Page 98 of Mafia King's Forbidden Vows

Mario exchanges a few words with one of the men before handing over the suitcase. My stomach churns as I watch the tension escalate, even without audio. Just as Mario turns to leave, one of the men reaches into his coat.

A gun flashes in his hand. Mario raises his arms, taking several steps back. But this man, whoever he is, doesn’t hesitate. He pulls the trigger immediately. My brother collapses to the ground.

I can’t stop staring at the screen. Grabbing the phone from Mia, my grip around it tightens so much that my knuckles ache. The video does nothing but reiterate the fact that my father knew thismuch…and said nothing. “You knew,” I whisper to myself as cold shivers run down my spine.

My father leans forward towards me. “Aria…”

“You knew!” This time, it comes out louder, my voice cracking. I throw his phone onto the couch like it burns. “You knew what happened to him, yet you lied! How could you do that? How could you let me live a lie?”

Tears sting my eyes, blurring everything. I don’t wait for his excuses. Grabbing my bag, I storm toward the door.

“When I told you that Mario was killed by that politician he was working on...I was just trying to give you something to hold on to.” Dad’s heavy voice slows down my steps and somehow increases the anger I feel.

I hear him take a step toward me, but I don’t turn back.

“Please, Aria. That was the only plausible string I could ask you to hold on to. When I found out the whole drugs thing about Mario...I was ashamed. There was no way I could face it all and lose you.”

I shake my head. I would no longer be a party to his stupid lies.

“Aria, please!” His voice follows me, frantic…breaking. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Aria!”

I ball my hands into fists and continue walking, my heart shattering with each step I take. Mia calls out my name, but I’m already out and almost in the car. I’m tired of the lies and the pain the people I love keep causing me.

In the car, my hands tremble as I grip the wheel. My head is unsteady as the engine roars to life. I cannot stay with my dad, at least not with how I feel, and I can’t go to Elio. I just drive, letting the streets blur past as I roam aimlessly.

The questions won’t stop pounding in my head. Does that mean that Elio wasn’t involved? And if he wasn’t involved, why did he order his lawyer to seal the case? Why did my dad really refuse to tell me about Mario? Is there something bigger than the bits and pieces everyone is serving me?

Chapter thirty-one

Elio

The tires screech against the roadside as Cortez jerks the wheel, narrowly avoiding an oncoming truck, but all I can focus on right now is the wet warmth spreading across my ribs. I had to call Cortez to pick me up since I was bleeding profusely.

I press my palm harder against the wound, but the blood keeps seeping through my fingers. My breaths come in short and sharp gasps.

“You okay?” Cortez whispers, his voice strained with tension.

“Just drive,” I grit out, staring at the road ahead, willing myself to stay conscious.

Pain claws up my side, but I can’t let it take me down. If anything happens to Karl Abruzzi, Aria will never forgive me. She alreadyholds me responsible for her brother’s death. If she loses her father, too, especially since it’ll be connected to the mafia, an unending chasm of enmity would come between us.

Cortez slams on the brakes, and the moment we step out, the night erupts in chaos. Bullets tear through the air, sparking against the concrete. Two of our men drop instantly, blood blooming against their shirts as they crumple to the ground.

“Take cover!” I yell, diving behind the open car door−adrenaline taking over my body now. Cortez is already firing back, his gun barking over the chaos. I load a fresh magazine, my fingers slick with sweat and blood, then peek over the edge. Shadows flicker behind metal crates, gunfire flashing like lightning in the dark.

“We need to move!” Cortez shouts.

I nod, pushing through the pain. We run, our feet pounding behind us on the gravel floor. Bullets zip past, but we push forward, taking cover behind walls and parked vans outside the premises, returning fire with every step.

A man lunges from behind a car. I catch him in the throat with my elbow and spin his own gun against him, pulling the trigger. He drops dead and we press on.

The hangar doors are slightly ajar, revealing the converted living space inside. Two men guard the entrance. One raises his gun, but I reach him first. I slam his wrist aside, the shot going wide, then drive my fist into his gut. He doubles over, and I bring my knee up, smashing his nose. The second one lunges at me but Isidestep, catching his arm and twisting it until I hear the snap. He screams, but goes silent with a shot to the head from my gun.

“Go!” I grunt at Cortez with all my breath. “Take John and Federico and search inside. I’ll go around the back!”

Cortez nods, already moving. I grab three of our remaining men and push toward the back.

There’s no one there, so I give the signal for my men to proceed into the building through a door at the back.

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