Winn Kane would attend the auction. Kane owed Luca a debt that could never be repaid properly.
Kane would bid on Valentina. Win her. On paper, it would look like another ugly transaction in a world that fed on them. Off paper, Luca would extract her quietly, move her out of the system, put her somewhere safe and forgettable. New name. New city. New life.
But Bastardi changed the process. No auction. No public bidding. And now Julian was overseeing the entire process.
Luca had run out of options.
Now all he could do was make sure Veronica had closure.
If he couldn't save Valentina, he could at least give her sister the chance to say goodbye. To see her. To touch her.
There was nothing more he could do.
And that, made his hands curl into fists.
*****
Detective Voss knocked once on the door marked CAPTAIN, squared his shoulders, and stepped inside.
"Captain, you sent for me," Voss said evenly.
