My Childhood Bully is a Mafia Boss-Chapter 64

Ivy

I stared down at my phone to check the time.

It was almost 4 am. Aidan should’ve been home hours ago.

I drew in a shaky breath, feeling a knot of worry tightening in my stomach.

"Where the hell are you?" I muttered under my breath as I dialed his number for what felt like the hundredth time tonight. The call went straight to voicemail, and I choked back a frustrated sob. "Aidan, it’s Ivy. Please, just pick up or text me back. I need to know you’re okay."

I paced back and forth in our bedroom, my heart pounding an erratic rhythm against my ribcage. My fingers glided over the surface of my phone, sending text after text, each one more frantic than the last.

"Come on, Aidan," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "Answer me. Just... just let me know you’re safe."

My mind raced, trying to piece together any clues. I wasn’t sure where he was. He could be anywhere. His world was dark and dangerous and his business shady. He didn’t tell me where he was going.

"Damn it!" I cursed and sat down at the edge of the bed.

"Please, Aidan," I pleaded into the empty room. "Text me back."

As I sat there, my chest heaving with every rapid breath, I realized how much I had come to rely on him. And now, with his absence tearing at my heart, I couldn’t help but miss him and worry about him.

The darkness of the room seemed to close in around me, suffocating, as I imagined Aidan lying somewhere, injured or worse. My breath caught in my throat, and a tear rolled down my cheek.

No, I couldn’t think like that. I needed to stay focused, find out where he was, and make sure he was safe.

"Think, Ivy," I muttered, forcing myself to take deep, steadying breaths. "Who else might know where he is?"

And then it hit me: Joseph. Aidan’s right-hand man, always by his side, privy to all his secrets. If anyone knew where Aidan was, it would be him.

I sprinted down the hall to Molly’s room, flinging open her door without a second thought. She startled awake, sitting up in bed with wide eyes.

"Wh-What’s wrong?" she stammered, her voice groggy and confused.

"Joseph," I said urgently, my heart pounding in my chest. "I need his phone number, Molly. Right now."

"Wh-Why?" she asked, looking worried.

"Because something must’ve happened to Aidan," I choked out, fighting back a fresh wave of tears. "He’s not answering his phone, and I... I don’t know what to do."

"Oh, dear. Aidan sometimes comes home late. Maybe tonight he has some business to do, so he will be back in the morning," she said soothingly.

I shook my head. "No, Molly. Something is wrong, I can feel it. Please, just tell me if you know Joseph’s number."

"Okay, okay," Molly said, sensing my desperation. She reached for her phone on the bedside table, her fingers shaking slightly as she scrolled through her contacts. "Here," she said, handing me the phone. "I found it."

"Thank you," I whispered, relief flooding my veins as I dialed Joseph’s number.

Molly studied me silently as I waited for Joseph to answer.

"Come on, Joseph. Pick up," I muttered under my breath, pacing back and forth in the dimly lit room like a caged animal.

"Where are you, Aidan?" The question echoed through my thoughts, drowned out by the worst-case scenarios that played on a loop in my mind. Images of him hurt, alone, or worse, tormented me, but I forced myself to focus. I needed answers, and Joseph was the only one who could provide them.

"Please let him be okay," I whispered to myself as the call continued to ring, unanswered.

The line clicked, and a raspy, labored breath reached my ears. The sound sent shivers down my spine.

"Joseph?" I asked hesitantly, anxiety gnawing at the edges of my voice.

"...Ivy," he wheezed, each syllable a struggle. "Not much time."

Panic fluttered in my chest as I tried to steady my breathing. "What happened? Where’s Aidan?"

"Ivy...he..." Joseph’s voice was barely audible, like a dying whisper.

My heart plummeted, the room spinning around me. But I couldn’t break down now; I needed answers. "Is Aidan okay?" I demanded, urgency lacing my words. "Where is he?"

Silence filled the air, punctuated only by Joseph’s ragged breaths. My fingers clenched around the phone, knuckles turning white. I needed him to answer. I needed to know if the love of my life was still alive.

"Jo—"

But the line went dead before I could finish his name. A wave of cold dread washed over me, leaving me shivering and paralyzed with fear. It was too quiet now—all I heard was the deafening roar of my thoughts and the pounding of my heartbeat.

"Damn it!" I screamed into the void.

