Signed To The Mafia King - Chapter 63: Chapter 63

ALINA
I stopped outside the door, my pulse steady, my thoughts sharp. I was angry, but I kept my cool.
I couldn't afford to let emotions rule me. Not now.
Beside me, Pietro stood still like a statue, watching the entrance with narrowed eyes.
“Do they have any idea what I’m about to tell them?” I asked, keeping my voice low so the men gathered inside the safe house wouldn't hear me.
I had called a meeting like Luca had advised me. I wanted my men to be prepared and ready in case the Alvarados decided to strike.
Pietro shook his head “I don’t think so. Which is why we need to get ahead of it and control it. We want them to support us.”
I nodded. That was the plan. That had always been the plan; to control the story before anyone else could twist it against me.
I started walking again and Lorenzo followed behind me. I turned to him, frowning. Was he trying to follow me into a personal meeting with my men? “Stay out here.”
He didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Just shook his head no.
I clenched my jaw. I could order him, but would he listen?
He had been employed by Luca after all. And Luca had made it very clear that Lorenzo was my shadow.
Besides, if my uncles were in there, it wouldn’t hurt to have another gun on my side.
I sighed and turned back to the door. “Fine.”
The moment I stepped inside, every man in the room stood up.
I walked inside, ignoring the way their eyes followed me, the way the tension in the room shifted with my presence. At the head of the table, my chair waited.
Lorenzo pulled it out for me and I sat. The men sat too.
“I have some information to give,” I began, cutting right into it. There was no need and no time for pleasantries.
I didn’t get another word out before my uncle interrupted me. Alberto leaned forward, his mouth twisted between a smirk and a sneer. “Oh, you mean you’ve come to tell us that you’ve started a fight with the Alvarado?”
I felt anger block my throat. How did he even know? It seemed the news was spreading too fast.
The words hit me hard, but I kept my face blank. My fingers dragged slightly against the polished wood of the table.
Then, I remembered.
Weeks ago, Luca and I caught my uncles whispering about the Alvarado. We hadn’t thought much of it then. Just another secret we had planned to dig into, later.
It all made sense. They had been working with them against me. Had everything with Valerie been a set-up?
No, I didn't think so. I had seen Riot hit her, he had even pointed a gun at her. That was not a joke. He had even shot Ethan. He could have died.
I inhaled slowly, forcing myself to stay calm. My eyes found Alberto’s. “If you can’t keep your mouth shut and let me speak, then maybe walking out will be the best choice for you.”
His face darkened. “You’re only a child,” he snapped. “You have no right to drag us into a battle you could have easily stayed out of.”
I laughed under my breath, shaking my head. “A battle I could have stayed out of?” I repeated, tilting my head. “You think I started this?”
Alberto scoffed. “Did you not? Or do you expect us to believe that the Alvarados cut off one of their own wrists for no reason?”
My nails pressed into my palm.
He had information. Not just guesses, real information. Which meant someone was feeding it to him. How did he even know that I had cut off Riot's wrist?
The answer was very simple. Someone who was close to me was feeding it to him. I had to find that weed, and kill it.
I clenched my jaw, forcing my face to stay neutral. “If you know so much, then you also know the reason why it happened.”
Alberto sat back, his eyes cold. “I know you let your emotions get the best of you. I know you put your people in danger because you couldn’t control yourself.”
I felt someone move behind me. It was Pietro and his face was tight, eyes locked on Alberto like he wanted to crush him.
He was angry.
Good, because I was too.
I exhaled, excising control. “I didn’t come here to argue with you,” I said. “I came to inform you, on what’s happening. What’s already in motion.” I looked everyone at the table in the eye, stopping at Mikhail who looked away. “And make no mistake, this was going to happen, whether I wanted it to or not.”
Silence.
They knew I was right.
I sat up, glaring at Alberto. “The Alvarado are waiting for an opportunity to move against us. This isn’t new. We have had thousands of enemies before. I’m not interested in playing defense. We hit back if they hit us, and we hit hard.”
A murmur went through the room. Some nods. Some frowns.
Alberto exhaled sharply, shaking his head. “You think this is a game?”
“I think this is survival,” I shot back. “And I plan on surviving. It is none of my business if you die.”
More silence.
Then, finally, Salvatore leaned forward, folding his hands on the table. “What do you propose?”
I smiled. “Now we’re talking.”
I let the moment stretch, watching them; watching how they sat waiting for what I had to say next.
“From now on,” I said, “Security tightens. No exceptions. I want every one of you to acquire more trusted men, for your own security. We don’t move blind, and we don’t move weak.”
The men nodded.
“We do not step outside our own territory unless absolutely necessary,” I continued. “The Alvarados are looking for any excuse to start something. We don’t give them that excuse.”
Another silence.
Some of them looked unsure. Some of them didn’t like being told what to do. But they all understood. They knew I was right.
I exhaled, pressing my hands against the table as I rose to my feet. My eyes swept the room once more.
“If war breaks out,” I said, “stay safe.” I let my gaze settle on each of them, making sure they heard me, making sure they understood. “And kill to defend yourself.”
A weight settled in my chest. This wasn't who I am.
Two months ago, I never would have advised anyone to kill anybody. But that Alina was dead. She had died along with her father.
Just a few weeks ago, I was just trying to gain control, to make them see me as a leader.
And now, I was preparing them for war.
A war I had started.
A war I didn't think I could stop.
The thought sat heavy inside me, but I pushed it down. There was no time for regret. No time for guilt.
I stood and walked to the door when a hand clamped around my arm.
I barely had time to react before I was pulled to a stop. My breath hitched, my body tensing instinctively.
Lorenzo was beside me in an instant. “Take your damn hands off her.” He barked in a dangerous voice. He was towering over me and Uncle Alberto.
Alberto hesitated. Just for a second. Then, slowly, he released me. His fingers dragged away, but the force of his touch still burned against my skin.
I turned to him, my heart beat increasing, knocking like a bird against my chest.
He met my eyes, his own dark with something unreadable. Then, he leaned in slightly.
Just enough for only me to hear. “I saw what Luca did to Roberto,” he murmured.
The air around us changed. A slow, creeping chill slid down my spine.
“Tell him,” Alberto continued, voice flat, “that I will avenge it.” His lips curled slightly, a cruel smirk on his face. “And mine will be worse than a million deaths.”
He stepped back, his eyes still locked on mine.
“And it will come soon.”
I said nothing, but I felt cold suddenly, like the room was shrinking on me.
I knew Luca was stronger than Uncle Alberto, but a man who vowed revenge was deadly.