My Childhood Bully is a Mafia Boss-Chapter 75

Aidan

"I think I know who killed Slava," I said grimly. I had suspected it for a while now. Ellie said the killers were part of an Italian Mafia, but she didn’t know which one. But receiving that damn finger in the mail confirmed exactly who I was dealing with.

It could only be the work of I Lupi dell’Ombra, a notorious crime syndicate. Their leader, Giovanni Leones, had a flair for dramatics and would send severed limbs to his enemies.

Fucking weirdo...

James picked up Slava’s finger and studied it. "It does seem like Giovanni’s handiwork, doesn’t it?" he said lightly.

"Scared the shit out of Ivy and Ellie. I want to break his neck for that," I grumbled.

"Be careful, Boss. Giovanni isn’t someone you want to fuck with," James warned me.

I shot him a glare. "He fucked with me first."

"But what does he want? Last time I checked, our territories do not cross," James asked.

"He was Slava’s enemy. And now, he is after Ellie," I said.

"But why?"

I halted. I didn’t know the answer, but James was right about raising the question. Why was Giovanni after Ellie?

I made a mental note of speaking to Ellie about it. I had a feeling she wasn’t telling me everything.

But first, I had to deal with something else.

"James," I said, "I need a list. Every face that’s come through my doors—their movements, their allies, everything. I need to know who left the package."

James was already at his laptop, fingers dancing across the keys with lethal precision. "On it, Aidan. We’ll comb through the lot, weed out the rat."

"Good." I turned away, the taste of betrayal sour on my tongue. "Keep me updated. Every hour, if you have to."

"Understood," he said determinedly.

I strode out of the office and then headed back home.

As I made my way home, my mind was consumed with thoughts of Giovanni and his mysterious intentions. I never had any problem with him, but if he was trying to start something, I wouldn’t let it end well.

No one got to threaten my family and get away with it.

Entering the house, I found Ellie sitting in the living room, her expression grim.

"Ellie," I said in a low voice.

Her eyes widened with relief at the sight of me. "Aidan! Where did you go? Ivy was worried sick."

"Where is she now?" I asked,

"I think she went to bed," Ellie answered, her own worry evident in her voice.

"Good, I need to talk to you," I said.

Ellie looked at me with her eyes full of worry. "What is it?"

"Does the name Giovanni Leones mean anything to you?" I asked.

Ellie wrinkled her forehead. "Um...not really. Who is that?" 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

I stared at her intently, trying to figure out if she was lying or not. But she seemed genuine. "Are you sure? Have you ever heard Slava mentioning that name?"

Ellie shook her head. "No, I told you he didn’t discuss business with me. The only time I got involved in his business was when I was stripping at his club, but I never got involved with the Mafia shit."

I winced at the memory of my little sister stripping and shook my head to make that thought disappear.

"Who is this guy and what does he have to do with Slava?" Ellie asked.

"I think he is the one who killed your asshole boyfriend," I said.

Ellie’s eyes widened, her pale skin going even paler. "But why would he..."

"I don’t know," I cut her off, rubbing my forehead as if that could ease the headache brewing inside. "That’s what I intend to find out."

"You think he sent the packages?" Ellie questioned, her brows furrowing in confusion and concern.

I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant despite the coiling tension in my gut. "Who else? It’s Giovanni’s style. And you said the men who killed Slava were Italian."

Ellie watched me silently for a moment before finally finding her voice again. "What are we going to do now?" she asked.

"We," I emphasized, locking gaze with her, "are not going to do anything. You’ll stay safe inside the house and let me handle this."

"But I started this mess by coming here. You should let me help somehow," she protested.

"No." The word sliced through the air, heavy with finality.

Ellie’s brows pulled together, lips parting to argue. I cut her off before she could start.

"You should understand what we’re dealing with here, El," I snapped, my patience fraying. "This isn’t some petty thug. This is Giovanni Leones, a man with blood on his hands and no qualms about adding more. You, of all people, should know after leaving with a man like Slava."

