Digging Deeper

"You look like hell, Sofia."

Elena's blunt assessment greeted Sofia as she stumbled into her friend's office at the hospital. The fluorescent lights seemed painfully bright after a sleepless night, and Sofia was sure she looked as terrible as she felt.

"Thanks," Sofia muttered, collapsing into a chair. "That's exactly what I needed to hear."

Elena raised an eyebrow, pushing a cup of coffee across her desk. "What you need is caffeine and a reality check. Spill. What happened with Moretti?"

Sofia took a grateful sip of coffee, letting the bitter warmth fortify her. "He... he offered me a deal."

"A deal?" Elena leaned forward, her eyes wide. "What kind of deal?"

"Information," Sofia said, her voice low. "About my father. In exchange for dropping the case against Moretti Enterprises."

Elena let out a low whistle. "Holy shit, Sof. That's... that's big."

Sofia nodded, her mind still reeling from the previous night's revelations. "I know. And I don't know what to do with it."

"Well, what did you tell him?"

"Nothing," Sofia sighed. "I left. I needed time to think."

Elena studied her friend's face, concern etched in her features. "And have you? Thought about it, I mean?"

Sofia's mind flashed back to the moment on the terrace, Luca's hand on her cheek, his intense gaze boring into hers. She felt her cheeks heat up and quickly took another sip of coffee to hide her reaction.

"I've thought about nothing else," she admitted. "But I can't... I can't just take his word for it. I need proof."

Elena nodded slowly. "So what's your next move?"

Sofia straightened, a determined glint in her eye. "I'm going to dig. If there's any truth to what Luca's saying, there has to be evidence somewhere."

"Be careful, Sof," Elena warned. "You're playing with fire here. If your father really is involved in something illegal..."

"Then I need to know," Sofia finished firmly. "I can't go forward with this case if I'm not sure my own hands are clean."

As Sofia left the hospital, her mind was racing with possibilities. Where to start? Her father's office would be too risky. His home was out of the question. But maybe...

An idea struck her, and before she could talk herself out of it, Sofia was hailing a cab to her old family home. The sprawling mansion had been mostly unused since her mother's death, but Sofia knew her father still kept an office there.

As the cab pulled up to the imposing gates, Sofia felt a pang of nostalgia mixed with dread. She hadn't been back here in years, the memories too painful after her mother's passing.

The elderly housekeeper, Mrs. Rossi, answered the door, her wrinkled face lighting up at the sight of Sofia.

"Miss Sofia! What a lovely surprise!"

Sofia forced a smile, guilt gnawing at her for what she was about to do. "Hello, Mrs. Rossi. I hope you don't mind, I just needed to pick up some old papers from Papa's office."

"Of course, dear. You know the way. Would you like some tea?"

"No, thank you," Sofia said, already moving towards the stairs. "I won't be long."

Her father's office was exactly as she remembered it – dark wood paneling, leather-bound books lining the walls, and the lingering scent of cigar smoke. Sofia moved quickly to the large desk, her heart pounding as she began rifling through drawers.

Most of the papers were mundane – business reports, old correspondence. But as she opened the bottom drawer, Sofia's breath caught. There, hidden beneath a stack of folders, was a small black ledger.

With trembling hands, Sofia opened it. Row after row of numbers and initials filled the pages. To an untrained eye, it might look like ordinary bookkeeping. But Sofia had seen enough financial records in her career to recognize what this was – a record of illegal transactions.

"Oh, Papa," she whispered, her heart sinking. "What have you done?"

A creak of floorboards outside the office made Sofia freeze. Quickly, she snapped a few photos of the ledger with her phone and shoved it back in the drawer.

She had just straightened up when the door opened, revealing her father. Marco Russo's eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed suspiciously.

"Sofia? What are you doing here?"

Sofia forced a smile, praying her face didn't betray her racing heart. "Papa! I... I was just looking for some old family photos. For a case I'm working on."

Marco's expression softened slightly, but there was still a wariness in his eyes that Sofia had never noticed before. Or had she simply never wanted to see it?

"A case? You're not still pursuing that nonsense against Moretti, are you?"

Sofia bristled at his dismissive tone. "It's not nonsense, Papa. It's my job. And I'm good at it."

