Chapter 6 - The Sweetest Ending
The holding room at the federal building smelled like old coffee and bleach.
I sat at the metal table for three hours, staring at my hands—hands that were still stained with flour from the morning batch of cinnamon rolls. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Roman’s face when Agent Miller put the cuffs on him. I saw the absolute, terrifying realization in his eyes that he had dragged the only real, good thing in his life down into the dark underworld he was trying to escape.
The heavy steel door clicked open.
It wasn't Agent Miller.
It was a lawyer in a sharp charcoal suit whom I had never seen before, followed closely by Sophia Duca and Lily.
Lily looked pale, her dark eyes red-rimmed, clutching her backpack against her chest like a shield. Sophia looked furious—not at Roman, and not at me, but at the entire federal building.
“You’re free to go, Miss Bennett,” the lawyer said, setting a stack of release papers on the table. “All charges have been formally dismissed without prejudice.”
I blinked, stunned. “Dismissed? How? Roman—”
“Roman didn't launder money,” Sophia interrupted, stepping forward and placing a firm, manicured hand on my shoulder. Her voice was sharp, steady, and filled with old-world authority. “The shell company accounts the feds found were set up by Marco—my lovely, ambitious nephew who decided he wanted to sell out our shipping lanes to a rival syndicate in New York. Roman found out about it three weeks ago and used those exact accounts to trap him.”
I stared at her, my mind spinning. “Trap him?”
“Marco thought he was framing Roman,” Lily piped up, her voice trembling slightly as she stepped closer to the table. “Uncle Roman let the feds trace the money because it was the only way to catch Marco red-handed without starting a full-scale turf war that could get innocent people killed.”
Like me, she meant. He had risked his own freedom, his own empire, to ensure the investigation led away from Honey & Rye Bakery.
An hour later, I was standing outside the federal courthouse in the crisp autumn air.
A black sedan idled at the curb.
The back door opened, and Roman stepped out.
He didn't wear a jacket. His white shirt was slightly rumpled, his tie loosened, and his dark hair windblown. For the first time since I had known him, he looked hesitant. He looked like a man who wasn't sure if he had anything left to offer.
I didn't wait for him to cross the sidewalk.
I dropped my canvas tote bag on the concrete, ran across the pavement, and threw my arms around his neck, burying my face in his shoulder.
Roman caught me instantly, his powerful arms wrapping around my waist, lifting me slightly off the ground as he buried his face in my hair, holding on with a desperate, crushing intensity.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured against my ear, his voice rough with emotion. “I’m so sorry I brought this to your door, Clare. I wanted to keep you safe from all of it.”
“You idiot,” I whispered, pulling back just enough to look into his amber eyes while tears tracked hot down my cheeks. “You absolute, arrogant idiot. You don't get to protect me by keeping secrets.”
“I know,” he breathed, his hand coming up to cup my cheek, his thumb brushing away a tear. “I won't do it again. I swear to you, Honey & Rye is safe. Marco is behind bars, the federal audit is closed, and Marquetti-Duca Logistics is officially one hundred percent legitimate. No ghosts. No secrets.”
I looked at him for a long moment, reading the absolute truth written across his tired, handsome face.
Then I leaned up and kissed him right there on the courthouse steps, in broad daylight, in front of passing cars and federal agents.
Across the pavement, Sophia Duca let out a loud, dramatic sigh of relief, turning to Lily and saying, “Thank God. Now I can finally book the catering hall.”
May you like
Lily laughed—a bright, clear sound that carried over the traffic of the city.
Roman pulled me closer, deepening the kiss, and for the first time in my life, I knew exactly what my future tasted like: sweet, warm, and entirely uncompromised.
