All Chapters of Under his protection : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Dante I stepped out of the room and decided to leave it unlocked. It is not like she could go anywhere. She wouldn’t make it past the hallway let alone the property. I gave a slight nod toward Carlos who stood right outside her door before heading to my office. The pickup was supposed to be a simple grab and ditch operation, but those two idiots somehow messed it up. Victor ended up with a broken nose and she came in with scraped knees and tears in her sweater. They are lucky I have other things to worry about or I would have blown their kneecaps off for putting a mark on her. This entire Aria situation felt like nothing but a distraction and a complete waste of my time. I did not know who she was or why she mattered but the Don’s last order… His dying wish was to find her and protect her. Protect her from what? None of it made sense. I have no idea. From her file she did not seem to be in any danger. She was a quiet librarian with a dead-end routine and no ties to any crime

AriaThe longer I stayed trapped in that room, the more restless I became. The walls felt like they were inching closer every second. I needed air. I needed space. I needed a plan.I paced until my legs ached, replaying every word the Don had said, every rule Adriano had mentioned. Nothing added up. Protect me from what? Why me? The questions clawed at my mind until I could barely sit still.By the time dinner rolled around, I was exhausted from doing nothing. When the clock finally struck seven, I slipped out of my room and headed toward the dining area, following the path I remembered from the tour.He was already there.The Don sat at the head of the table, posture rigid, sleeves rolled just enough to reveal strong forearms. The food was laid out, untouched, and the table was set for two.I hesitated at the entrance.“Are you planning on standing there all night, Miss Russo,” he said without looking up, “or are you going to sit.”His voice startled me despite myself. I walked close

DanteAria stumbled backwards with each step until her back hit the bathroom sink. I was so close I could see the exact moment her breathing changed, and I could almost feel her pulse racing. She had chosen a white low-cut blouse and jeans from the numerous clothes I had sent to the house earlier. I may have overdone it a little, considering the fact that it was probably all up in flames now, but seeing how perfectly they hugged her body, maybe it was worth it.Placing my hand on the tip of her jaw and raising her eyes to mine, I saw something that felt like a bucket of cold water had been thrown over me.Fear.Aria looked terrified, though it was mixed with something else I could not quite place. Dropping my hand and schooling my expression, I said,“You can shower and change here. There are clothes in the closet. I’m sure you’ll find something.”I did not wait for a reply. I turned and shut the door, a little harder than necessary.In my line of work, fear was normal. Expected. I wa

DanteI walked into the meeting room where all ten capos were gathered and seated. They all rose, Salvatore taking his time, which caused me to smirk. He had always been an arrogant bastard, and as the longest-serving capo, he clearly needed a refresher course in respect.I took my seat at the head of the table. Adriano sat beside me, and everyone else followed.The room fell silent.“Let’s begin,” I said.As expected, Salvatore was the first to speak.“These attacks are getting out of hand.” He slammed his hand on the table. “The Russians are being too daring. We need to hit them where it hurts.”“Typical of you to want to rush in headfirst, Salvatore,” Marco responded calmly.“A club and our Don’s private residence were attacked in one night,” Salvatore shot back, glaring at him. “If that’s not disrespectful, I don’t know what is.”I did not bother correcting him that the attacks of last night had nothing to do with the Russians. The less they knew about Aria, the better.“So you th