Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 456

ARIELLA

I closed the car door behind me and hurried after Luca. The back of the convenience store was dark, lit only by a flickering security light mounted high on the wall. Beyond it was a narrow alley that opened onto another road.

"Luca," I called quietly. "Where are we going?"

"This way." He didn't slow down.

I frowned but kept following him. My heart was pounding so hard it echoed inside my ears.

"You said you knew where Leon was."

"I do."

"Then why aren't we driving?"

He finally glanced back at me.

"We can't."

"Why?"

"They're watching the roads."

A chill crawled down my spine.

"They?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he kept going, and like an idiot, I kept following him. He soon stopped and pushed open a rusted metal gate that led into what looked like an abandoned storage yard. Old containers stood in uneven rows, casting long shadows beneath the moonlight.

I hesitated.

"Luca..."

He stopped walking. Then he turned to face me. His face looked exhausted. There were dark circles beneath his eyes, soot staining one side of his shirt, and a small cut above his eyebrow that I hadn't noticed before.

"You have to trust me."

I stared at him.

"I do."

"Then don't ask questions for another five minutes."

My throat tightened.

"What happened?"

"We'll talk when this is all over."

I frowned at his words but followed when He started walking again. Every sound in there made me jump. The wind scraping against the containers, the distant bark of a dog and the crunch of gravel beneath our shoes.

Finally we stopped beside an old delivery truck. Luca looked around carefully before knocking three times against the back doors. Nothing happened.

Then two knocks answered from inside and the locks clicked. The doors slowly opened, and two men appeared at the back door.

I recognised one of them. I'd seen him before... around the mansion, I thought. I couldn't remember his name, but I was certain he was one of the famiglia's soldiers.

The other man... I had never seen him before, but He looked like bad news. He belonged to the underworld, but he wasn't one of the Romano's men or Italian. That much I knew. My eyes drifted over the tattoos covering his neck and hands, and a feeling of dread settled deep inside me.

I didn't understand what they meant, but one thing became painfully clear. Luca wouldn't involve a Russian soldier unless... No. I shook my head. I didn't want to think about it. I just wanted my son.

Both men had their weapons drawn, but the moment they saw Luca, they lowered them.

"Boss."

"Everything clear?" Luca asked.

"Yes."

Luca nodded once before stepping aside.

"Go in."

I frowned.

"What is this? What are we doing here?"

"Just get inside."

"Leon!"

I rushed toward him, but before I could take another step... My mother shoved me. Hard. I wasn't expecting it, so I stumbled backwards so violently that I almost crashed into the metal wall of the truck.

Luca moved quickly, catching me before I hit it. I stared at my mother in complete disbelief. She didn't even look at me.

She kept her eyes on Luca.

"Then what the hell is she doing here? I don't want Leon seeing her. He and I already have an understanding, and He already believes what I told him. Seeing his mother now is only going to ruin the story I've spent all this time making him believe."

Every word felt like a knife. I looked from her...To Luca. Luca merely shrugged at her.

"That's not my problem. You got everything you wanted. And now we need Ariella."

My mother's jaw tightened.

"Fine. But why bring her here?"

"She wanted to see her son."

My mother finally looked at me and immediately started shaking her head.

"No. No... no... no. She can't. I want to leave. I want to get out of here right now."

"You can't," Luca replied evenly.

She let out a bitter laugh.

"If she's here, do you honestly expect me to leave with her? We made a deal. You promised me, Leon."

"I was going to take Leon, collect my money, collect the new passports, and disappear. You could have done whatever you wanted with Asher and Ariella."

"I left Ariella behind. If all you wanted was her, you could've gone back and taken her yourself."

She pointed at me again, anger flashing in her eyes.

"So why the hell is she here?"