Aidan’s face flashed through my mind—his warm smile, the way his eyes crinkled when he laughed, the tender kisses we’d shared. I refused to believe that I’d lost him. I wouldn’t let this be the end.

"What is it, Ivy?" Molly asked, sounding alarmed.

I turned to Molly, my eyes wide with fear and desperation, my voice quivering with terror. "Something’s wrong with Aidan," I managed to say, my voice barely audible. "Joseph... he said there’s not much time."

Molly’s hand shot to her mouth in disbelief, her eyes bulging with worry. "Oh, my God," she choked. "What happened? Where is he?"

"I don’t know," I replied, my voice barely above a whisper. "Joseph couldn’t tell me. The call cut off before he could say anything else."

Molly reached out to me, and her touch was gentle and comforting.

"What should we do? I can’t call the police, that much I know. But what else can I do? How do I find him?" I asked, tears streaming down my face.

Molly embraced me. "Oh, honey. There is nothing you can do. Mr. Blackwood is a powerful man. He knows how to protect himself."

Molly’s words only fueled my desperation. "But I can’t just sit here and do nothing," I protested, my voice quivering with emotion. "I have to find him. I have to make sure he’s okay."

Molly held me tighter, her comforting presence a small anchor in the storm of uncertainty raging inside me. "Ivy, listen to me," she said gently. "You need to stay calm and think logically. Jumping to conclusions or taking reckless actions won’t help him."

I pulled away slightly, meeting her gaze with determination. "But what else can we do? We can’t just wait around for something to happen."

"He is not a stranger to the dangerous lifestyle, you know," Molly said.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart. "Yes, but he is not an immortal. I just can’t simply sit here and wait. I am pregnant, Molly. I won’t let my child be fatherless even before he or she is born!" I cried.

Molly sighed. "Alright. You are right. There is one other person who might know where he is."

"Who?" I asked.

Molly’s forehead wrinkled as she thought about it. "I think his name is James. He came to the house with Joseph a few times in the past, but I don’t have his phone number."

"I need to find his contact info," I said urgently. I suddenly thought of something. "Maybe Aidan kept that information written down somewhere. Or maybe in his computer!" I said, already rushing toward his study.

I sat down in front of his laptop and turned it on but then cursed as I realized it was password-protected.

As frustration threatened to overwhelm me, I took a deep breath and tried to calm my racing thoughts. Aidan’s laptop held the potential key to finding James and, hopefully, uncovering Aidan’s whereabouts. But without the password, I was at a standstill.

Closing my eyes for a moment, I racked my brain, searching for any clue that might lead me to the password. Aidan was meticulous and secretive, but he also had a tendency to use things from his personal life as passwords.

Opening my eyes, I glanced around the study, my gaze landing on a small framed photograph on the desk. It was a picture of us, on our fake honeymoon.

I couldn’t help but smile a little. Why did he frame that when it wasn’t even real!?

I typed in his birthday, but it wasn’t the password.

Dammit.

My frustration grew as I tried to think of other significant dates or events that Aidan might have used as a password.

With trembling fingers, I entered the date of my birthday, holding my breath as I pressed Enter. And to my immense relief, the screen blinked to life, the desktop appearing before me like a lifeline in the darkness.

Quickly, I navigated to Aidan’s files, my heart racing with anticipation. If there was any chance of finding James’s contact information, it would be here.

But as I searched through the folders, my hope began to fade. There was nothing but business documents and personal files – no sign of anyone’s contact information.

Frustration and despair threatened to overwhelm me once more as I realized I had hit another dead end. I couldn’t shake the feeling of helplessness that washed over me, knowing that time was running out and I was no closer to finding Aidan.

I suddenly saw a folder labeled "Emergency Plans." My curiosity piqued, I hesitated before clicking on it, unsure of what I might find.

With a trembling hand, I opened the folder, my eyes widening in shock as I scanned through the documents inside. They detailed various contingency plans, escape routes, and emergency contacts – all carefully laid out as if preparing for the worst-case scenario.

My breath caught in my throat as I realized the gravity of what I was seeing.

Aidan had been planning for something, something dangerous enough to warrant detailed contingency plans and emergency protocols.

There was a phone number written down without a name, but I made my decision to call it. I quickly punched in the number on my cell phone and held my breath as I waited for someone to answer.