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Chapter Eighteen: Jade

I had heard about RICO. I didn’t know what it stood for, exactly…all I knew was that it wasn’t good.

The chill of the early morning winter air seeped into the Harbor Cove apartment, but Dante seemed oblivious to it as he stood up abruptly. He jammed his hands into his pajama pockets, a clear signal that his mind churned with far more troubling thoughts than the cold could impose. “Jade,” he started, voice low and urgent, “there’s a lot I need to tell you.”

Without waiting for a response, he began pacing back and forth, his every step a silent drumbeat of worry.

I watched him, my sleep-tousled hair likely a wild contrast to my sudden spike in alertness. His normally composed demeanor was frayed at the edges, replaced by a tension that didn’t suit him. “Dante, what is it?” I asked, my curiosity piqued despite the unease clenching my stomach. “You just mentioned something about RICO. What is it?”

His pacing halted, and for a moment he simply stared out the window where dawn painted the sky in pale streaks of color. It was a rare glimpse into the vulnerability he so expertly concealed, a vulnerability that seemed to be growing the longer he stayed silent.

Dante halted mid-stride, the muscles in his jaw working as he turned to face me. The early light cast half his face in shadow, making his expression all the more inscrutable. “Jade,” he began, the weight of his words hovering between us, “the RICO case—it’s not just an investigation; it’s a noose.”

“RICO?” I echoed, folding my arms across my chest. “You mean the law they use to take down organized crime?”

He nodded once, sharply, the lines around his eyes deepening. “Exactly. And the Carusos...they’re pushing for it, hard. They’ve got a vendetta against my family that goes way back, and now...” Dante’s voice trailed off, and he looked away, his gaze finding some distant point of concern.

“Tell me what RICO actually means, Dante. I need to know. And then tell me what the Carusos have to do with it.”

Dante’s gaze hardened as he turned to face me, the intensity in his dark eyes revealing a struggle between his instinct to shield me and his newfound openness. With a deep sigh, he sank into the armchair across from me, his tall figure seeming suddenly weary.

“RICO stands for the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act,” he began, his voice taking on a chillingly calm cadence. “It gives the government power to bring charges against an entire organization based on crimes committed by any member of that organization.”

“Okay. Now tell me about the Carusos and their vendetta,” I said, stepping closer, trying to read his guarded eyes.

Dante raked a hand through his hair, then let out a long breath. “It’s blood for blood, an endless cycle. My great-grandfather took something from them—a shipment, a territory, respect—it doesn’t matter anymore. What matters is the legacy of hatred it fostered. The Carusos won’t rest until the Morettis are destroyed, or vice versa.”

“But the Carusos don’t have anything to do with the FBI, right? Like it would be against their best interest to help you with the law.”

Dante laughed, a hollow sound that echoed in the quiet room. “Assisting the law? No. The Carusos wouldn’t stoop so low. But they have no problem capitalizing on our misfortune. If the RICO case against the Morettis goes through, then the Carusos will have free rein over our territory.”

“Wouldn’t the police clean it up?”

“I mean, they’d try,” Dante said. “But the Carusos know how to play the game. They’ve been at it just as long, if not longer than we have. They have people in their pockets, and they’re not afraid to play dirty. And if I’m locked up, Jade, who’s going to defend you? Who’s going to defend our baby?”

“Are you saying... I’m a target now?” My voice was steady, too steady for the chaos brewing within.

“Jade, listen—“ Dante began, but I raised a hand to stop him.

“Give it to me straight. What does this mean for us—for me?” I demanded.

He hesitated, a muscle twitching in his jaw. “It means danger, the kind that doesn’t knock before it enters your life.”

I felt his words in my bones, a cold dread that didn’t need the chill of early winter to manifest. As the analytical gears in my brain churned, I struggled with the gravity of our entanglement. I was no stranger to complex equations or intricate research, but nothing could’ve prepared me for the calculus of the criminal underworld.

“Tell me something,” I said, crossing my arms, trying to armor myself against the vulnerability seeping into every pore. “Tell me about them—the Carusos.”