Marco moved into the room, his presence filling the space in a way that reminded Sofia uncomfortably of Luca. "You're playing a dangerous game, piccola. The Morettis are not to be trifled with."

"Neither am I," Sofia shot back, her chin lifting defiantly.

A flash of something – pride? Concern? – crossed Marco's face. "No, I suppose you're not. You're too much like your mother for your own good."

The mention of her mother sent a pang through Sofia's heart. She softened slightly, reaching out to touch her father's arm. "Papa, I-"

But before she could finish, the sound of her phone ringing cut through the tension. Sofia glanced at the screen and felt her heart skip a beat. Luca Moretti.

Marco's eyes narrowed at her reaction. "Who is that?"

"No one," Sofia said quickly, silencing the phone. "Just work. I should go."

As she moved to leave, Marco caught her arm. "Sofia. Be careful. Please."

For a moment, Sofia saw genuine fear in her father's eyes. It shook her more than anything else that had happened. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak, and hurried out of the house.

Once she was safely in a cab, Sofia's phone rang again. This time, she answered.

"Mr. Moretti. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Luca's voice was low, urgent. "Where are you, Sofia?"

The intensity in his tone made her sit up straighter. "I'm in a cab. Why?"

"Get out. Now. Go somewhere public. A café, a store, anywhere with people."

"What? Why?" Sofia's heart began to race. "Luca, what's going on?"

"Just do it," Luca insisted. "I'll explain everything, I promise. But right now, I need you to trust me."

Trust. Such a simple word, and yet so loaded when it came to Luca Moretti. Every instinct Sofia had cultivated as a lawyer screamed at her not to trust this man. And yet...

"Okay," she heard herself say. "There's a café on the corner of 5th and Main. I'll be there in five minutes."

"Good," Luca's relief was palpable. "I'm on my way. Don't move until I get there."

As Sofia directed the cab driver to the café, her mind whirled. What had she stumbled into? Was this connected to what she'd found in her father's office? And why did the urgency in Luca's voice send a thrill of both fear and excitement through her?

She settled into a corner table at the café, her eyes darting nervously to the door every few seconds. When Luca finally strode in, looking devastatingly handsome in a casual leather jacket, Sofia felt a rush of relief she wasn't prepared for.

Luca slid into the seat across from her, his dark eyes scanning her face intently. "Are you alright?"

Sofia nodded, trying to ignore the flutter in her stomach at his obvious concern. "I'm fine. But you need to tell me what's going on, Luca. Now."

Luca leaned in, his voice low. "You were at your father's house, weren't you? Did you find anything?"

Sofia's eyes widened. "How did you-"

"It doesn't matter," Luca cut her off. "What matters is that you're not safe. Neither of us are."

"What are you talking about?"

Luca's hand found hers on the table, his touch sending a jolt through her. "Sofia, listen to me. Your father knows you were in his office. And he knows about our meeting last night."

Sofia felt the blood drain from her face. "How?"

"Because," Luca said grimly, "he has eyes everywhere. Including inside my organization."

The implications of what Luca was saying hit Sofia like a truck. Her father. The ledger. Luca's warning. It all pointed to one terrifying conclusion.

"My father," she whispered, "he's not just connected to the mob. He is the mob."

Luca's grip on her hand tightened. "And now that he knows you're digging, he's going to do whatever it takes to keep you in the dark. Even if that means..."

He didn't need to finish the sentence. Sofia understood all too well what her father was capable of.

"So what do we do?" she asked, surprised by how steady her voice sounded.

Luca's eyes met hers, filled with a determination that both thrilled and terrified her. "We fight back. Together."

As Sofia looked into Luca's eyes, she knew she was crossing a line. There would be no going back from this moment. She was throwing her lot in with a man she was supposed to be prosecuting, against her own father.

But as Luca's thumb traced small circles on her hand, Sofia realized she'd made her choice the moment she answered his call.

"Okay," she said softly. "Together."

The smile that broke across Luca's face was like the sun coming out from behind clouds. And despite the danger, despite the uncertainty of what lay ahead, Sofia felt a warmth spread through her chest.

Whatever came next, she and Luca would face it together. And God help anyone who tried to stand in their way.