Dark Romance | Mafia

Chapter Twenty-seven

Stella’s POV:

AK's hand went to his back.

The movement was instant. Clean. Deadly. He pulled out his gun and raised it at the figure ahead, his arm steady, his body already prepared for fight.

Ak's eyes hardened, jaw clenched so tight it looked painful. He stepped forward slowly, boots scraping against the road, the sound sharp in the dead silence.

My heart went feral inside my chest.
Each beat crashed against my ribs, loud enough to drown out everything else.

The air felt thick, heavy, pressing in on me from all sides. My palms were soaked from sweat as I stared through the windshield, barely breathing, terrified that even blinking might cost me something.
Something I couldn't afford to lose.

AK stopped a few feet away from him. The gun never shook. When he spoke, his voice was low and controlled, the kind of calm that came right before bloodshed. Above them, the streetlight flickered, throwing broken light across their faces, stretching their shadows long.

Then the light steadied.
And I saw him.
A chill ran down my spine like ice as recognition hit me.

Mr. Giovanni

He stood there, relaxed, amused, his posture loose as if this were a casual meeting instead of a threat. AK said something I couldn’t hear.
Mr. Giovanni laughed.

That laugh.
Cold. Cruel. Familiar.

It echoed down the empty street, crawling into my bones and settling there. My stomach twisted violently.

I snapped out of my trance when, out of the blue, two men rushed toward the car.

Their hands slammed against the doors, fingers clawing at the handles.

What will I do now? I whispered, my voice barely audible.
Panic exploded through me. My skin prickled, breath turning shallow and sharp.

"No… no… no…" my head shook on it's own as tears streamed down my cheek.

AK didn't turn. He didn't know what was happening behind him.

They had come for me. And I couldn’t escape.

Then----

Two gunshots split the night.
The sound tore through me. I screamed and pressed my hands over my ears as my heart slammed so hard it hurt. For a moment, the world vanished into noise and terror.

And then----

I lifted my head slowly, my eyes darting around the empty.

Suddenly, a cold wave of fear gripped me.....AK wasn't there.

My chest tightened, my stomach knotted.

The street stretched out before me, silent and empty.
No men. No shadows. No movement. Nothing but the flickering streetlights and the echo of my own racing heartbeat.

"AK" I screamed, my voice raw, cracking, tearing itself out of me. My hands clawed at the door, trembling so violently I could barely grip it.

Nothing.

Silence pressed against me, thick and suffocating. My throat burned, my lungs ached with the effort to breathe. Every second that passed felt like a lifetime.

"AK!" I screamed again, louder this time, panic rising like fire inside me. My fingers scraped the edge of the seat, nails biting into the leather. I felt numb, I couldn't think.

The emptiness mocked me.
And then....I felt it. A shift. A presence.

"AK" I screamed again, my voice cracking, tears rolling down my cheek.

My hands shook violently as I reached for the door. It wouldn’t budge. I tried again, forcing my fingers to obey. When it finally opened, it slammed back shut.

The impact threw me hard against the seat. Pain shot through my side as I gasped.

I looked up.
Ak's signature move,

A broken breath escaped me as relief washed over me so fast it almost made me smile.

I was still shaking when he opened the driver's door and slid inside. He looked exhausted, though, his face was hidden in the mask. He glanced at me through the rearview mirror.

For a split second, he seemed… familiar.

Not the cold-blooded killer. Not the relentless fighter.

Something human.

His gaze met mine, and for the briefest moment, a flicker of emotion shone through....so familiar it made my chest tighten.

Ak's gaze lingered just long enough to make my pulse stutter, I searched his eyes, desperate for a clue....but he snapped his gaze away, shutting me out, guarding something he refused to show.

Ak twisted the key in the ignition, the engine growled awake.

"What did he say?" I asked.

Without a word, he reached back and handed me a folded document. My fingers trembled as I took it. The moment I read it, my mouth went dry.

No.

It can't be

A strangled breath left me as tears blurred my vision.

"They want me to drop you at their location," his voice flat, void of any emotion.

The words crushed my chest.
I pressed my hands to my face, trying to breathe, trying not to fall apart.

"How could your father do this to you?" he muttered. His voice was rough.

"How could he sell you to the mafia?" He asked again, eyes fixed on me through the rearview mirror.

"I don't know," I whispered.

I looked down again.
My father’s signature.
Clear. Firm. Final.

"So…" My voice broke. "Are you giving me to them?"

Ak didn't answer. His foot pressed down on the accelerator, and the car surged forward.

As we pulled away, I watched his hands tighten around the steering wheel, knuckles turning white, veins standing out.

As we sped down the empty street, the engine’s growl swallowed everything else. My chest heaved, fingers pressed tightly to my knees, trying to steady myself, but fear and disbelief twisted through me like fire.

AK didn't speak. Not a word. His hands gripped the wheel like he was holding back something far worse than I could imagine. The silence between us was thick, almost suffocating, broken only by the roar of the tires against the asphalt.

The folded document burned in my hands, my father's betrayal written in black ink, undeniable and final.

After what felt like an eternity, AK slowed, then brought the car to a smooth stop.

Ahead loomed the mansion....Mr. Giovanni's territory. Massive gates, walls high enough to hide anything behind them.

AK's grip tightened on the wheel. He didn't speak.

I swallowed hard, my stomach knotting. This was it. We had arrived.

The gates slowly creaked open, and a single figure stepped out.

I froze.

Until then....