Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 319

ASHER

God was on my side. Yes, I believe in God, in case you were wondering....

And I say God was on our side because, through the haze, I thought I saw Mikey move, and I saw him moving faster than I had ever seen him move before. The young guard, the young soldier, tackled and curled his body around my son as shards of glass and debris rained across the courtyard.

The shockwave slammed into us. Minutes later but what felt like hours, as dust filled the air, thick and choking, the ringing in my ears nearly drowned out everything except the frantic pounding of my own heart and Ariella’s warm, trembling body beneath me. There seemed to be a high, endless ringing all around us, and it took a moment for it to fade before I could breathe and finally check on her.

“Ariella, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?” I demanded, my hands moving over her shoulders, her arms, searching, needing confirmation that she was fine… that she was okay… that she wasn’t hurt.

After what felt longer than I wanted, she finally answered.

“I’m fine,” she coughed, blinking through the smoke and dust. “Leon… Asher, Leon!”

She practically screamed, trying to push me off her so she could run toward her son, and for a second, it made me smirk to realise she wasn’t even asking if I was okay. The only thing she was concerned about was her son.

I would deal with that later.

I twisted around, already pushing myself to my feet and away from her despite the burning pain along my forearm where something sharp had grazed me.

“Leon! Mikey!” I shouted, unable to locate where they were in all the mess..

A shape moved through the settling dust, and Mikey rose slowly, still shielding Leon as he lifted his head.

“I’ve got him, sir!” he yelled back, his voice hoarse and strained with pain.

I walked forward, and Leon’s small face peeked out from under Mikey’s arm, wide-eyed, stunned, but alive. I quickly moved toward him and checked him over. There was no blood, no visible injuries, and I was filled with so much relief that my knees nearly gave out.

Ariella was fine.

My son was fine.

We were all fine.

“Inside. Now,” I ordered, my voice dropping into a tone that didn’t allow for any argument.

Ariella didn’t need to be told twice. She wasn’t even listening to me. She ran toward Leon the moment I released him and pulled him tightly against her chest, kissing him everywhere, checking for herself that he was okay.

Hals and Mikey were already beside Ariella and Leon, scanning the surroundings, positioning themselves between Ariella and the smoking wreckage.

Leon clung to Ariella's neck, his small hands fisting into her clothes, his earlier excitement completely gone.

“Mom…” he whispered, his voice trembling.

For the first time since I had known the little guy, my son looked scared. Truly scared. Confused. This wasn’t supposed to happen, not when he had finally gotten his dad.

“I’ve got you, baby,” Ariella murmured, pressing kisses into his hair as she hurried toward the entrance, with Half and Mikey shadowing her every step as they escorted her inside.

My men flooded the courtyard within seconds, weapons drawn, voices sharp and controlled as they secured the perimeter.

I stayed behind.

I was the don. Of course I did.

Or did they miss?

Rage simmered beneath my skin, slow, controlled, and deadly.

“Lock the estate down,” I ordered Savio without raising my voice. “No one leaves. No one enters without my approval. I want surveillance pulled from every camera covering the gates, the roads, the garage, and the exterior of the house.”

“Yes, sir,” Savio answered immediately, already barking orders to the others.

I turned back toward the house, my chest tightening as the weight of how close that blast had been crashed into me. How easily Leon could have been hurt, Ariella could have......

No. I shoved the thought down before it could finish forming.

Behind me, soldiers tried to contain the flames, my driver’s body still trapped in the wreckage, and rage clawed deeper into my chest.

Whoever did this will pay with their blood.

At first, I thought the attacks had been about business; they had never come after me....

But to involve my family.....!?

This has just become personal.

I have to go check on my family. Make sure they are fine and still here. By the time I stepped inside the house, Ariella was seated on the couch, Leon still glued to her lap. She was whispering softly to him, rocking him gently. Despite the calm expression she tried to maintain, I could see the fear hiding beneath it.

I stopped, stunned by the realisation that they might not have been here. That everything could have ended so differently.