Page 85 of Second Chance Daddy
The airstrip comes into view, barren except for a beat-up black SUV idling at the far edge near the tree line. Tinted windows so I can’t see if there’s any movement inside from this far out.
“Eyes up,” I murmur into the mic at my collar. “He’s here.”
Viktor’s voice comes through calmly. “Snipers in place. You give the word, boss, and we take him down.”
“I want this face-to-face.”
The car crunches over gravel as I pull up, parking a safe distance away. The breeze cuts across the open area.
Doors creak. I step out.
He follows.
Gino Esposito.
Cocky swagger. Designer jacket stained with dirt. Face as punchable as I remember.
And behind him, through that open door, in the backseat of the SUV, I catch the small form of Aria slumped in the seat, head resting to the side, chest rising and falling soft and steady.
Alive.
But drugged.
He drugged a fucking kid. One he wants the world to know as his own.
Fucking slimeball.
Rage roars in my ribs, but I leash it back. Gino wants a reaction. Wants me off my game. He’s not getting it.
He smirks as I approach, spreading his arms like we’re old friends grabbing a beer. “Look at you, big man now. Still cleaning up my messes.”
I don’t blink. “Cut the shit. You’ve got thirty seconds to hand her over and disappear.”
He laughs low, like he’s got all the power in the world. “Disappear? Cute. You think I’m scared of your family?”
“No,” I say flatly. “But you should be.”
We stand there, two predators circling, the weight of years of bad blood poisoning the air between us.
“You wanna trade?” I ask, voice cold steel. “We can trade. Your life for hers. You walk away. Stay gone. You never see her. You never breathe near Cassie again.”
He cocks his head, mock amusement glinting in his eyes. “You’re not in a position to negotiate.”
I nod once to the tree line.
A laser dot skims over his chest, a bright red promise.
“I think I am.”
He falters for half a beat. Mask slipping. But then the bravado’s back.
“We’ll see,” Gino mutters, just as the sharp crack of gunfire rips through the field.
Adrenaline slams into me when I see it hit one of my most loyal. Viktor shouts over comms, “Man down—sniper on the ridge!”
Chaos detonates.
Viktor’s voice cuts through the line. “It’s a fucking ambush, boss—get the girl!”
