My Childhood Bully is a Mafia Boss-Chapter 55

Aidan

I was still brooding about Ivy when my phone buzzed with an unwelcome text message. Was it her? Did she finally realize her mistake and now want to come back?

I grinned at the thought of punishing her for her misbehaving.

But it wasn’t Ivy who messaged me. It was an unknown number. My eyes darted over the chilling words, each one hitting me like a knife to the gut: "I have Ivy. Come alone if you want to see her again,---Slava."

My blood runs cold, ice creeping through my veins. That asshole got her. The thought of what he might do to her sent waves of anger rolling through me, but I shoved them down. Blind rage wouldn’t help her – only action would.

"Damn you, Slava!" I hissed, my fingers tightening around the phone until the edges dug into my skin. My mind raced, plotting out every possible path to take, weighing the risks and rewards of each choice. What would be the most likely way to get her back safely?

"Alright, you son of a bitch," I snarled after a few minutes, my voice shaking with rage. "Game on."

He’ll pay for this, I swore to myself.

I sprung into action, moving with purposeful speed to gather everything I needed. The cold metal of the gun felt like an extension of my arm as I strapped on the holster. My fingers deftly slid knives into hidden pockets inside my jacket

"Slava, you bastard," I whispered, my voice laced with venom. "You have no idea what’s coming for you."

The music of the club was deafening as I stormed through the doors, my eyes scanning the crowd for any sign of Ivy or Slava. The place was packed, bodies moving to the beat of the music that pounded through the air, sweat glistening on skin underneath flashing lights.

I pushed through the crowd, grinding my jaw against a wave of nausea. I couldn’t afford to lose her. She was mine to protect. I lost her once. I won’t lose her again!

I saw him in an instant. Slava lounging at a table near the back with his goons circling around him like sharks smelling blood in the water.

"I hope you brought reinforcements," Slava taunted when he saw me, his voice thick with scorn. "Because you’re going to need them if you want to take me down."

"Shut up," I growled lowly, grabbing him by his fancy collar and pulling him close enough to see the fear in those arrogant eyes. "Where is Ivy?"

"Easy, there, Blackwood. Your little girlfriend is fine," Slava drawled.

"Where is she?" I roared.

Slava laughed, the sound grating on my ears like nails on a chalkboard. "Relax, Aidan. She is safe and sound."

"You better not have touched her," I snarled, the threat clear in my voice.

"Oh please," Slava scoffed. "I am not an idiot. I know how valuable she is to you so I made sure to keep her comfortable. But that doesn’t mean she’ll remain that way if you don’t cooperate."

"What do you want?" I gritted out, my fingers tightening around his collar.

"I want your territory," Slava stated bluntly. "And I know you won’t give it to me willingly."

"Over my dead body," I spat.

"Well then, it looks like we have a problem," Slava smirked. "I suggest you start saying your goodbyes to your little girlfriend here. She won’t be around for much longer."

I felt fury bubbling up inside of me at his words. How dare he threaten Ivy to get what he wants?

I let go of Slava’s collar and stood up straight, my hands forming into tight fists at my side. "You will never have my Territory or Ivy." My voice was a low growl, resonating with threat.

Slava laughed again, but this time, it was different – it sounded high-pitched and unsure. But then, he smirked again, seemingly encouraged by my reaction. "But you got a soft spot for that woman, don’t you?"

I refused to give him the satisfaction of an answer. Instead, I raised my fist and punched him in the nose.

The impact of my fist against Slava’s nose echoed through the club, eliciting a collective gasp from the surrounding patrons. Blood spurted from Slava’s nostrils as he stumbled backward, his hands flying up to clutch at his face in shock and pain.

"You little—" Slava’s voice was a strangled growl, his eyes blazing with fury and humiliation.

Before he could finish his threat, I lunged forward, my adrenaline-fueled rage propelling me into action. My fist connected with Slava’s jaw, the force of the blow sending him crashing to the ground amidst a chorus of startled shouts and curses.

