Signed To The Mafia King - Chapter 58: Chapter 58

LUCA
“Find my phone,” I yelled over the gunfire.
Alina reached for it, her hands moving fast as I speeded out of the parking lot.
The sound of bullets slamming against the armored windows was deafening, like hail against glass, but heavier, more violent.
I clenched my jaw and pushed the gas pedal down harder. We needed to get the hell out of here before they found a way to stop us.
Alina shoved the phone into my hand. I was about to dial when she grabbed it back.
“I’ll call Sofia,” she said. “You focus on driving.”
I didn’t argue. I needed both hands on the wheel.
She pressed the phone to her ear. She tapped her finger impatiently against her seat until Sofia picked up. “Sofia, get one of the men to open the gates right now. We’re coming home.”
Sofia’s voice was sleepy on the other end, but she answered immediately. “Okay.”
Alina ended the call, sliding the phone back into its hold.
The bullets kept coming, but I could tell we were pulling ahead. Their shots were landing less frequently now.
Still, we weren’t out of this yet.
“We need a bargaining chip,” she said suddenly.
I took my eye off the road to focus on her. I could tell she was thinking hard. “What?”
“Riot.” Her voice was steady, but she took her bag and found her own phone. “We need him in the house. If the Alvarados want to play, then we need something to bargain with.”
I considered it. She was right. If we had Riot, we had leverage. And right now, we needed every advantage we could get.
“Call Pietro,” I said.
She was already dialing.
“Pietro,” she said as soon as he picked up, “turn around and go back to the club. Get Riot. I don’t care if you have to drag him out by his throat. Dead or alive, I want him in the house.”
There was a pause. Then Pietro’s low voice rumbled through the speaker. “Understood.”
Alina ended the call and sat back.
She was too calm.
I glanced at her, watching the way she folded her arms, the way she stared ahead, her face unreadable.
She hadn’t always been like this.
I remembered the woman who had walked into my study all those weeks ago, the woman who had been so careful, so polite. The woman who had looked at me with caution, not cold calculation.
Had that woman disappeared completely? It worried me slightly.
I didn’t have time to dwell on it.
“The bullets are less now,” Alina muttered, her voice quiet.
I nodded. “Guess we’re faster than them.”
“We have to be,” she murmured.
She turned her head sharply, staring out the window like she was thinking.
She tensed. “What if they’re sending men to block us up ahead?”
She was thinking like a strategist. She hadn't always thought like that. It was good, but I could admit I was bothered.
Had being in my world for a few months already changed her so much?
“I have a security detail ahead,” I said. “They’ll hold them off.”
She exhaled, but I could still feel that she was tense. Then, almost accusingly, she asked, “Why didn’t you come to the club with them in the first place?”
I kept my eyes on the road. “Because Pietro called me. Told me you were about to get into trouble.”
She let out a breath. “I’m sorry.”
I glanced at her. She looked tired, her head lax against the head rest.
“But I’m not sorry I saved Valerie,” she added. “Riot got exactly what he deserved.”
I couldn’t argue with that. I checked the mirror. There were three motorcycles riding behind us very fast. I didn't need anyone to tell me they were after us.
Shit.
“They’re still coming,” I muttered.
Alina turned her head, spotting them. Her hands tightened in her lap. “Damn it.”
A second later, my phone rang. Mikhail.
Alina answered. “Where are you?”
“We just got back to your house,” he said. “The men you sent with us dropped us off. Valerie and Maya are safe.”
Alina sighed in relief. “Good job.”
She glanced at me. “We’ll be there soon.”
I sped up, driving as fast as I could. I needed to escape the motorcycles fast.
The gates were already open when we reached the house. I didn’t slow down, instead I drove straight through, tires screeching as I braked in the driveway.
The moment we stopped, the silence felt heavenly.
No more bullets. No more shouting. Just our own breathing, fast and uneven in the car.
I held the steering wheel, my knuckles aching.
Alina sat beside me, her head tilted back against the seat, inhaling and exhaling like she was trying to steady herself.
For a few seconds, neither of us moved.
Then I pushed open my door and stepped out into the chilly night air.
It felt too still.
Too quiet. My body was still thrumming from the chase, my mind still wired. I blew out a breathe and tried to relax.
I walked around the car and opened Alina’s door.
She stepped out on shaky feet, her fingers brushing the car frame to hold herself ready. I let her have that moment.
She wasn’t the kind of person who liked to be helped.
Without a word, we walked inside together.
Mikhail and Valerie were already in the living room. Valerie looked pale, her hands in her lap, her eyes wild with worry.
Mikhail stood beside her, his shirt stained with blood spatters. His own or someone else’s, I didn’t know.
Marco was pacing with Maya in his arms, her small body fitted against his chest, fast asleep.
Sofia sat on the couch, her legs tucked under her, watching all of us with wide, uncertain eyes.
I ran a hand through my hair. “Sofia, get the housekeeper to prepare a room for Valerie and Maya.”
Valerie sat up, shaking her head. “I can’t stay here.” Her voice was tight, almost panicked. “Riot’s family will come for me. They’ll tear this house down.”
I looked at her, my voice firm. “You don’t need to worry about that.”
If only they would come. I would be eager to tear them apart.
She didn’t look convinced, but I wasn’t about to start explaining. She was exhausted. I needed her calm. I needed her to sleep so I could question her by morning.
I turned to Marco. “Give her the child. Then come to my office.”
Marco handed Maya over carefully, and Valerie held her daughter close, pressing her face into her tiny curls.
As Marco followed me toward the hallway, Alina’s phone vibrated with a text.
I turned and saw the way her face drained of color.
She stared at the screen, her lips parting slightly, her breath catching.
I stopped. “Alina?”
Her voice was almost hoarse. “It’s them again.”
I could see that whatever she had read, it was bad. I felt deadly angry again.
She swallowed hard. “They say the boy will be dead in three hours if I don’t bring Valerie and Maya.”