Billionaire Mafia Boss Offers $500,000 Reward for Retired Police Dog That Sends His Son to Prison

Chapter 2

Dawn came slowly. The storm finally breaking as pale light began filtering through the clouds.

Mike hadn’t slept. He had spent the night watching the search patterns below — memorizing movements, counting personnel. He had confirmed at least eight individuals, moving in coordinated pairs, maintaining radio contact.

Professional. Every aspect.

They had equipment. Night vision. Thermal imaging, possibly. Weapons — he had seen the tactical vests, the rifles.

Shadow had dozed fitfully, waking at every sound.

Now, with daylight arriving, both of them needed to move. Staying in one place too long was suicide.

They descended from the tower carefully. At the bottom, Mike paused, listening.

The forest had come alive with morning sounds — birds calling, insects buzzing. But underneath it, he heard something else.

Engines. Distant, but growing closer.

They were bringing in vehicles. ATVs that could navigate the rough terrain.

The net was tightening.

Mike chose to move parallel to the ridge line, staying in thick forest where vehicles couldn’t follow. The going was slow — fallen logs, dense underbrush, steep ravines making every mile exhausting. Shadow ranged ahead, his training reasserting itself, scouting the path, alerting to dangers.

Twice, the dog froze, signaling someone nearby. Both times, Mike changed direction, circling wide to avoid contact.

By noon, they had covered maybe eight miles. Mike’s stomach was cramping with hunger. His throat was raw with thirst. They came across a small stream and both drank deeply.

He noticed Shadow favoring his left front paw. A small cut. Not serious. But enough to slow them down.

His phone buzzed. A text message from an unknown number.

It contained a single photograph.

Mike’s breath caught.

It was his cabin. Or what was left of it. The building was engulfed in flames, black smoke pouring into the sky.

The message that followed was short and direct:

*You can’t hide. We will find you. And when we do, you will watch the dog die before we kill you, too.*

Mike deleted the message and kept moving.

Anger was useless. Fear was useless. Only action mattered.

He pushed harder, forcing his tired legs to cover ground faster. Shadow kept pace, limping slightly, but determined. The dog seemed to understand exactly what was at stake.

As afternoon shadows lengthened, Mike heard a new sound.

Helicopters. Two of them. Flying search patterns, crisscrossing the forest below the tree canopy.

Castellano was escalating. Throwing more resources at the problem.

Sarah’s twenty-four-hour timeline was starting to feel very optimistic.

They needed to reach the border faster.