"It changes everything."

"No, it doesn't. Tomorrow you go back to your father. I go back to my family. And we pretend this never happened."

"What if I don't want to go back?"

"You don't have a choice."

"Everyone has choices, Vincent."

"Not people like us."

My phone buzzed with a text message. Unknown number.

"Vincent, we need to meet. Your girlfriend isn't who she seems. - Marco"

Marco was my oldest informant. A man who'd been feeding me information about police operations for years. If he wanted to meet, it was serious.

"I have to go," I told Scarlett.

"Where?"

"To get answers."

"About what?"

"About you."

The meeting was set for midnight at the old train yard. Marco was waiting in the shadows, nervous and jumpy.

"Vincent, thank God you came."

"What's this about?"

"Your girlfriend. Scarlett Justice."

"What about her?"

"She's not just the FBI Director's daughter."

"What do you mean?"

Marco pulled out a thick file. "She's been undercover for three years. Deep cover. The kind where you forget who you really are."

My heart stopped. "Undercover as what?"

"As bait. Her father has been using her to get close to crime families across the country."

"That's impossible."

"Is it? Think about it, Vincent. A mysterious girl with no past shows up just when you need someone to save? She just happens to need protection from the exact people her father is hunting?"

"She was really in danger."

"Was she? Or was that part of the plan too?"

I stared at the file, afraid to open it. "What's in here?"

"Everything. Her real mission. Her training records. Reports she's filed about other crime families she's infiltrated."

"Reports about me?"

"See for yourself."

With shaking hands, I opened the file. Inside were dozens of documents. Training records showing Scarlett learning advanced combat skills, surveillance techniques, and undercover operations.

And at the bottom was a mission briefing dated six months ago.

"Operation Heartbreak: Agent Scarlett Justice will infiltrate the Capone organization by establishing a romantic relationship with Vincent Capone. Goal: Gather evidence for federal prosecution."

The file fell from my hands.

"Vincent?" Marco said carefully. "You okay?"

I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. Everything between Scarlett and me had been fake. Every kiss, every touch, every moment when she'd looked at me like I was her whole world.

It was all a lie.

"There's more," Marco said quietly.

"More what?"

"The operation is ending tomorrow. She's supposed to testify against you in front of a grand jury."

"What?"

"All the evidence she's gathered, all the conversations she's recorded - it's enough to put you away for life."

I thought about all the times Scarlett had been alone with me. All the times I'd talked about family business, about operations, about things that could destroy us.

She'd been recording everything.

"Where is she supposed to testify?"

"Federal courthouse. Ten in the morning."

"And after that?"

"After that, Vincent Capone ceases to exist. You'll spend the rest of your life in prison."

I picked up the file with numb fingers. Everything made sense now. Why she was so good with weapons. Why she knew how to take care of bullet wounds. Why she asked so many questions about my family.

She was a federal agent.

And I was her target.

"Vincent," Marco said. "What are you going to do?"

Before I could answer, a voice spoke from the darkness behind me.

"Vincent Capone. We need to talk about your girlfriend."

I spun around to see three men in FBI jackets. The leader stepped forward, and I recognized him from wanted posters.

Agent David Cross. Head of the FBI's organized crime task force.

And Scarlett's handler.

"Hello, Vincent," Cross said with a cold smile. "Agent Justice has been telling us all about you."