Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 271

ASHER

I went to bed and lay in waiting, my eyes fixed on the ceiling. Every nerve in my body was awake. The house was too quiet, the kind of silence that hums before a storm. When the time finally came, the lights flickered once, then went out. Total darkness. The power had been cut.

This was it.

I rolled out of bed, reached for my weapons, and armed myself without hesitation. My pulse was steady. My mind was clear. All I had to do now was wait. Then the sound came, sharp cracks echoing through the halls. Gunfire. My men were outside, and from the rhythm of the shots I could tell they were returning fire. The house was surrounded, but they were fighting back.

I didn’t move. I didn’t run to the windows or the door. I sat there, listening, letting the chaos unfold. This was exactly what I had been waiting for.

The knocking came minutes later, loud, desperate. I pulled out my phone, tapped into the camera, and saw her.... Dinara. Standing outside my door. Unharmed. Unarmed.

She banged harder, calling my name.

“Asher! Asher! Help me! There are men here, they’re attacking!”

A slow smile crept across my face. Of course, she’d come to me. Of course, she’d play scared. I pressed the lock and opened the door. She stumbled inside, eyes wide with practised fear.

“Asher, Asher, there are men here! They’re attacking us! They’re shooting everywhere! I’m so scared!”

I nodded calmly, slipping the phone back into my pocket.

“Okay,” I said. “I’ll check it out. You stay here.”

I didn’t hesitate. I grabbed his arm, pulling him behind cover. As he relaxed slightly, I acted fast. With a swift movement, I grabbed his arm, twisted it behind his back, and pushed him to the floor. His eyes widened in shock.

“Shh… calm down,” I whispered, keeping my grip firm. “No sudden moves.”

I reached for the light switch. The room flooded with light, illuminating the chaos around us: overturned furniture, shattered glass, and men sprawled in positions of defeat. Everything in the house was exposed now, every shadow revealed.

But before I could fully secure the area, a sharp sting tore through my shoulder. I stumbled forward, spinning around instinctively, and she was with a gun aimed at me

Dinara.

A white-hot sting exploded through my shoulder. The impact spun me half around, my gun slipping from my hand as I staggered forward. Pain tore up my arm, but training kept me moving. I forced myself to pivot, to see where the shot had come from.