“Harper, we need to talk,” Denise whispered, her eyes darting toward Nico.

“Can we trust him?” I whispered back.

“It is not about trust,” Denise said, her grip tightening on my arm. “It is about the law.”

She leaned in closer, her breath warm against the cold cellar air.

“If we refuse his offer and go to trial, the state will file racketeering charges against the entire Romano syndicate,” she said.

“That is what we want,” I said. “We want them exposed.”

“If they are prosecuted under RICO statutes, the government will claim everything,” Denise warned.

I felt a cold dread settle in my stomach.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“The Marigold Room has been used to launder money for over a decade,” Denise said. “It is legally considered the proceeds of crime.”

She looked back at the historic brick walls of the cellar.

“The federal government will seize the building and all its assets,” she said.

“But it belonged to my family first,” I said. “They stole it from my mother.”

“In the eyes of the Department of Justice, it is a crime scene and an asset to be forfeited,” Denise said.