She had refused bribes.
Ignored threats.
And testified anyway.
The case collapsed for unrelated reasons.
Luca had respected her ever since.
People who could not be bought were rare.
People who remained fearless after meeting him were rarer.
She arrived at the villa after midnight wearing jeans and a black coat, carrying a laboratory case.
When Luca showed her the tablets, she raised one eyebrow.
“You know there are easier ways to invite a woman for coffee.”
“I need them analyzed.”
“You have laboratories.”
“I need one that my brother doesn’t know about.”
Her expression changed.
She looked at him carefully.
“How bad is this?”
“I don’t know yet.”
Amara held up the newer pill.
“What is it supposed to be?”
“Gabapentin.”
She examined the marking.
“This isn’t standard Italian manufacture.”
“That means?”
“It means I need a microscope.”
She packed the samples.
“Forty-eight hours.”
“No written report.”
“Obviously.”
“And Amara?”
She paused.
“If anyone contacts you about this—”
“I know.”
“No.”
Luca’s eyes turned cold.
“You don’t.”
Amara met his stare.
“I testified against you in open court.”
“Yes.”
“And you think your brother frightens me?”
“I think whoever did this already tried to kill me once.”
That erased her smile.
Luca remembered the crash in fragments.
Rain.
Headlights.
The driver, Paolo, shouting.
The steering wheel jerking.
A smell like burnt rubber.
Then the impossible sensation of acceleration when Paolo had been braking.
The car had smashed through the barrier at ninety kilometers per hour.
Investigators ruled it mechanical failure.
A fractured brake line.
Nothing suspicious.
Matteo had handled the investigation personally.
At the time Luca had been grateful.
Now he wondered why.
For three nights, Luca did not sleep.
Meanwhile, Sofia continued her ritual.
Warm water.
Massage.
Pressure.
Each afternoon, sensation crept farther upward.
His left ankle tingled.
Then his calf.
Then, one Thursday, Sofia placed her hand against his right knee.
“Push against me.”
“I can’t.”
“Try.”
He tried.
Nothing.
“Again.”
Nothing.
Sofia frowned.
“You’re thinking too much.”
“I am not.”
“You are.”
“You’re eight.”
“You’re stubborn.”
Luca stared at her.
Then he laughed.
It startled both of them.
Sofia grinned.
“Again.”
He closed his eyes.
He imagined the command traveling downward.
Thigh.
Knee.
Shin.
Foot.
Push.
Nothing.
He tried again.
Push.
A tremor moved through his leg.
Sofia squealed.
“Again!”
This time the knee lifted half an inch.
Luca opened his eyes.
His breath vanished.
Sofia’s hands flew to her mouth.
“You did it.”
Luca stared at the leg.
Then he looked away.
“Again.”
His voice had broken.
Sofia pretended not to notice.
Amara returned the next night.
She refused wine.
That frightened him.
“Tell me.”
She placed two reports on the desk.
“The newer tablet contains baclofen, clonazepam, and a synthetic compound called NX-17.”
Luca frowned.
“What is NX-17?”
“Experimental sodium-channel blocker. It never reached commercial approval in Europe.”
“What does it do?”
“In high doses? Weakness. Loss of coordination. Suppression of nerve conduction.”
Luca felt the room narrow.
“And over time?”
“Chronic administration could imitate or worsen neurological impairment.”
He stared at her.
“My medication is keeping me paralyzed.”
“Possibly.”
“Possibly?”
Amara pointed at the second report.
“The older pill Sofia found is more interesting.”
“The blue stain?”
“Not a stain.”
She sat down.
“It is a coating residue containing a different compound. A neurotoxin derived from aconitine.”
Luca knew poison.
Not chemistry.
“Would it kill someone?”
“Yes.”
“How quickly?”
“That depends on dosage. It disrupts cardiac rhythm and nerve signaling.”
He thought of the crash.
“Could it cause dizziness?”
“Yes.”
“Blurred vision?”
“Yes.”
“Muscle weakness?”
“Yes.”
“Heart arrhythmia?”
“Luca—”
“Could it cause a driver to lose control?”
“If the driver took it, absolutely.”
He became motionless.
“The pill came from Matteo’s jacket.”
