| ALESSANDRO |

F O R T Y - T WO

The air smelled of salt and hot asphalt the second we stepped out of the jet. A soft breeze rolled over the runway, warm and sticky, carrying the sound of far-off waves. I squinted into the blinding Italian sun and felt my pulse accelerate. Somewhere beyond these hills,hidden behind all this deceptive beauty, was Alessandro. My Alessandro.

Imran walked a few steps ahead of me, his dark blazer whipping lightly in the breeze. He moved with the quiet confidence of someone who knew how to disappear. At the foot of the steps a black Mercedes idled, engine humming like a patient animal. A driver in a pressed white shirt opened the rear door with a small bow.

The leather interior smelled of cedar and expensive cologne. I slid across the seat, the coolness against my bare legs making me shiver despite the heat. The door shut with a muffled thunk and the world outside dissolved behind tinted glass.

Imran leaned back, sunglasses slipping down the bridge of his nose.
"So, mi amore," he said in that lazy drawl that always danced between sarcasm and temptation, "should we go check out the city first? Maybe a beach? I was thinking of—"

"Be serious, Imran." My voice cracked sharper than I intended. "We don't have time for beaches. We have to find him."

The grin faded, though the amusement in his eyes lingered like the aftertaste of bitter coffee. "I am serious, Yas. But if we charge in blind, we'll end up like him—or worse. Information first. Always."

I tightened my grip on the strap of my Birkin until my knuckles blanched. "Then stop wasting time. Tell me everything you know that you haven't told me."

He exhaled and tapped a slow rhythm on his knee, eyes on the ribbon of highway unfolding ahead.
"The last credible signal from Alessandro's network came from the south. Calabria. There was a cargo transfer at the port of Reggio about a month after the attack—papers forged, manifests scrubbed. My contact believes he was moved on one of those ships."

"Calabria," I repeated, tasting the word. It felt heavy, ancient. "How far?"

"Three hours if traffic is kind. But the closer we get, the more dangerous it becomes. Whoever took him isn't some street gang. These people own ports, police, judges. One wrong question and they'll know we're coming before we even check into a hotel."

The driver's eyes flicked toward us in the mirror, but he said nothing. The silence in the car thickened until I could hear the distant rush of the sea even with the windows closed.

"What's the plan then?" I forced the question past the lump in my throat.

Imran's phone buzzed. A brief glance at the screen tightened the lines around his mouth.
"First, we go to Naples. I have a contact there, a journalist who owes me more than one favor. She can arrange new IDs, burner phones, and maybe...coordinates." He paused and grinned as if reminiscing over something. "If we're lucky."

"Coordinates to what?"

He met my eyes. "A compound. Think private fortress. High walls, cameras, guards with assault rifles. If Alessandro is alive, that's where they're keeping him."

A chill slid down my spine despite the Mediterranean heat. "And you think we can just...walk in?"

He gave a small, humorless smile. "No. We find the cracks. And we wait. This isn't days, Yasmine. It could be months. Years, even."

Years.
The word hollowed me out.

I turned to the window, letting the blur of vineyards and stone villages distract me. Golden fields stretched to a horizon that smelled of sea and lemons. The beauty felt cruel, like a painting hiding a knife behind its frame.

Imran shifted closer, his voice dropping to a murmur meant only for me.
"I know this isn't what you want to hear. But rushing will only get him killed, or you."

I kept my eyes on the road but let my hand rest against the leather between us. A heartbeat later his fingers covered mine, steady, grounding.
"We'll find him," he said quietly. "I promise."

The Mercedes turned off the coastal highway and climbed a winding road toward the hills of Naples. The sky was bleeding orange and rose, the air rich with the scent of blooming jasmine. I pressed my forehead to the cool glass and tried to memorize the moment, the beginning of the hunt, the last stretch of calm before the storm.

As the first city lights flickered to life, Imran finally broke the silence.
"Tonight we meet my contact. Tomorrow we head south. Each step will bring us closer, but every step will pull us deeper into the world Alessandro fought so hard to keep you away from."

I swallowed hard and nodded, feeling the hum of the car vibrate through my bones.
Hold on, Alessandro, I thought, watching the horizon swallow the sun. I don't care how long it takes. I'm coming.

Hey guy, it's been a few years since I last updated and tbh I still want to keep it in my old pre covid 2018 tone vibe.