The boy didn't look well. His face showed tiredness and reluctance.
Antonio didn't look any better. With an overgrown beard and dark circles under his eyes, he looked like he hadn't slept for days.
Were you sure this was all just to lure Sophie into an ambush?
They both looked like they were really running away from someone.
But who were they running away from?
As they quickly got into the car and headed to the airport, Sophie thought hard about all this.
"You haven't threatened Antonio before, have you?" She asked, frowning. The man was running away from someone strong.
"I was busy with Vasili. I didn't have time for that cockroach," Anton snorted in dissatisfaction. He dialed Zick's number and put the call on loudspeaker.
"Zick, check who Antonio was in contact with before the whole action with Vasili. He didn't start running away just like that. Someone must have threatened him."
"It'll take a while. For now, you need to know that you won't make it on their flight. I've booked you tickets for the next one in two hours. It couldn't be faster. After they land, I'll watch them via cameras and let you know where they're going. We're in touch. Take care of yourselves." The conversation ended quickly.
The day slowly began to end when the siblings reached the airport again. With some time left before departure, they went to fill their empty stomachs.
That's all it took for Zick to find out who was contacting Antonio.
"Antonio's brother, Mariano, called him several times before he disappeared from the country.
"Mariano," Sophie muttered, widening her eyes and covering her mouth with her hand.
"Do you understand any of this?" Anton disconnected the call and focused on his sister. She slowly nodded her head.
"Uncle Mariano. A mean man. More than his brother. He had been trying to take over the company from his father for years, but he gave it to Antonio. Since then, Mariano kept causing him problems until one day he just gave up and went off to run his own business. A few days before the announcement of the new successor to the company, I overheard Antonio talking furiously to someone on the phone. He threatened that he wouldn't let him take over the company thanks to Luka, because he wouldn't be the one to get it. That's why he sent Luka abroad."
"He wanted to hide him from his brother, who found a way to take over the company." Anton quickly understood everything.
"Now that Bethany and Vasili are gone and Antonio is no longer worth anything..."
"Mariano stepped in. But for this he needs a successor. He will take Luka from Antonio away and kill his brother..."
"Or get rid of both of them." Sophie finished with a serious face. "We have to find him before they do. I don't care what happens to Antonio, but I won't let anyone hurt Luka." The sister clenched her fists tightly.
"We'll manage. You'll see him soon," Anton, placing his hand on her clenched fist, tried to calm her down.
On the one hand, he was glad that it wasn't an ambush for Sophie... On the other hand, they could get into another dangerous situation with unknown people.
He wrote to Don to find out who Mariano was and what he was capable of.
He had to know who he was dealing with.
After some time, they boarded the plane and followed the escapees.
The flight was supposed to last four hours.
About halfway through their flight, Luka will be landing and Zick will spring into action.
...
Zick sat in her work chair, intently focused, trying to prepare for all possibilities.
She connected to the airport's system and began observing it through cameras unnoticed.
There was still some time before their arrival, so she connected to the cameras outside the airport so that she could later watch their journey.
She sat at the computer for almost two days with only a moment to rest and eat.
It wasn't easy to find Sophie's brother as he kept changing his identity and flying to different places.
She had to make sure he didn't drop off her radar.
The twins weren't looking too good either. Anton had them sitting on it long ago and only recently asked Zick for help.
Fortunately, they had enough to eat and took turns at the computer when they needed to rest.
And after all, they were men, so naturally they were more durable than her.
Sighing, Zick began to straighten up in her chair. It was very comfortable to sit on, but after spending so much time on it, Zick was getting tired of it.
Suddenly she was picked up and found herself on the lap of her handsome boss.
"Get out!" The threatening order was given and within five seconds the room was empty, leaving only the two of them.
Zick immediately snuggled into his wide chest and took a deep breath.
His pleasant scent helped her relax a little. She was acting a bit like a kitten as she rubbed her face against him, craving the contact.
Don kissed the top of her head and hugged her tenderly, stroking her gently on her shoulder and back.
"Tired?" He asked in his magnetic voice.
"Mmhm" Zick just purred, snuggling closer to him. With her eyes closed, she felt like she was about to fall asleep.
"Rest for a while. I'll wake you up." His gentle, low voice and the steady beat of his heart in her ear were enough to make her fall asleep in a few seconds.
Looking at her with his gentle eyes, Don slowly stroked the little creature nestled against him. A pleasant warmth spread inside his body.
"My little kitten" His words were full of warmth and love.
Glancing at the monitors from time to time, he continued petting his brilliant hacker.
This little creature was able to do so much for her loved ones. For him...
All he could do was make sure nothing happened to her and wait for the peaceful days that would surely come someday.
But for now...
"Zick, honey. Wake up. It's time."