Falling for My Ex’s Mafia Dad — Episode 63
The photograph destroyed every generous explanation Fay had built for Ivan. He was not imprisoned or coerced in the visible image. He stood beside Grant wearing a badge and the calm expression of a man who had returned to his role.
Kent wanted to expose the photograph publicly. Mara warned that revealing it would confirm they had penetrated a federal system. The image had to be authenticated through protected legal channels before it became useful.
Fay studied Ivan’s posture. His right hand formed a loose fist with the thumb trapped beneath two fingers—the same distress signal Mara had taught witnesses during the clinic exchange. He might be performing cooperation under surveillance.
Daniel saw wishful thinking. Fay acknowledged the possibility but refused to mistake uncertainty for innocence or guilt. The signal justified investigation, not trust.
Grant’s warrant sought communications proving Kent used Fay and Daniel to infiltrate the task force. The marked drive, clinic exchange, and hidden recordings could be arranged into that story. Every defensive action now looked premeditated.
Kent’s lawyers advised him to leave the country. He refused. Flight would abandon Daniel, staff, and businesses to prosecution while confirming Grant’s narrative.
Fay asked whether he would surrender if charged. Kent said surrender and cooperation were different. He would appear through counsel but would not walk blindly into a facility controlled by Grant.
They agreed on a contingency plan. Mara would negotiate location and observers; Daniel would assume temporary authority over legitimate companies; Fay would retain copies of all evidence outside the Lippert network.
The conversation showed how far Kent had changed. Months earlier, he would have decided every role alone. Now he asked each person whether they accepted the responsibility.
Fay returned to her apartment under independent protection. She found a package inside despite intact locks. It contained Ivan’s jacket, repaired where Daniel had torn out the transmitter.
A note instructed her to check the lining. Mara’s technician opened it inside a shielded bag and found a memory wafer too small for Grant’s older scanners to detect.
The files documented Ivan’s forced return to undercover status. Grant threatened to charge Fay with obstruction and expose Colin unless Ivan signed the affidavit. Lorenzo supplied financial records connecting Lippert companies to old murders.
Ivan admitted in a private log that some records were genuine. Kent’s empire had committed crimes no framing was required to prove. Grant’s case became corrupt not because Kent was innocent, but because false evidence was added to guarantee control over the outcome.
The distinction threatened Fay’s loyalty. Freeing Kent from a frame could not mean erasing victims of crimes he actually authorized. She would fight for due process, not innocence he had never claimed.
The final file contained Grant’s schedule. He planned to meet Lorenzo at a closed railway terminal that night to exchange the Victoria tape for a ledger of Lippert payments.
Fay proposed surveillance through Mara’s licensed investigators. Kent wanted armed backup but accepted that his men would remain beyond the perimeter unless lives were threatened.
At the terminal, cameras captured Lorenzo handing Grant a ledger. Grant gave him the cassette and promised Kent would be arrested within forty-eight hours.
Ivan stood nearby, apparently loyal. When the men separated, he looked directly toward the hidden camera no one had told him about and tapped the distress signal against his thigh.
Then Grant returned unexpectedly and followed Ivan’s gaze. He fired toward the camera, destroying the feed. Mara’s investigator stopped responding.
Minutes later, a message arrived from Ivan’s number: *You have one honest agent left. Come alone if you want her to survive.* Attached was a photograph of Mara bound inside the terminal.