The Choice
Isabella's POV
I leaned close to Tony's ear and whispered, "If you kill him, you'll never be free of this life."
Tony's gun stayed pointed at Roberto, but I felt his body tense as my words sank in.
"What do you mean?" he whispered back.
"I mean that pulling that trigger makes you a murderer forever," I said quietly. "Even if Roberto deserves it. Even if it feels right. You'll become exactly what he trained you to be."
Tony's hand was shaking. I could see the war going on inside his head. Part of him wanted revenge for his mother. Part of him wanted to be better than the men who raised him.
"But he killed her," Tony said through gritted teeth.
"And he'll pay for it," I promised. "But not like this."
Roberto was watching us with cold amusement. "Tick tock, nephew. The police will be through that door any second."
He was right. I could hear heavy boots getting closer to the mill entrance.
"Tony," Sofia called from across the room. "Whatever you're going to do, decide now."
I kept my voice low so only Tony could hear me. "Your mother wouldn't want you to become a killer because of her death."
"How do you know what my mother would want?" Tony asked.
"Because she tried to make peace," I said. "She was working to end the violence, not create more of it."
Tony's finger was still on the trigger, but I could see doubt in his eyes.
"She was trying to save people," I continued. "Including you. Don't throw that away for revenge."
"But if I let him live..."
"If you let him live, you prove that you're stronger than he is," I said. "You prove that his ten years of lies and manipulation didn't work."
Roberto laughed. "How touching. The FBI agent trying to save the criminal's soul."
"Shut up," Tony said, but he didn't shoot.
"Face the truth, boy," Roberto continued. "You are what I made you. Cold, ruthless, willing to do whatever it takes. That recording won't change anything. You'll always be a killer at heart."
"No," I said firmly, looking directly at Roberto. "He's not what you made him. He's what his mother made him. Good, caring, willing to protect people he loves."
"Pretty words," Roberto said. "But blood tells the truth. And Moretti blood runs cold when it needs to."
That's when Tony surprised both of us.
He lowered the gun.
"You're wrong," he said to Roberto. "My blood runs warm. Because of her." He looked at me. "Because of what she taught me about myself."
Roberto's face twisted with anger. "You weak fool. You're throwing away everything I gave you."
"You gave me nothing but lies and pain," Tony replied. "Isabella gave me truth and hope."
I felt my heart swell with love for this man who was choosing to be better than his past.
But Roberto wasn't finished.
"Fine," he snarled. "Be weak. Be soft. See how long you survive in the real world."
He started backing toward the far door of the mill, the one the police hadn't reached yet.
"Where are you going?" Tony asked.
"Somewhere I can clean up this mess properly," Roberto said.
That's when I realized what he was planning. Roberto wasn't just running away. He was going to find another way to silence us.
"Tony," I said urgently. "Don't let him leave."
But it was too late. Roberto had reached the door.
"Stop right there!" Tony shouted, raising his gun again.
Roberto paused with his hand on the door handle. "You had your chance to kill me, nephew. You chose mercy. Now live with the consequences."
He pushed open the door and started to run.
Tony took a step forward to chase him, but I grabbed his wounded arm.
"Let him go," I said.
"Are you crazy?" Tony asked. "He's getting away!"
"Let him go," I repeated. "I have a better plan."
"What plan?"
I held up my phone, which was still recording. "He just confessed to more crimes. Plus, the FBI has been tracking his location since I called them."
"You've been tracking him?"
"Standard procedure for undercover agents," I explained. "I've had a GPS tracker on him for months."
Tony stared at me. "You mean..."
"I mean he's not escaping," I said. "He's running straight into a trap."
Through the open door, we could hear Roberto's footsteps getting farther away. But we could also hear something else.
Car doors slamming. Engines starting. Men shouting orders.
"The FBI is surrounding the area," I said. "Roberto thinks he's running to safety, but he's actually running to his arrest."
Tony sat down heavily on a broken piece of machinery. The fight had gone out of him, and his shoulder was bleeding again.
"So it's over?" he asked.
"Almost," I said.
Sofia came over to check on her brother's wound. "We need to get you to a hospital."
"In a minute," Tony said. He looked at me with eyes full of pain and confusion. "Isabella, what happens to us now?"
I didn't know how to answer that question. Tony and I had been through so much together, but I had lied to him about almost everything.
"I don't know," I admitted.
"Do you really love me?" he asked. "Or was that part of your job too?"
The question broke my heart because I could see how much my answer mattered to him.
"I love you," I said. "That was never fake. That was the most real thing in my entire life."
Tony nodded, but I could see he was still hurt by all my lies.
Before either of us could say anything else, the main door of the mill burst open.
"FBI! Everyone on the ground!"
Agents in black uniforms poured into the building, their weapons drawn.
"Agent Chen!" one of them called out. "Are you secure?"
"Secure!" I called back. "I have wounded civilians and evidence of multiple crimes!"
The agents spread out through the mill, checking for threats.
"Where's the suspect Roberto Moretti?" the lead agent asked.
"He ran through the back exit about two minutes ago," I said. "He should be heading toward the parking area."
The agent spoke into his radio. "Suspect fleeing on foot. All units converge on the south parking area."
Tony struggled to stand up as the agents approached us.
"Are you Antonio Moretti?" one agent asked.
"Yes," Tony said.
"You're under arrest for kidnapping, conspiracy, and obstruction of justice."
"Wait," I said quickly. "He's been cooperating with my investigation. He's the reason we got Roberto's confession."
The agent looked confused. "Agent Chen, what exactly has been happening here?"
Before I could explain, we heard gunshots outside.
Multiple shots, fired rapidly.
Then silence.
"Roberto," Tony said quietly.
The lead agent spoke into his radio again. "Status report on the suspect."
"Suspect down," came the crackling reply. "But we have a problem."
"What kind of problem?" the agent asked.
"Before he fell, Roberto Moretti made a phone call. We heard him give an order."
My blood turned cold. "What kind of order?"
The voice on the radio was grim. "An order to kill Agent Sarah Chen tonight. He said her father already approved it."
Tony and I looked at each other in horror.
"My father?" I whispered.
"The girl dies tonight, nephew!" Roberto's final words echoed in my memory. "Her father's already given the order!"
I had thought Roberto was just trying to hurt Tony with lies.
But what if he was telling the truth?