His Hidden Treasure (Completed)

One

Nila

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The machine beeped as I watched my baby brother on the hospital bed. How did this happen? How did I let it get this far? I pushed the hair away from his face, whispering, "You need to pull through, Nik. I need you." No response, as usual. I sighed, wiping away a stray tear before collecting my things and informing the nurse I was leaving. The nurses knew me well; I'd been at the hospital daily for the past two months since relocating to Verona, Italy, seeking the best neurosurgeon for my brother.

Sighing, I got into my car, accustomed to the dark skies after spending the past four hours with my brother. My phone rang, Dante calling. I knew I should pick up but lacked the energy to speak to anyone. I started the engine and drove home, a condo I bought for my stay in Italy, uncertain of how much longer I would be in the country or what our next steps were when my brother woke up.

Pulling into the underground parking lot, I made my way to the elevator, pressing for the seventh floor. My phone rang again, and this time I answered, knowing Dante wouldn't stop.

"Hello," I answered, my voice hushed as I held the phone to my ear.

"How are you doing?" Dante's voice on the other end, a low murmur.

"You know the answer to that already. Tell me what you want," I responded, impatience evident even through the phone.

"The deal is going down tomorrow at noon," he revealed urgently. "I need you to check to make sure everything is good before we assemble the team tomorrow. Nothing can go wrong." Dante shared a few more details, keeping me in the loop.

I worked as an agent for the Public Security Department, transferring from the FBI in the States, where I worked in the child and human trafficking unit. Dante, a good friend, referred me to his boss when I moved to the country. We were a great team, and everyone in the department knew that, hence the leniency on my work absence.

"Send me the details. I'll check it out," I instructed him unenthusiastically, and Dante promptly sent the information. I didn't bother stepping off the elevator, instead pressing the button for the parking garage, knowing I wouldn't get much sleep tonight. I reviewed the details Dante sent before retrieving my work laptop from the car's trunk and powering it on.

After thoroughly marking the search grid, something in my personal notes caught my attention. It could potentially cause trouble tomorrow. I should have known it wouldn't be easy. Blowing a frustrated breath, I put the directions into the GPS and drove to what I hoped wouldn't be my last day on Earth.

Parking near the exit for safety, I took my backup weapon from the glove compartment and placed it in my back, hiding it under my top. I knew I would be searched and would lose that weapon, so I took out my switchblade and locked it inside my boot, hoping it wouldn't be found. The building looked empty, but a few cars parked in the back suggested otherwise. I prepared myself for the worst, knowing I should probably have asked Dante to meet me for safety, but I didn't want to cause any trouble, considering how much of a hothead Dante was.

I knocked on the large warehouse doors, anticipating trouble. After several minutes of waiting, not a soul opened the door. I pulled at the door, and it opened wide enough for me to walk under, closing behind me. The warehouse was dimly lit, and I spotted a large shipment of boxes in the corner and several thousand illegal weapons in an open cargo container.

"This is not going to go well." I scolded myself for not calling for backup, but I knew this had to be done if I wanted tomorrow to go flawlessly.

"Hands where I can see them." I complied immediately, knowing these people wouldn't hesitate to shoot first and ask questions later. The man moved to my front, his gun pointed at my head.