Her face paled further, but she squared her shoulders. "But I can’t just hide while you put yourself in danger because of me," she insisted. "Maybe I should talk to the guy. Ask him what he wants from me."

"Ellie," I began, softening my voice. "You’re my sister. I’m supposed to protect you."

Something flickered in her eyes before she looked away. "I know," she murmured. "But you can’t always protect me, Aidan." Her voice was quiet but resolute. "I have to learn how to protect myself too."

"Yes, eventually," I said. "But you are pregnant and vulnerable, so I am keeping you away from Giovanni. Understand?"

She nodded, though I could see the reluctance in her eyes. She didn’t like playing the damsel, never had. And while I admired her strength and courage, I also knew it could get her killed.

I turned, ready to leave, when her soft voice stopped me.

"Aidan?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah?" I responded without turning around.

"Promise me you won’t do anything reckless. You have your own family to worry about now," she said.

An ironic smile tugged at the corner of my lips. Ellie knew me too well.

"I can’t promise that," I said honestly, my voice echoing in the silence of the room.

"But," I added after a moment of silence, turning back to look at her with determination in my eyes. "I promise to stay alive. No matter what."

Her shoulders sagged slightly in relief, and she gave me a small nod.

"Good," she whispered.

~-~

Ivy wasn’t asleep when I entered the bedroom. She was sitting up, holding a book in front of her face, which she dropped as soon as she saw me come in.

"Aidan! Where have you been all day?" she asked.

"Talking to James and trying to figure out who the traitor is," I said gruffly.

Ivy cocked her head. "And?"

I ran a hand through my hair. "No luck yet. But we’ll find the rat."

"Hmm..." she muttered.

I jumped in bed next to us. "What do you think about Ellie? Do you think we should trust her?"

Ivy gasped, her eyes wide. "Aidan! What are you saying? Of course, we should trust her. She is your sister."

"Yes, she was our enemy not so long ago, remember?" I reminded. No, I didn’t want to believe Ellie was my enemy, but she did betray me once. One thing this life taught me was never to trust anyone.

"She was not an enemy. She was lost and misunderstood. She is back now, so don’t jeopardize your relationship with dumb assumptions," Ivy said firmly.

I sighed, feeling guilty for even considering the possibility of Ellie being a traitor. Ivy was right. I needed to trust my sister, especially now that she was pregnant and vulnerable.

"I know, you’re right," I admitted. "I just can’t shake off the feeling that someone close to us is betraying us."

Ivy’s expression softened as she reached out and took my hand in hers.

"I understand your concerns, Aidan," she said gently. "But we can’t let our doubts tear our family apart. We need to trust each other now more than ever."

I let out a sigh, running a hand through my hair once again.

I studied the woman beside me, the woman who had loved me despite knowing the kind of life I was leading. The mother of my baby.

I rest my palm on her belly. "How’s my little guy doing in there?"

"Kicking up a storm," Ivy said irritably.

A wicked grin split my face. "His father’s son then."

She rolled her eyes at me, but I saw the smile tugging at her lips. "God help us all, then."

Chuckling, I intertwined our fingers, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand.

I pulled her close and whispered into her ear, "I love you."

Suddenly, a high-pitched scream jolted me out of our embrace.

"It’s Ellie!" Ivy gasped in alarm.

I jumped off the bed and drew my gun out. "Stay here," I ordered Ivy and left the room before waiting for her response.

As I sprinted down the hallway, my senses sharpened and heart thundering. I could hear the pounding of my boots against the cool marble floor, my ragged breaths echoing off the pristine white walls of our mansion. I was almost to Ellie’s room.

I reached her door within seconds, keeping my gun trained while I twisted the knob, ready for whatever might come next.

Ellie was sprawled on the floor, cradling her swollen belly with one hand while gripping the edge of her bedstead with the other. No one else was in the room.

"What happened? Where you attacked?" I growled.

"No, no attack..." Ellie managed to say. "But I saw someone looking at me from there," she said, pointing at the window.