CHAPTER 277
ROMEO POV
The moment the aircraft door opened, the air hit me.
Italy. Warm. Salted faintly by the sea. Heavy with night and something else I had never liked to name.
It always smelled like happiness here. Too much of it. Too much life. Too much noise. Too much warmth for a place that had buried everything that mattered to me.
I stepped down from the jet without hesitation. The runway lights cut across the darkness in long white lines. Men were already positioned at the perimeter. Vehicles waited in formation near the exit, engines running, doors ready.
Efficient. Quiet. Prepared. The way things should be. One of the local coordinators approached as I crossed the distance, offering a respectful nod. "Welcome back, sir."
I didn't slow. "Status?" I asked.
"All secure. Route cleared. No movement around the estate."
