My Childhood Bully is a Mafia Boss-Chapter 78

Aidan

Ellie’s eyes widened in surprise as she turned to look at me. "What thing?" she asked, her voice laced with curiosity and confusion.

"I have no idea. But that’s what Giovanni claimed. Says Slava gave you something that belonged to him," I replied, my tone irritated and impatient.

"But he won’t tell you what it is?" Ellie questioned further.

"No. Think hard, Ellie. Did Slava tell you something before he died? Or give you something?" I prodded, desperation creeping into my voice as I searched for any clues that could help us solve the mystery of Giovanni’s threat.

Ellie’s eyebrows crinkled in deep thought. "Like I said, if it had anything to do with his Mafia bullshit, then no. Slava never discussed anything with me that had to do with that. He...he didn’t trust me like that," Ellie said quietly.

I raised my eyebrows. "He didn’t trust you? You, the mother of his child?"

Ellie sighed, her eyes filled with a mix of sadness and frustration. "Yeah. He kept me in the dark about most of his business dealings. Said it was none of my business. This baby..." she paused and looked down at her swollen stomach. "This was an accident, that’s all. Slava and I were not in love."

My heart ached for my younger sister, knowing that she had her own hopes and aspirations in life. Maybe she dreamed of finding love and being loved, but those dreams were never fulfilled due to the harshness of life. I reached out and gently held Ellie’s hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. "I’m so sorry, Ellie. You deserved so much more."

She gave me a small, grateful smile. "Thanks, Aidan. But we can’t change the past. We just need to figure out what Giovanni wants and keep all of us safe."

I nodded. "You’re right. Let’s focus on finding whatever it is Giovanni is after. Think hard, Ellie. Is there anything at all that Slava might have given you or mentioned, even in passing?"

Ellie bit her lip, thinking deeply. "He gave me some jewelry, but that’s all personal stuff. Nothing that would interest Giovanni." She twirled the necklace around her neck as if to emphasize her point.

I rubbed my temple as I felt a headache creeping in. "Maybe I need to search his house."

Ellie gulped. "Um...but don’t you think Giovanni’s men already did their own search there?"

"Maybe," I admitted, rubbing my temples. "But they might have missed something. It’s worth a shot."

Ellie’s eyes flickered with unease, searching the room for any sign of danger. Her breaths came in quick, shallow bursts as she nervously twisted her hands together. "Maybe I should go with Lucas," she suggested, her voice quivering. "I don’t want to cause any more trouble for you and Ivy."

I shook my head, determination etched into every line of my face. "No way," I insisted firmly. "Giovanni will hunt you down no matter where you go. It’s safer for you to stay with us. We are a family." As I spoke, I could feel the weight of Giovanni’s looming presence, his dark intentions lurking just beyond our walls. "Besides," I added with a forced smile, "we could use your help in figuring out how to stop him once and for all."

Ellie nodded reluctantly, but I could see the fear in her eyes. "Okay. But Ivy..."

"You don’t need to worry about us. I can protect her and you. I’ve let you down before, and I’m not doing that again," I said determinedly.

Ellie nodded, her eyes softening with a hint of relief. "Okay, Aidan. I trust you."

"Good," I said. "I’ll talk to my men, and we’ll come up with a plan to keep everyone safe. For now, just try to rest and stay out of sight. If Giovanni’s men are watching, we don’t want to give them any reason to suspect we’re onto something."

Ellie gave me a weak smile. "I’ll try. Just be careful, Aidan."

"I will," I promised.

~.~

I gathered all of my men to discuss raiding Slava’s house.

James stood by my side, his expression stoic and ready for action.

"We’re hitting Slava’s house tonight," I began, looking each of my men in the eye. "Giovanni’s men have probably already searched it, but we’re going to be thorough. We need to find whatever it is Giovanni wants. It could be our leverage."

The men nodded, their faces set with determination. They knew the stakes. Giovanni was a dangerous enemy.

In the past, we stayed away from his territory to keep out of his way, but now, this is happening.

"James, you’ll take the lead on this. Coordinate the search and make sure we leave no stone unturned," I instructed.

