Chapter 39 Chapter 0039

Chapter 39 Chapter 0039
•ANTONIO•

“You must do everything you can to find her, August. And when you do, I want Tom brought to me alive.”

I ended the call as I drove toward Rob Creed’s house, my grip tightening around the steering wheel.

Yesterday’s invasion had cost me another security team. I had warned them. I had made it clear that we were at war, that the men coming for us would not hesitate.

Still, Tom walked into my home, took my wife, and disappeared without leaving a trace.

They humiliated me, and humiliation was something I didn’t tolerate. Tom shouldn't have walked through the door and taken something that wasn't his.

August’s warning echoed in my head. The Conti brothers were still circling, waiting for weakness. If they discovered I was distracted chasing Tom, they would strike.

But none of that mattered right now. Bella mattered. If Tom so much as laid a hand on her, I would make sure he suffered for it slowly.

I pulled up outside Rob Creed’s house. His place was old and rusty, and he no longer had bodyguards. He probably couldn't pay for them.

The front door opened easily when I turned the knob. I stepped inside quietly and drew my gun, scanning the hallway as I moved forward.

“Tom, is that you?” Rob’s voice carried from a room down the hall.

I walked toward the study. “We meet again, Rob Creed.”

He stood abruptly from his desk when he saw me. Age had changed him. His hair was almost entirely gray now, and the strength he once carried in his shoulders had softened into weight.

“Antonio. What are you doing here? What are you doing in my house?”

I closed the distance between us and sat on the couch near the door, resting my gun casually against my thigh. “I am here for Tom.”

“Tom is not here. You already know that.”

I studied him carefully. His voice was steady, but his eyes were not. “What did you expect me to do when your son broke into my house and kidnapped my wife? When I came here and found your door conveniently open? Of course, I walked in.”

“I don’t want trouble.”

“I don’t want trouble with you either,” I replied calmly as I rose to my feet. “So help me. Tell me where he is.”

“I don’t know.” His jaw tightened. “You can do whatever you want to me, but I can't tell you where he is.”

I stepped closer until there were only a few inches between us. “You are the only one who could have helped him disappear like this. You made that possible. So, I am giving you one last chance.”

“You can turn this house upside down,” he muttered. "But you will not find what you’re looking for.”

I lifted my gun and aimed it at his chest. “Do not test me, Rob.”

My phone rang in my pocket before I could say anything else. Private number. I kept the gun trained on Rob as I answered.

“Where is she?”

Tom laughed softly. “You never were any fun, Antonio. I wonder if you were able to make my beautiful Isabella happy.”

My hand tightened around the weapon. “Bring her back.”

“I told you she was mine long before you inserted yourself into our lives. You wanted to win her like she was a prize. Now I have her, and you are never going to see her again.”

I glanced at Rob, whose expression had shifted into something dangerously close to pride. “If my wife is not home in twelve hours, your father dies.”

Tom’s amusement didn't waver. “He told me you would come. But you are not going to kill him.”

“And what makes you so sure?”

“Look up.”

I lifted my eyes toward the corner of the room and saw the red light blinking from a security camera.

“You pull that trigger,” Tom continued. “And the footage goes straight to the police. You will spend the rest of your life in prison for murdering an old man. Did you really think we would leave the door open without preparing for you?”

I lowered the gun slightly, though my anger burned hotter. “You will regret this.”

“This is just a game between us,” he replied. “The one who gets the girl wins. You won the last round. I won this one. Now let’s see if you are good enough to find us.”

“I will find you.”

He ended the call.

Rob let out a low chuckle as he returned to his desk. “I didn't think he would pull it off either. But he did. My son beat you at your own game. Perhaps it is time you accept that Isabella belongs with him. They were together long before you arrived.”

I stared at him for a long moment, committing every detail of the room to memory. “I will come back for you, Rob. Cameras or not, I will be watching. And I will be patient.”

He smiled without fear. “I will be waiting.”

I left the house with the weight of his confidence pressing against my chest. Tom believed he had won.

He had no idea what it would cost him to be wrong.