Caius shot out of his chair, the sound he made less a word than a roar. “What the hell did you say?”
He lunged at Tony, grabbing him by the collar.
“You’re in
lying!”
The bodyguard trembled. “We just got the call from ATC. Alessia’s plane went down over the mountains. Hit severe turbulence… they said the fuselage just disintegrated. Search and rescue is heading out, but the crash site is in rugged terrain. Sir… the plane fell from three thousand feet. There’s almost no chance of survival.”
Caius’s grip went slack, and he collapsed back into his chair.
The world spun, his vision tunneling to black. “No… Alessia!”
It was his fault.
He had let her go alone.
On her birthday.
Hé scrambled to his feet and bolted for the door.
www
“Caius!” The Madre rushed in, Livia trailing behind her. “You can’t leave! This is obviously a plot by a rival family!”
“Don’t you dare go! This is her own damn fault. Running off alone. What do you expect from a soldier’s daughter? All steel, no sense. A woman running around without her husband’s protection is a disgrace to this family!”
“Shut up!” Caius’s voice cracked like a whip. His eyes were wild. “Both of you, just shut up!”
His eyes were bloodshot, his voice raw. “Madre, Alessia is the only thing I ever truly fought for. I’m not leaving her out there.”
Livia clutched her stomach, feigning shock.
“Caius, you need to be calm… for the baby…”
“What baby?” Caius screamed, a man unhinged. “My wife is dead! Do you understand? She’s dead!”
He shoved her hand away and stormed out of the estate, ignoring Livia’s shrieks behind him.
“Get the helicopter ready!” he commanded Tony. “Now!”
E
“Don, it’s already dark. A search in the mountains will be dangerous…”
“I said now!”
Thirty minutes later, the helicopter was carrying Caius toward the crash site.
The area was cordoned off. The burning wreckage of the plane was scattered across the scorched mountainside. A crowd of
onlookers whispered among themselves. “No hope for them. God, what a way to go. From that height… they won’t find a
whole body.”
In the fading light, the mountains loomed like slumbering beasts.
His heart felt like it was going to explode.
Alessia.
His beautiful wife.
The woman he had sent to her death.
1/3
The crash site was taped off.
Firefighters, police, and paramedics were everywhere.
The plane’s wreckage lay twisted and scattered across the charred forest floor.
Metal, warped and deformed, was still smoking.
“You can’t go in there, sir!” a firefighter stopped Caius.
“I’m Caius Falcieri!” he snapped, flashing his credentials. “My wife was on that plane!”
The search and rescue captain walked over, his face grim.
“Mr. Falcieri, I’m sorry… but based on what we’re seeing, the chances of finding any survivors are minimal.”
“Keep searching!” Caius grabbed his arm. “Use all my money! All my men! You have to find her!”
“Sir, we’ll do our best…”
“Not your best! You find her!”
The search continued all night.
Caius stood outside the police tape, watching the rescuers sift through the debris.
