Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 447

ARIELLA

Asher got even more protective after that.

He upped the security, if that was even possible. We weren't allowed to leave the premises unless he was there, no matter how many guards were with us. Getting in and out of the house required a full-body scan, signing in and out, and enough security procedures to make the house feel less like a home and more like a fortress.

My mother finally threw up her hands.

"I'm not doing this," she had said. "I'm not getting into those machines every single day just to see my grandson."

So it had been three days since she had come to the house. Of course, Leon missed her terribly. They talked on the phone constantly, but it wasn't the same.

On the other hand, I had been doing everything I could to keep Asher from working himself into the ground. Yes, that's right, to keep him from going crazy trying to find this person.

Now that he had no lead... He was only getting worse, if that was even possible. He wouldn't listen to me, and He kept saying that if anything happened to Leon or me... That was it.

He couldn't survive it. Everything he was doing was for us, and I understood that. I really did. But in trying to protect us... He was breaking himself.

What he didn't understand was that if we lost him... Then we'd lose everything too.

Whoever this person was wasn't going to say, 'Well, the Don is dead. You can all go on your merry way.' No. That would only make things worse.

He spent all his time with Luca, his captains, and his soldiers. He became harsher, colder, more distant. Without realising it... He had started putting distance between us.

He hadn't slept in our bedroom for two days. Two days. He was either in his office or in late meetings that never ended. This was now the fourth day in a row. It was well past midnight, and He still wasn't home.

I called him, but He didn't answer. I called again, and Nothing. I called Luca next because he always picked up my calls, and nada. I tried getting out of the house, but the soldiers had strict orders, and they wouldn't let me leave the estate.

Now I was trapped inside this house. Angry, Restless and Scared. I walked into Asher's office. His glass of whiskey was still sitting on the desk, and without thinking, I picked it up and took a sip.

It burned. It tasted as bitter as the heaviness sitting inside my chest. I wandered around the room, turning in slow circles, until my foot caught on something beneath the desk—a latch. I frowned, then remembered Asher's instructions for when anything ever went wrong.

Curiosity got the better of me, and I pulled it. A section of the floor folded open, revealing a safe. I was angry, I was bored, and I needed something, anything to do. So I tried my birthday.

Of course, it didn't work. I actually laughed at myself for being so stupid. Then... I entered Leon's birthday, and the lock clicked open. Inside were stacks of cash and Fake passports. Mine, Asher's and Leon's. Our faces but fake names..... Our escape.

There were papers I didn't understand at first, until I looked closer. Sketches, Maps and Routes. I remembered Asher telling me that if there was ever a problem... He had a way to get us out. I had always known it existed in this room and where to find it, but I never bothered.

The map showed everything. So I followed it through the halls and toward the unused wing of the house that had become nothing more than storage. Then farther down into the basement. I found another door, and this time I entered my birthday again. The lock opened immediately. Beyond it, a dark hallway stretched into the distance.

I stood there staring into it. For one reckless second... I almost walked in. But then I remembered I had Leon upstairs. I couldn't leave him. So I closed the door, locked everything back up, and returned to bed, deciding that if Asher still wasn't home tomorrow... I was going to go looking for him. Sleep barely came.

Leon woke up early the next morning.

"Dad's not home," he said, already dressed in his running clothes.

"I can go running with you," I offered.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify