Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 230

ARIELLA

The van jerked over a bump, slamming me sideways against the car. Pain shot through my shoulder, but it was nothing compared to the storm inside my head. Regrets circled me like vultures. Every choice, every secret I kept, every chance I missed to open my mouth, it all pressed down on me.

Alan’s voice carried from the front seat. Calm. Confident. Like he wasn’t handing me over like cargo.

“She’ll hold,” he said. “Asher will come for her. He has to.”

My stomach twisted.

I pressed my forehead against the cold metal, fighting the sting in my eyes. If Asher ever decides to come for me, it wouldn’t be because of me. It would be because of Leon. Always Leon. My baby boy. The only thing that tied me to him.

And if Alan was wrong, what if Asher doesn't come for me? Then what? Then this was nothing but a death sentence.

I bit down hard on my lip to keep from screaming. Regret wasn’t going to save me. No one could hear me here. The only sound was the engine and the low murmur of men planning my fate like I wasn’t even human.

I could remember Asher’s torn face when he found out about Leon like it was just happening....When I tried to talk to him, the way he looked at me, betrayal, disappointment, disgust, anger, fury, every ugly feeling a person could throw at me was in his eyes.

And now… now was the moment Alan chose to kidnap me. Would Asher really come for me?

If he was planning to take Leon and raise him on his own, this was the perfect solution for him. It completely erased me from his equation. He wouldn’t have to question himself anymore, what to do with me, what I meant to him, if I was worth anything at all.

He wouldn’t come.

Oh my God. I felt like busting out in tears. But I knew I couldn't afford it, not in this situation.

Finally, I heard the sound of another car outside. We hadn't met another vehicle in a while.

“Shit,” one of them shouted.

“What the fuck? ” Alan cursed

"What do we do?" Another one whispered.

"Turn around, turn around, turn the car around, before they see us."

The car started to swerve, wheels screaming as it turned. And that’s when it happened, gunfire exploded, ripping through the air, slamming against the car.

I had no choice but to scream from the sudden assault. Seconds later, the gunfire ceased, but the car kept speeding forward.

“Mikey, are you okay?” one of them shouted. “Mikey...."

"shit, I’m shot!” the voice that must have been Mikey groaned.

“No, Mikey.... shit man. We have to stop the bleeding,” his companion said

“What if they’re still after us? Continue driving until we lose them!” Alan shouted.

“He’s bleeding,” the other man argued. “He can’t drive like this. He’s losing a lot of blood!”

“Shit, he’s losing too much blood!” the man beside me growled. His voice was sharp, panicked.

I could hear Mikey wheezing, his breaths shallow, wet, like every inhale cut him open.

“Keep pressure on it!” one of them barked.

“Shut the fuck up and hold him still!” the driver snapped, eyes darting to the rearview mirror.

I followed his gaze, and my heart froze. Headlights. Two… no, three cars. Close. Too close.

“They’re on us.”

The words were a death sentence.

Mikey whimpered. The car jolted violently as the driver swerved off the main road, tearing down an unpaved path. Gravel spat up against the windows, the tires screaming with every sharp turn.

“Hold him!”

“I’m trying!”

I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. My wrists burned against the ties, but I twisted anyway, desperate, useless. My whole body was shaking so hard I thought I’d pass out.

The headlights were still behind us. Closer. And then the first shot rang out again, this time shattering the back window. Glass sprayed over my hair, my arms, biting into my skin. I screamed, jerking forward.

“Drive, drive, drive!”

The car fishtailed, engine roaring as the driver pushed it harder, but the road wasn’t meant for this. We hit a dip, bounced so hard my teeth clacked together, and Mikey screamed in raw agony.

Another shot, this one hit the front tire. The world tilted. The car spun, my body slamming from one side to the other, until with a sickening crunch, it smashed sideways into a tree.

Everything went silent except the ringing in my ears.

My head hit the window, stars exploding across my vision. The last thing I registered before darkness pulled at me.