Lahat ng Kabanata ng Signed To The Mafia King: Kabanata 181 - Kabanata 189

LUCA“Come on. Let's go see what this bunker looks like.” Vector shook his head. “I'm not sure that's a good idea.” “I need to know what this place looks like.” I informed him, already standing. “If you don't show it to me, I'll find someone else who can.” Vector and I left the office with the kind of silence that wasn’t comfortable, but it wasn’t hostile either. The kind that felt like both of us were weighing whether the other one was going to suddenly pull a gun.Outside, the late afternoon light was dimming, stretching the shadows across the street like they were trying to trip us. I kept pace with him, both of us heading for his car because if we took mine, I’d just end up driving us straight through whatever gate Alvez was hiding behind and get myself killed before the night was over.Vector’s bruises looked worse outside. One eye was swollen halfway shut, and there was a split on his lip that still looked fresh. Whoever had gotten to him didn’t just want to make a point,

LUCAFor the next half hour, that’s exactly what I let happen. Maya directed the bear’s tea preferences, Leo dictating every step of the track assembly like a general. I nodded, followed orders, even pretended to argue once or twice just to hear them fight back.They told me about their day.Leo’s had a lunchtime soccer game, Maya’s art project involving more glitter than should allowed for use in one project. I laughed when I was supposed to, asked questions when they wanted me to, and kept the rest to myself.Because if I told them about my day, I’d have to tell them about the car, the bullets, and the fact that a man like Alvez had promised to take away everything in this room.So I just sat there. Let their words fill the air instead of mine.Eventually, Maya climbed into my lap, small and warm, still talking about the bear’s tea etiquette. Leo kept tinkering with the track, muttering about speed, and gravity. There was nothing to compare to the peace of being in a peaceful

LUCATalciro’s voice was a gravel scrape over the line.“You think you can just walk away from me, boy?”I kept my tone flat. “I don’t think. I decide. And I’ve decided I’m done.”Silence. Then a chuckle that wasn’t remotely amused.“You belong to me. You’ve always belonged to me since you worked for me the first time. Did you think I was going to trust my gold to a man I couldn't control?”“No,” I said, staring out across the loading bay where men moved crates into place. “I’ve belonged to me since the day I stopped answering to anyone. I'm mine and it's not up for negotiation.” “Careful, Luca,” he said, voice dropping into that dangerous calm that made lesser men flinch. “You keep talking like that and I might have to remind you what happens to people who cross me.”I almost laughed. “You think I’m scared of you?”“No,” he said. “I think you should be.” The long pause was poisonous. “And if you won’t be… maybe the police will be very interested in what I know. You’ve got bodies in

LUCAMy hands on the wheel was the only thing holding me together.Not the caffeine, not the plan running in my head like clockwork, just that steady vibration that kept me from blowing the whole city up before I even reached the office.It was times like this that I realized just how lonesome it could get. With Alina stuck in the safe house, there was no one to talk to. And I couldn't call her too often. Who knew? Maybe someone was keeping track of my calls and movements, I couldn't lead them right back to her. I drove with one hand on the wheel, the other on the phone, scrolling past names that meant trouble and landing on one I hadn’t seen in a couple of days. Analide.I hadn’t called her since that day I let her go. Now, when she answered, I went right in. “Call Alvez, tell him you want to meet." “Except I don't want to meet. Why would I do that?” “You do. You just don't know it yet. Has he reached out to you? Or have you reached out to him.?” “No, I've been trying to hea

ALINA“Mommy, what’s happening?” Maya asked against my shoulder when I reached them. “Nothing we can’t handle,” I lied, kissing the top of her head.But inside, my mind was a storm.Who was out there? What had tripped the system? And how much longer could we pretend this was just a temporary hiding place, instead of a cage with alarms for bars?I stood by the edge of the console, the children tucked against me. Cheese or baby, it didn’t matter. I wasn’t alone in this body.And if the world outside thought it could take that away from me? It had another thing coming.I pulled up the feed expecting shadows. A man, maybe. Something I could put teeth to.Instead, it was a doe.It was just standing there, neck long and delicate, ears flicking at every sound. And behind her, wobbling like a drunk who hadn’t learned his legs yet, her fawn. The little thing bent its head, nosing the dirt, trying to find something that wasn’t there. It stumbled, knees buckling. The mother nudged it back