Dante took a step towards me, his presence both comforting and terrifying in its intensity. “There was an incident,” he started, his voice dropping as if the memory itself weighed down his words. “Two years ago, we had intel on a shipment coming in—“

“Intel?” I interrupted, aghast. “You mean you were spying on them?”

“Of course. It’s how this world works.” His eyes darkened. “We intercepted a container at the docks—one that was supposed to be filled with machine parts. Instead, it was Caruso guns, enough firepower to start a small war.”

“Jesus,” I muttered under my breath.

“Enzo wanted to send a message: Don’t mess with Moretti territory. We torched the whole shipment, let it light up the sky like a bonfire.” Dante’s hands clenched into fists, the memory igniting a fire in his eyes. “That night, the Carusos hit back. They came after one of our places—a club downtown. It turned into a bloodbath.”

“Did anyone...?” I couldn’t finish the sentence, the question too morbid to voice.

“Three of our guys didn’t make it out.”

“I’m so sorry. Friends of yours?”

He shook his head. “No, just kids who were in over their heads.”

“Is that what happened? When you came back to the penthouse that night and your clothes were all bloody? You said your brother was hurt.”

“My brother isn’t some kid, but he doesn’t deserve any of this.”

Dante stopped pacing and faced me, his dark eyes a testament to the night’s torments. “It’s not just Marco. It’s you, Jade. And our kid.” A muscle ticked in his jaw. “I can’t let my world touch either of you.”

“Why are you telling me all this now?” I asked, my voice steady despite the storm raging in my mind. “After everything, why?”

He stopped mid-pace, turned toward me, and I could see the weight of unspoken truths in his dark eyes. “Jade,” he began, the timbre of his voice betraying an undercurrent of urgency, “I can’t keep lying to you—about the RICO case, about the Carusos... You need to know the dangers we face.”

“Is it because of...us?” My heart hammered. “I mean, I assume you were breaking the law long before you got me pregnant, so why is the FBI interested all of a sudden?”

“It’s not sudden,” Dante replied, stilling. “It comes after I made mistakes. Marco getting shot. You getting pregnant. Me getting shot. But no, I’m thinking…things like paper trails. The money needed to legitimize the business. The Moretti-owned clinics popping up everywhere. There’s a chance they found out about the drug routes plan between clinics, but they’d have to have spoken to a Caruso for that, and I don’t see that happening.”

I glared at him, mouth agape. “The drug routes?”

“Don’t do that. Don’t pretend to be na?ve. You’re not stupid,” he said. “You probably knew what I did from the beginning.”

“I didn’t,” I defended, my voice rising with indignation. “I may be a scientist, Dante, but I’m not privy to the inner workings of your world. I didn’t know about your plans, your...your drug routes.”

His gaze softened as he moved towards me. “Jade, I’ve always tried to keep you out of this, even if it meant lying about certain things. But with the RICO case threatening us and the Carusos circling like sharks... I can’t afford to keep you in the dark anymore.”

“But why now?” The questions tumbled out in a rush. “Why tell me all this when it’s already so messed up?”

“Because no matter what, you’re in this with me,” he said, taking my hands firmly in his. “Because we created a life together. And I need you to understand that every decision I’ve made and will make is to protect you... and our child.” His words hung heavy in the air between us.

His words seeped into the cracks of my resolve, and I felt the dam holding back my emotions begin to crumble. Fear mingled with the fierce protectiveness I felt for our unborn child, leaving my thoughts adrift in a sea of uncertainty.

“God, Dante,” I breathed out, my composure splintering as I grappled with the enormity of the revelation. “This is so much bigger than us.” My analytical mind raced, desperately trying to piece together a future from the chaos he’d laid bare.

Dante reached out, his fingers tracing the line of my jaw with a gentleness that belied the strength in his touch. “I know, Jade. And I’m sorry for pulling you into my world, but I couldn’t stay away from you. Not then, not now. And now…fuck, now I don’t know. Do you want me to get away from you? We can only talk about our baby if you want. We can just talk about our son if that would make you happier, and…”

“I don’t know,” I said. He looked into my eyes, as if he was searching for a different answer, but I couldn’t give him one. “I’m sorry. I don’t know.”

He looked so hurt for a second. But then he just nodded. “Okay,” he said. “Okay. I can work with that.”