The sky above Palermo was low and heavy with clouds; the sea seemed to be holding its breath.
Leo walked along the quay, hands in his pockets, his gaze lost in the dark water.
Days had passed since Naiara's abduction. Every hour without her weighed like a sentence.
He had chased every lead, questioned contacts, listened to rumors and found nothing. Only silence, and a gnawing feeling that hollowed him out from the inside.
Where are you, Tigna? What are they doing to you?
His phone buzzed. It was Clara.
"I found something," she said, voice tired but tight with urgency. "A dock worker saw a woman being loaded onto a yacht a few nights ago. He described a tall man, dark hair, light eyes. Leo, it could be your brother."
His heart kicked.
"Do you know where the yacht was headed?"
"No. But I took a photo of the port log, there's a course. Does it mean anything to you?"
Clara sent the photo. Leo opened it and sprang to his feet.
"Damn it…"
"Do you know that name?"
"It's a private island. Belongs to Ramirez."
Rage climbed in him. Ramirez, the partner of Miguel. The man who treated the girl like cargo. As he was about to reply, another call came through.
The name on the screen tightened his muscles. It was his superior, Commander Ricci.
"Caruso," the voice was cold as steel. "We need to speak. Now."
Leo stayed silent for a beat, then answered, "Yes, sir."
The meeting was in a bare room, a warehouse turned makeshift HQ.
Ricci stood waiting, hands behind his back, gaze hard.
"We've assessed the situation," he began. "Your cover is compromised. Miguel must not learn you don't have his daughter. If he finds out, everything blows up, the trafficking, our assets, the whole infiltration."
Leo clenched his jaw. "Sir, Naiara is alive. I can find her."
"No, Caruso."
The commander's tone cut. "You will not look for her. You will disappear. Effective immediately, you're off the mission."
Leo stepped forward. "With all due respect, sir, that girl…"
"…is not part of your assignment!"
Ricci's words landed like a rifle shot.
"We'll use this to close the loop on Ramirez. We'll make Miguel believe you and the girl were taken by someone else. It's the only way to protect your cover and our operation."
Leo was silent. Every word ricocheted against a single thought: Naiara.
Ricci fixed him with a look, then added,
"Leo, listen. Don't do anything reckless. Don't look for her. Your mission is over."
Leo nodded.
"Yes, sir."
But inside, he knew he was lying.
Outside, Clara waited in the car. The moment she saw him, she knew.
"They cut you off," she said.
Leo ran a hand through his hair, frustrated.
"Yes. They told me to vanish. But I couldn't even if I wanted to."
"So?"
"So I'm going to get her."
Clara studied him, then nodded.
"I knew you would say that."
They climbed into the car; tension in the cabin felt almost tangible.
Leo spread a map across the dashboard.
"Ramirez has a private island. My contacts say Damian works for him. It's our only lead."
Clara's worry showed.
"Leo, if you go there, you burn the whole operation. They'll call you a deserter."
He gave a bitter half-smile.
"I don't care. If I have to choose between my career and her… I already know which I pick."
Clara hesitated, searching his face for something beyond a plan. She bit her lip, then spoke with guilty fragility.
"I have to tell you something," she said. "Once, some time ago, I told Naiara to let go with you. She was afraid and I told her: 'Let yourself live, just once.' I never thought it would lead here… but now she's with your brother, identical to you, Leo, and if she followed my advice… with the wrong brother… I can't even think about it."
The car felt suddenly smaller. The air grew thick.
Leo went stone serious, mind taut and heart breaking. For a moment the young soldier's gaze showed a deeper shadow, and his voice came out low, edged with cold fury.
"If that happened, Clara… I'd kill him with my own hands."
Clara closed her eyes for a second, trying to hold the panic back.
"I know," she whispered. "That's why I can't just stand here and watch. I won't sit and think you're going alone."
Leo looked at her, grateful and dark at once.
"Then we go get her. Together."
Clara laid a hand on his arm.
"Let's go."
She started the engine and the car slipped along the coastal road into the night, the storm moving in. In Leo's head one voice repeated, a promise left unspoken:
I will find you, Naiara. Even if I have to walk through hell to do it.