His goons sprang into action, moving to defend their fallen leader, but I was ready for them. I moved with lightning speed, dodging their attacks and countering with precision strikes that left them reeling in pain.

If I had to kill every single one of them to get to Ivy, I would.

The thud of fists hitting flesh echoed through the club as I tore through Slava’s henchmen. My knuckles stung from all the impact, but I didn’t feel it.

All I felt was the burning need to protect Ivy, to take her home again. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth as I spat out a tooth. The stench of sweat, fear, and blood filled the air, mingling with the loud music that continued to blare.

My boots squeaked against the polished floor as I spun around another attacker, landing a kick to his gut before he could get in a punch. A snap and a groan filled the air as his knee buckled under him.

I didn’t see Slava anywhere anymore. Did he run away? That fucking coward.

My breath came in harsh gasps, my lungs working overtime to fuel this anger-fueled rampage.

A group of them tried to surround me, but their clumsy attempts at encirclement only served to make me laugh darkly - they didn’t know who they were dealing with.

With swift, controlled movements, I evaded their clumsy swings and delivered precise blows that dropped them one by one until they scattered like cockroaches under a bright light.

Slava, where the fuck was he?

As I searched for Slava, my heart pounded in my chest like a hammer. My mind raced, analyzing each face I saw, trying to pick him out from the crowd.

Suddenly, a figure caught my eye: It was Ivy, her brown hair messy and her clothes disheveled. She was standing still as stone while Ellie held the blade to her throat, their faces just inches apart.

"Get away from her," I growled through gritted teeth, my voice echoing off the walls.

Ellie didn’t even flinch; she just sneered and tilted her head towards Ivy. "Or what? You’ll hurt me, too? Your little girlfriend won’t be able to handle it." There was a darkness in her voice that made my stomach turn.

Ellie, my sweet little sister Ellie. I didn’t even recognize her anymore.

I took a step forward, hands curled into fists at my sides. "Ellie. I won’t ask again. Don’t do this. Don’t make me choose between you and Ivy."

She shrugged nonchalantly and leaned in closer to Ivy, pressing the cold steel against her tender skin.

My heart raced in my chest, torn between the two most important people in my life. Part of me wanted to rush forward and knock the knife out of Ellie’s hand, but I knew that could potentially make things worse.

"Ellie, please," I pleaded, my voice cracking with emotion. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

But she didn’t seem to hear me. Her eyes were cold and emotionless as she stared back at me, almost like a stranger. The person I knew as my sister was gone.

Ivy’s eyes met mine, silently pleading for me to save her. Her hands were shaking and tears were streaming down her face, but she remained surprisingly calm.

"I see you found your precious little girlfriend," Ellie sneered, tightening her grip on the knife. "You always did care more about her than your own family."

"That’s not true," I argued, feeling a surge of anger rising inside me.

"No? Then why did you abandon me?" she retorted.

"I never abandoned you," I said firmly. "I’ve always been here for you."

"Then why didn’t you come back for me?" Ellie shouted, her facade breaking for a moment as tears welled up in her eyes. "Why did you leave me alone with Dad?"

My heart shattered at her words. It was true that I had left our home and hadn’t looked back, but it wasn’t because I didn’t care about my family.

"I’m sorry," I whispered.

"You’re sorry? Sorry, doesn’t cut it!" Ellie cried out.

"Ivy didn’t do anything wrong, Ellie," I argued.

"Of course not. Ivy could never do no wrong. But if it weren’t for her breaking your heart back then, you would’ve stayed home," Ellie said, her voice thick with sadness.

God, Ellie really believed that Ivy was the reason I had left home and never looked back. But the truth was, it wasn’t because of Ivy. It was because of our father.

I took a step towards Ellie, wanting to explain everything to her. But she backed away, keeping the knife pointed at Ivy’s throat.