Signed To The Mafia King - Chapter 60: Chapter 60

LUCA
I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.
Sleep wouldn’t come. My body was heavy, exhausted, but my mind wouldn’t shut off.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Riot’s face.
I heard the bastard’s voice.
I thought about Valerie, about the boy, about how fast things were spiraling.
I closed my eyes, forced my shoulders to relax, and tried to rest for an hour.
I knew the Alvarado Cartel wouldn't kill the boy. They just couldn't.
But I couldn't relax. I sat up and rubbed a hand down my face.
Someone knocked on my door.
I jumped out of bed like I had been waiting for that distraction.
When I opened the door, Pietro and Leonard stood there. One look at their faces, and I knew I was in for a long night. Neither of them looked happy.
“They’re here,” Pietro said.
I nodded and turned back inside. I grabbed a shirt from the chair, pulled it on without buttoning it, and ran a hand through my hair.
“Wait in my office,” I muttered as I stepped past them.
They left in one direction, but I turned the other way. I hoped Alina was already sleeping, that she would at least get some rest.
The next few days would be crazy ones.
I walked down the hall, down the stairs, through the quiet house, my feet moving on their own. I wasn’t going to my office.
My body knew where I was headed before my mind did.
When I reached the dungeon, something immediately felt off.
The door was open.
I stopped in the doorway, frowning. My fingers held the frame as I stared into the darkness. Pietro wouldn’t have left it open. That was too risky.
My eyes adjusted slowly. I heard whispering, like someone was trying not to be heard.
Then I heard the sound of a slap. Riot cried out.
I walked inside. Who was awake this late and in the dungeon?
The cold air wrapped around me as my boots scuffed against the stone floor.
I saw Marco first.
He stepped forward, his face twisted with fury, his hands clenched at his sides.
Under the dim light, his knuckles looked raw. Riot sat slumped against the wall, head turned, chest rising and falling in deep, painful breaths.
I walked past Marco and bent in front of Riot.
The bastard’s face was bruised, a deep red mark spreading across his cheek. His lip was split, blood stained at the corner of his mouth. He didn’t look at me.
I tilted my head. “Your family is about to kill your son.”
Riot jerked like the words hurt him.
I waited a beat before speaking again. “Your wife will never come back to you.”
Riot grinned. He spat on the floor between us. “I don’t want that bitch no more.” His voice dropped lower. “But when I get my hands on her, I’ll slit her throat.”
I stared at him.
My hands flexed. My whole body tensed, a pulse of rage crawling up my spine. I wanted to kill him. Right here. Right now.
But I was too fucking tired.
I pushed myself to my feet, turned, and walked out. I shut the door behind me and locked it, the metal clicking into place.
Marco was still standing outside.
“It’s a bad idea to keep him here,” he muttered.
I nodded. I’d said that to Alina a thousand times, but I also couldn't let him go. That was the safest place to keep him. “I know.”
Plus, I was worried Alina would kill Riot if she got her hands on him. She was still raging.
Marco crossed his arms. “Then why…”
“He’s our only bargaining chip.” I cut him off, my voice flat. “We need him to get the boy back.”
Marco shook his head, frowning. “I still don’t understand how the hell Riot ended up in our dungeon.”
My jaw tensed. “He slapped his wife.”
Marco groaned. “He only slapped her? A war is about to break out because a man slapped his wife?”
I stopped walking.
My head turned, eyes locking onto Marco.
A slow, burning anger lit behind them, sharp and dangerous, burning like an inferno. “Don’t you ever say that again.”
Marco swallowed. His shoulders shifted slightly, weight moving between his feet. “Got it,” he muttered.
I didn’t reply. I just turned and kept walking.
By the time I reached my office, Pietro, Leonard, and Mikhail were already inside, seated at the table. I shut the door behind me and nodded at Marco.
“Lock it.”
Marco turned the key without question.
I ran a hand over my face. I didn’t trust Alina to stay in bed. She was probably exhausted, but that wouldn’t stop her from trying to be here.
I sat behind my desk. “Sorry about locking us in here, but I don't trust my wife not to barge in.”
Pietro leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. “She’s a stubborn one, isn’t she?”
I smiled, remembering the ax cutting into Riot's wrist. Yeah, she was a stubborn one. “Yeah,” I muttered. “She is.”
I leaned forward, elbows resting on the table. My fingers laced together as I spoke to Leonard. “Make sure Mink’s son is here by morning,” I said. “I want him and the two other men brought in.”
Leonard nodded and pulled out his phone. He typed into it as he spoke. “Understood.”
I tapped my fingers once against the table. “What’s the man's name?”
“Lorenzo,” Leonard answered.
I nodded. “Alright. Sofia will leave for London in a few days. Alina stays here. She doesn’t go anywhere without Pietro and Lorenzo. I don’t want her alone, not even for a second. If she's not in her room, then both of you should be on her tail.”
My eyes moved between them. “A war might break out soon. I need to be ready. We need to be ready.”
Silence settled in the room for a moment. War was always a battle for survival. And only the fittest made it to the next day.
I turned my attention to Marco. “Get me everything you can find on Valerie.”
Marco frowned slightly. “You think she’ll be a problem?”
I shook my head. “I need to know if she has family. Someone who can take her while I deal with this mess.”
Pietro leaned back, rubbing a hand along his jaw. “She doesn’t.”
My brow rose. Had Pietro already found information on her?
Pietro’s eyes dropped for a second, then lifted to mine. “Her family was executed by Alina’s father.”
The words slammed into me like a fist to the chest. My back stiffened.
I sat up straight, feeling like I’d just been shocked with electricity.