WITH EVERY BREATH I TAKE

“Hi, this is Adrian. Please leave a message, and I’ll call you back.” Beep. “Pick up the phone, bro.” For hours after Adrian’s last call, Adrian’s phone kept going straight to voicemail. Leo sat there, disoriented, unsure what to do, and far too proud to call his father. He kept dialing Adrian anyway. Again, and again. The same old message. His brother Adrian had always been his shield. Every inconvenience in Leo’s life had somehow found its way to Adrian first. He was the loophole-filler, the fixer, the one who always knew what to do. And now Leo had no idea what had happened. Adrian had called him the night before. His voice had been husky, strained. He said there was something he needed to take care of. But that wasn’t the first strange midnight call. Adrian had called several times last month, whispering about someone following him everywhere. Different rental cars each time. Different identities. Fake IDs that led nowhere. “I’m close, Leo,” Adrian had said. “I’ve almost solved the puzzle.” Leo had brushed it off, telling him he’d handle it. But Adrian didn’t sound convinced. “Leo… if anything happens to me, trust no one. Not even family. Not even Father.” Adrian had always been their father’s favorite. Which made that warning feel heavier than it should have. Leo’s phone vibrated. He grabbed it instantly, only to see their father’s name on the screen. That man never called personally. He had secretaries for that. Leo couldn’t remember the last time his father had cared enough to dial his number himself unless something tragic had happened. He hesitated… then answered. “Hello?” A pause. Then his father’s voice: “Adrian is gone. Car crash. Come to Italy.” Everything went numb. Adrian’s death changed everything. Trust no one. Now Leo had to ask himself who would want his brother dead. One thing he knew for certain: Adrian was a man of honor. If he died, he would have died running his father’s errands. So why had he said not to trust him? That was the puzzle Leo couldn’t solve in Germany. He had to go back to Italy. For the funeral first… then Marseille. Because now this was a chess game. And it takes a player to expose a player. Because that was no mere car crash. And if Adrian was right The enemy was already closer than Leo dared to imagine.