Chapter 9 - THE RUNWAY
Samara was already in a cab.
Henrique called her.
“I’m twelve minutes away.”
“You don’t have twelve minutes.”
“How do you know?”
“Laura’s assistant booked a charter jet.”
“To where?”
“Switzerland.”
Henrique’s blood went cold.
Laura had mentioned a residential program outside Geneva months ago.
Henrique had rejected it.
Or thought he had.
“What can I do?”
Samara looked through the windshield.
“Stop being a billionaire for five minutes.”
“What?”
“Call the police like a father.”
Henrique did.
Then he called airport security.
Then federal authorities.
The problem was paperwork.
Laura had documentation showing she was an authorized guardian for travel.
Henrique didn’t remember signing that either.
At the private airport, Caio sat in a lounge with headphones clamped over his ears.
Laura knelt before him.
“We’re taking a little trip.”
Caio stared at the floor.
“You’ll like it.”
He started tapping.
Tap.
Tap.
Pause.
Laura grabbed his wrist.
“Stop that.”
Caio pulled away.
The tapping became faster.
A pilot appeared.
“We need to board.”
Laura stood.
“Come on, Caio.”
He didn’t move.
She grabbed his arm.
Caio screamed.
The sound echoed through the lounge.
Samara heard it from the corridor.
She ran.
A security guard stepped in front of her.
“Ma’am—”
“That boy is being taken without his father’s permission!”
“Stay back.”
Samara saw Caio through the glass.
He saw her too.
His entire face changed.
“Samara!”
It was the loudest she had ever heard him speak.
She shoved past the guard.
Laura spun around.
“You.”
Samara stopped several feet from Caio.
She didn’t reach for him.
She hummed.
Three notes.
Pause.
Three notes.
Caio ripped away from Laura and ran toward Samara.
Laura caught the back of his sweater.
Caio fell.
Samara lunged.
Henrique entered the lounge at that exact second.
He saw his son on the floor.
He saw Laura holding his sweater.
Something savage flashed across his face.
He crossed the room.
“Take your hand off him.”
Laura released Caio.
Henrique knelt.
He didn’t touch his son.
Not yet.
“Caio.”
The boy was crying.
Henrique forced his own voice lower.
“I’m here.”
Caio looked at him.
“Home?”
“Yes.”
“Promise?”
Henrique swallowed.
“I promise.”
Police entered moments later.
Laura looked at them and laughed.
“You people have no idea what he’s doing.”
She pointed at Henrique.
“He is destroying a company, a foundation, and thousands of jobs because one waitress filled his head with nonsense.”
Samara stood.
“No.”
Laura looked at her.
“You destroyed yourself.”
Laura smiled coldly.
“Did I?”
She lifted her phone.
“I have every message Henrique ever sent about Caio.”
Henrique went still.
Laura continued.
“Every time he called his own son difficult. Every time he asked whether boarding school would be easier. Every meeting he skipped.”
She looked directly at the police officer.
“And I have proof that Henrique knew exactly what Halcyon was doing.”
Henrique’s face drained of color.
Samara looked at him.
For the first time since they met, she couldn’t read his expression.
May you like
Laura smiled.
“Ask him about the video from three years ago.”
