Chapter 147 His Entire World

Chapter 147 His Entire World
GIOVANNI’S POV

The name rang a bell instantly.  It was a private airfield, and it should be forty-five minutes north of the city.

"When?"

Enzo checked his watch. "If they left here right after the call and they had to have, given the timeline, they'd be arriving at the airfield right about now."

Hope and terror warred in my chest. "How fast can we get there?"

Enzo shook his head. "If we leave right now? I’ll say thirty minutes at best."

"Make it twenty. Move!" I snatched the paper from his hold and stormed out of the house, my heart pounding in anticipation. 

The rest of the team were ordered to follow behind us. I didn’t know what to expect at the airport but I wanted us to be prepared. 

We were catching Marco and we were catching him today. 

In a bluer, we flew through the city with out sirens blaring, and the team following in convoy. 

Enzo was on the phone coordinating with local police, getting us clearance to use emergency lanes.

I gripped the steering wheel so hard my knuckles went white. This time, I had insisted on driving, damming every traffic rule to hell while I sped like my life dependedon it. 

We had twenty minutes to stop Marco from taking Arya and our child out of the country to heaven knows where.

"If he gets them on that plane," I hissed before I could help it. “That’s going to be another battle, Enzo. Another fucking battle.”

He pressed a hand on my shoulder. "We're not going to let that happen. We’ll stop them.”

But as the minutes ticked by, doubt gnawed at me. The traffic was thick despite our siren and precious seconds slipped away at every red light, every slow-moving truck.

"Fifteen minutes out," Enzo announced and I pushed the car faster.

If Marco got Arya on that plane, I might never find her again. He could take them anywhere with no extradition treaties and no way to track them.

I would lose her forever. I would lose my child without ever meeting them.

Fuck… I didn’t even know if she had given birth to a boy or a girl. 

"Ten minutes."

The city gave way to countryside. The road opened up and I floored it.

"I'm going to kill him," I said quietly. "When I find Marco, I'm going to make him suffer for every moment of fear he's put her through."

"You'll have to get in line," Enzo muttered. "Robert wants first crack at him."

The airfield came into view, it a small private facility with a single runway and a few hangars.

And there, on the tarmac was a plane with engines already running.

"NO!"

I screeched into the parking area, barely putting the car in park before I was out and running.

Six men in suits blocked the path to the runway. Their hands immediately going to the guns in their holsters but that didn’t stop me 

"Stop right there!" one of them shouted. "This is private property, stay back! 

I didn't slow down. I just raised my gun and fired a warning shot over their heads.

They scattered, reaching for their own weapons.

Behind me, I heard Enzo shouting orders to our team. Gunfire erupted as our men engaged the security force.

But I didn't stop or look back. I just kept running toward that plane.

"Gio, go!" Enzo's voice cut through the chaos. "We've got this! GO!"

I ran harder. The plane was moving now, taxiing toward the runway. 

I could see figures through the windows but they were too far away to identify.

The boarding stairs were still down, being retracted even as the plane moved.

And there, at the top was Marco.

Even from this distance, I could see his smirk. He raised his hand, his left hand, I noticed becauae his right wrapped in bloody bandages. Then he  waved.

It was a mocking goodbye.

Rage consumed me. I raised my gun and fired.

Once. Twice. Three times.

But the distance was too great. The bullets pinged harmlessly off the plane's exterior.

Marco laughed, I could see it in his body language even if I couldn't hear it, and disappeared inside.

The stairs retracted and the door sealed.

"ARYA!" I screamed her name, still running. "ARYA!"

The plane turned onto the runway.

I was almost there. Just another hundred meters and I would get there. 

The engines roared to life and the plane accelerated.

I pushed my body to its limit, my lungs burning, my legs screaming.

But I wasn't fast enough.

The plane lifted off, wheels leaving the ground, climbing into the morning sky.

I stopped running and stood there on the tarmac, watching it go, my gun hanging uselessly at my side.

They were gone. Arya was gone. My child was gone.

And I was too late.

My legs gave out. I fell to my knees on the cold concrete, still staring at the sky where the plane had disappeared into clouds.

"No," I whispered. Then louder, "No. NO!"

The scream tore out of me, directly from my aching heart. "ARYA!"

I faintly heard footsteps behind me but I didn’t bother to turn. It was Enzo and he breathing hard from the fight, blood staining his face.  

"Gio." He whispered. 

"They're gone." The words felt like they were being ripped from my chest. "They're gone. I was so close. So fucking close and I…"

My voice broke, tears burned in my eyes but I couldn’t help it. 

"We'll find them again," Enzo said. "We'll track the plane, figure out where it's going and…"

"What if we can't?" I looked up at him, and he flinched at whatever he saw in my face. "What if this was it? My one chance and I missed it?"

He shook his head firmly, crouching beside me."You didn't miss it. Marco was always going to be ahead of us. He planned this."

"I should have been faster.” I snarled, my throat constricting tighter. “I should have figured it out sooner and saved them.”

Enzo dropped to his knees beside me, gripping my shoulders. "Gio, this isn't your fault."

"Then whose is it?" The tears were falling now, hot and unwanted. "I had her right there on the phone. I heard her voice. And I couldn't… I couldn't save her."

He smiled blearily. "We'll find her again."

"You don't know that." I was choking on the words now, on the grief and helplessness. "You don't know that, Enzo. He could take her anywhere. He could hide her so deep we never…

I couldn't voice the fear that this was it. That I had lost her forever.

Enzo pulled me into a hug, it was awkward yet desperately needed.

And for the first time, I let myself break and allowed the tears to come. 

In the distance, the plane was just a speck now, disappearing and taking my entire world with it.