"Got it, Aidan," James replied, his voice steady and confident.

I turned to the rest of the men. "Keep your eyes open and watch each other’s backs. This isn’t going to be easy, and we can’t afford any mistakes. If someone gets in the way, you eliminate them. Clear?"

"Yes, boss," they responded in unison.

"Good. Let’s move."

~-~

As we approached Slava’s house under the cover of night, the dingy neighborhood seemed eerily still. The house itself was dark, the only light coming from a distant streetlamp casting long shadows across the lawn. We parked a few blocks away and approached on foot, keeping to the shadows.

Slava’s organization was absorbed by Giovanni after he killed him. He either killed most of Slava’s men or bought them out. The man knew how to run a business really well.

I signaled for my men to spread out and cover the perimeter. We couldn’t afford any surprises. James picked the lock with practiced ease, and the door swung open silently. I followed him inside, the tension thick in the air.

The house had indeed been ransacked, drawers pulled out and overturned, papers scattered everywhere. It looked like Giovanni’s men had been thorough, but we weren’t going to let that stop us. We split up, each of us taking a different room. I headed straight for Slava’s office, hoping that any secrets he kept would be there.

The office was in disarray, much like the rest of the house. I began methodically searching through the mess, looking for anything that might stand out. After what felt like an eternity, I found a small safe hidden behind a false panel in the wall.

"James," I called quietly. He joined me quickly, his eyes widening when he saw the safe.

"Good find, Aidan," he said. "Let me see if I can get it open."

James worked quickly, and within minutes, the safe clicked open. Inside, we found a small stack of documents, a flash drive, and a sealed envelope.

As we stood there, the contents of the safe spread before us, a gnawing doubt crept into my mind. It felt too straightforward, too clean. If Giovanni believed Slava had given Ellie something, why would it still be here, untouched in a safe?

"James, something doesn’t add up," I murmured, my eyes narrowing as I scanned the documents. "Giovanni specifically mentioned Ellie. Why would he think Slava gave her something if it’s still here?"

James frowned, considering my words. "You’re right. It doesn’t make sense. Giovanni’s not an idiot. He’d have checked here already."

I picked up the flash drive, turning it over in my hand. "I will take all of these, but these aren’t everything. There’s got to be more."

James nodded.

I went back to my house. Ivy was sitting in the living room, reading a book. She looked up as I walked in, a smile lighting up her face.

"Aidan, you’re back," she said, closing the book and standing up.

"Yeah, I’m back," I replied, feeling a bit of the tension ease out of my shoulders just by seeing her. "How’s everything here?"

"Quiet, thankfully," she said. "But I have to admit, I was getting a bit worried."

I gave her a reassuring smile. "Nothing we can’t handle. Just a lot of searching and coming up empty. But we’ll figure it out."

Ivy walked over to me and put a hand on my arm. "You look exhausted. Come sit down for a bit."

I allowed her to guide me to the couch, and I sank into it with a grateful sigh. "Thanks, Ivy. I needed that."

I placed my hand on her belly and smiled. My son was growing in there, big and strong.

We were both lost in our thoughts when suddenly Ivy gasped and placed a hand on her belly.

"What’s wrong?" I asked, concerned.

She smiled at me and shook her head. "Nothing’s wrong. It’s just...the baby kicked."

My heart swelled with love and happiness at the thought of our little one moving inside of her.

"He definitely takes after his father. Beating me up even before arriving," she teased.

"To be fair, I’ve never beaten you up," I grinned.

She arched an eyebrow, a smirk playing on her lips. "Well, you’ve certainly tortured me in other ways."

And that was true enough.

"I hope he’s more like you," I said softly, rubbing her belly softly, feeling our baby moving beneath her skin. It was a miracle. A beacon of hope in our lives filled with danger and deceit.

Wrapped in Ivy’s comforting presence, I felt my heavy eyelids start to drift closed. The weight of the day was catching up to me.

Ivy chuckled softly. "Already falling asleep? I guess this is your bedtime now."

"I’m just resting my eyes," I grumbled, earning another round of soft laughter from her.