Chapter 49 Chapter 0049

Chapter 49 Chapter 0049
•ANTONIO•

“I think we’ve found them. I know someone who provided me with inside information and confirmed that they left for Canada late last night,” August informed me over the phone after booking in at a guesthouse in Mendoza for the evening.

“They’re in Canada? Where exactly? I need specifics, August, because it will take me an entire year to search through every province,” I said with a tired sigh as I unlocked my hotel room and stepped inside.

The men who were with me had booked double rooms so that they could share, and all eight of us were exhausted after days of searching without rest.

We had been chasing shadows across cities and borders, following weak leads that never amounted to anything.

Now that August finally had something solid, I felt a small spark of hope, but I forced myself not to get carried away.

The disappointment of false hope had been weighing on me all week, and I was dangerously close to giving up entirely.

“I’ll call the guy again and confirm everything,” August continued. “He helped them get passports and fake identity cards. If he knows more, he will tell me.”

I threw my jacket onto the couch and sat down heavily, pressing my hand against my forehead as fatigue washed over me.

“Alright. I’ll be waiting for your call,” I replied before ending the call.



The following day, August sent me a location along with a message saying that this was where we would most likely find them.

Without wasting time, the men and I booked the earliest flight we could get and landed in Canada before evening.

From there, we traveled to Newfoundland, where August’s contact believed Tom had settled temporarily.

We stopped at the Happy Valley-Goose Bay shopping center to buy food and supplies before continuing our search.

None of us expected to find them so quickly, and I wasn't prepared for what happened next.

As we walked back toward our car, I saw a familiar figure near the parking lot entrance.

Tom was gripping her arm and dragging her toward a car. Even though her hair was shorter and dyed blonde, I recognized her instantly.

It was her.

My breath hitched. The fact that we had found them by coincidence felt unreal, especially since August had only said they were somewhere around Newfoundland without giving an exact address.

“That’s her,” I muttered to the man beside me, unable to take my eyes off her. “That’s her. We need to move now.”

We quickly got into our car and followed Tom’s vehicle as he exited the parking lot.

I kept a careful distance so that he wouldn’t suspect anything, making sure there were enough meters between us to avoid drawing attention.

“August, I found them,” I said quietly into the phone.

“That’s great. What’s the situation? Does he have backup?”

“It doesn’t look like it. He’s alone with Isabella. I think they’re heading back to wherever he’s staying. If we get there before anyone else arrives, we have the advantage.”

“Keep me updated in case you need reinforcements.”

I ended the call and focused on the road ahead as Tom turned into a short driveway that led to a nearby house surrounded by trees.

“If we follow them all the way up with the car, he will notice and call for backup,” I said to the men. “We stop here, move in quietly, and act fast. He appears to be alone, and that is our advantage. Whatever happens, Isabella must not get hurt.”

They nodded in agreement as we pulled over on the side of the road and checked our weapons.

Four of them stayed close to me while the other four positioned themselves to watch for any unexpected arrivals.

We moved swiftly and quietly along the driveway, following the tire tracks until we reached the house.

Tom had just stepped out of the car, still holding Bella by the arm as he led her toward the front door.

As soon as they disappeared inside, we moved quickly, entering the house with our guns raised. Tom had his back turned toward us and hadn't noticed our presence.

“You’re stubborn, aren’t you?” he was saying to her. “Do you really think I will make this easy for you? You’re mine.”

His audacity in claiming her as his made my blood boil.

“She’s my wife,” I said firmly as I cocked my gun and stepped closer.

“Antonio…” Bella whispered, her voice filled with disbelief.

I looked at her and gave her a reassuring wink. “Hey, wife.”

Before anything else could be said, the sound of guns being cocked echoed from the hallway. Three men stepped forward and pointed their weapons at us.

Tom turned around slowly, and when he saw me, he laughed as if this were all some kind of joke.

“Our dear Antonio has come to save the day,” he said mockingly while clapping his hands.

When I noticed the shovel near him, anger surged through me as I imagined what he might have planned.

"Tom, that haircut does not disguise you as well as you think."

He smirked and glanced at Bella before looking back at me. “We were getting along just fine. Why interrupt?”

“She is my wife,” I repeated.

The men with me kept their guns trained on his backup while I stepped forward, closing the distance between us.

“If you want her, you will have to kill me first,” Tom said before pulling out a gun from behind his back and pointing it directly at me.

He fired without hesitation, but I reacted quickly and moved out of the bullet’s path, taking cover behind a large decorative vase. Bella ran behind a couch as shots echoed through the house.

My men engaged immediately, and within moments they had taken down Tom’s backup, though one of them was hit in the leg.

When I saw Tom lean out from behind the hallway wall to aim again, I steadied my breathing and pulled the trigger.

The bullet hit him directly in the eye.

He fell to the ground instantly.

Silence filled the room as I stepped out from behind the shattered vase and hurried toward Bella.

“Antonio… you came for me,” she whispered as she took my hand and stood up.

Our eyes locked, and in that moment the exhaustion, anger, and fear of the past week disappeared. All that mattered was that she was standing in front of me.

“I told you I would find you wherever you went,” I said softly. “Are you ready to go home?”

She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me, and I didn't need words to understand her answer.