The cuffs clicked around Luca’s wrists.
"You have the right to remain silent," Voss said. "Whatever you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."
Luca barely heard the rest. His eyes moved to Valentina. She sat there, phone still in hand, face looking relieved.
Stupid girl.
"You have no idea what you have done," Luca said.
Val said nothing. She only lifted her hand and gave him a small wave of her fingers, a smug smile touching her face.
The officers took Luca by the arm. Val got to her feet and sighed in relief.
Finally.
She had finally done it. Now, watching him led out in handcuffs, the fear she had been holding for weeks finally left her body. She had saved them. She had saved Vee, saved Matteo, saved Marco.
Even the baby growing inside her sister.
She doubted she would receive any glory for it, though. Heroes were rarely loved while they were saving everyone. Sometimes they were hated first. Later, perhaps, when the shock faded and the danger stopped circling, they would understand.
Vee would understand.
One day.
Val followed them out because she needed to see it for herself. She needed proof. She needed to watch him leave in a patrol car.
Luca walked with quiet ease. People turned to look. Even in handcuffs, Luca carried himself like the building belonged to him.
Outside, the patrol car waited. The officers opened the door and guided him in. Val stood several feet away, her arms wrapped around herself.
Luca turned his head. Their eyes locked. Then he smiled. The stupid girl really had no idea.
*****
Captain Harrington looked at Voss and shook his head. "You son of a bitch." Harrington shook his head again in admiration. "You finally did it."
"I wouldn’t start rejoicing yet," Voss said. "Luca is a slippery one. He might find a way to get out of this."
"You still think he’s going to walk?"
"I think he always prepares to."
Harrington looked down at the file in his hand, flipped it open, and scanned the first page again. "So your witness...you say he is the girls’ father."
"Yes, sir," Voss answered.
"And he is a witness to your stepfather’s murder?" Harrington asked.
"No," Voss said. "I had the DA give him queen for a day. And he confessed to soliciting Luca in getting rid of my father."
"Looks to me like the man himself should be in jail," he said.
"Yes. When I found out," Voss continued, "it threw me off. I couldn’t exactly decide who I wanted more. Vito or Luca. It was ugly. But then I thought Luca was more of a danger to the world than Vito."
"Hmmm," Harrington murmured. "Why did he want your father out of the way anyway?"
"Competition," Vito had explained. "My father was stealing all his customers," Voss said, repeating the statement with visible effort, "and his pizza shop was suffering."
"Pizza," Harrington said. "Your stepfather was murdered over pizza. Pizza," He repeated. Sometimes the stupidity of evil deserved to be honoured.

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