Chapter 140
Chapter 140
Asher’s POV
The weight of everything settled on me the moment the doors locked behind us. I could still feel the heat of the room we’d just escaped, the way it had pressed in on me like a second skin. The truth was out now. Every secret, every lie, laid bare in the open. And the mafia, whatever reaction they’d have wouldn’t be silent.
Isabella paced the length of the small apartment, her arms crossed tight over her chest. She hadn’t spoken much since we arrived. Luca sat at the edge of the worn–out couch, his fingers tapping against his knee, his jaw tight.
“We need to move fast,” he finally said, voice clipped. “The mafia won’t just let this slide.”
I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling slowly. “We knew they’d fight back. The question is, how far are they willing to go?”
Luca’s gaze darkened. “They’re already moving. Bribing officials, silencing anyone they can get to. I have confirmation that they’ve started planting false narratives. They’re trying to pin this on a rival family, make it look like all of this was just an internal war gone wrong”
I clenched my fists. “They’re burying the truth.”
“That’s what they do,” Isabella murmured. She had stopped pacing, but she wouldn’t look at either of us. “They rewrite reality until it suits them.”
Luca leaned forward. “They can’t rewrite all of it. Not if we get ahead of them.”
I met his gaze, already knowing where this was headed. “You want to leak more.”
A slow nod. “We give the FBI no choice but to act. We make sure the evidence is so overwhelming, so public, that it can’t be ignored.”
Isabella finally turned, her expression unreadable. “That could backfire.”
Luca didn’t waver. “So could waiting.”
She let out a sharp breath, shaking her head. “We’re already walking on a knife’s edge. If we push too hard, they’ll stop playing the political game and just take us out.”
I wanted to believe we had some control, that we weren’t just pieces, on their board, but the reality was sinking in fast. “They’ve already threatened us, haven’t they?”
Luca pulled his phone from his pocket, scrolling for a second before tossing it onto the coffee table. The screen showed a text message, the words sharp and clear:
You had your chance to walk away. You chose wrong.
A second message followed.
We’re coming.
Silence hung thick in the room.
I picked up the phone, reading the messages again as if they might change. “Did this come directly from them?”
Luca nodded. “An untraceable number, but there’s no mistaking it.”
My stomach twisted, but I forced my voice to stay steady. “They’re going to force us into hiding.”
Isabella crossed the room and sat down, rubbing her temples. “We can’t run forever.”
“No,” Luca agreed. “But we can be smart. We lay low for now, make them think we’re vulnerable. Meanwhile, we prepare our next move.”
1/4
Chapter 140
I looked at Isabella, waiting for her to argue, but she didn’t. She just stared at the messages on the screen, lest in thought,
“We don’t have much time,” I said. “Where do we go?”
Luca exhaled sharply. “I have a safehouse. It’s not perfect, but it’s secure,”
I didn’t like the idea of running, but I liked the alternative even less. “Fine. We leave tonight.”
Janine’s arms were crossed before I even finished my sentence. “No.”
I sighed, already knowing this wouldn’t be easy. Ivy sat beside her, quieter but just as tense. Luca stood next to me, arms resting at his sides, his expression unreadable.
“This isn’t up for debate,” Luca said. “Asher and I have to stay in the safehouse. You two need to stay out of this.”
Janine scoffed. “You’re joking.”
Ivy’s gaze flickered between us. “You think hiding is the best move?”
Luca exhaled sharply. “It’s the only move right now.”
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “The mafia’s retaliating hard. They’re bribing officials, silencing people, rewriting the entire narrative. And now they’re coming after us directly.”
Ivy’s brow furrowed. “They threatened you?”
Luca pulled his phone from his pocket, flipping the screen toward them. The message still sat there like a weight in the air.
You had your chance to walk away. You chose wrong. We’re coming.
Janine stiffened. “And your grand solution is to lock yourselves away?”
“It’s not about hiding,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “It’s about staying alive long enough to finish what we started.”
Janine shook her head. “You’re making a mistake. Isolating yourselves makes you easier targets.”
Luca’s jaw tightened. “What’s the alternative? Walking around with bullseyes on our backs?”
She didn’t have an answer for that.
Ivy, still staring at the phone, spoke up. “How long?”
Luca and I exchanged a look. Neither of us had an exact timeline.
“Until the situation settles,” I said. “Until we have control again.”
Janine let out a bitter laugh. “You think control is coming back? They’re the mafia, Asher. They don’t just let people walk away.”
“We’re not walking away,” Luca said. “We’re just being smart about how we fight back.”
Ivy let out a slow breath. “And what are we supposed to do?”
I looked at her, then at Janine. “Stay out of it.”
Janine’s eyes flashed. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am.”
“You don’t get to decide that for us,” she snapped.
2/4
Chapter 140
Luca pinched the bridge of his nose. “Janine, this isn’t a power struggle. It’s survival. The more people involved, the more people they’ll go after.”
Janine’s hands curled into fists. “So we’re just supposed to sit back and hope you two don’t end up in a ditch?”
I didn’t answer right away, because that was exactly what I needed her to do.
“This isn’t about trust,” I finally said. “It’s about keeping you both out of their crosshairs.”
Silence stretched between us.
Ivy was the first to nod. “Alright.”
Janine turned to her, incredulous. “Are you serious?”
Ivy met her gaze. “What do you want them to do? Walk right into a trap?”
Janine’s jaw tightened, but she didn’t argue.
Luca exhaled. “We’ll handle this. Just stay put.”
It wasn’t a perfect plan, but it was the only one
e had.
The safe house was exactly what I expected, small, nondescript, and just outside the city. It wasn’t built for comfort, just survival. The walls were bare, the furniture minimal. A single window in the main room had been reinforced with steel shutters.
Luca checked the security system while Isabella sat at the kitchen table, drumming her fingers against the wood.
“You’re still thinking about it,” I said, watching her carefully.
She looked up. “Thinking about what?”
“Leaking more.”
Her lips pressed into a thin line. “I hate the idea. But I hate feeling powerless more.”
I sat down across from her. “We won’t be powerless forever. But we can’t make reckless moves.”
She studied me for a moment. “And if waiting costs us everything?”
Before I could answer, Luca re–entered the room. “I set up an alert system. If anyone gets within a mile of this place, we’ll know.”
I nodded, but my mind was still on Isabella’s question.
“If we do this,” she continued, “we need to be smart about it. We can’t just dump information and hope for the best.”
Luca leaned against the counter. “We release it in waves. Force the FBI’s hand without giving the mafia time to counter.”
I glanced at Isabella. “You said it could backfire. Do you still believe that?”
She hesitated. “Yes. But I also know we don’t have better options.”
Luca smirked. “Then let’s make our move.”
By morning, the first wave of leaks had gone out. Luca had made sure of that. The information was damning, bank records, hidden transactions, names. Nothing that could be ignored.
And the mafia responded exactly as we expected.
The news was already spinning a new narrative. Corrupt officials pushed statements claiming the documents were doctored. Analysts debated their
3/4
Chapter 140
validity. Some tried to redirect attention to the fabricated rivalry story.
But the FBI wasn’t ignoring it. Reports surfaced that an internal investigation had been launched. Small steps, but steps nonetheless.
I should have felt relief, but it didn’t last long.
The next message came by evening. Not a text this time.
A note. Slipped under the door.
You’re running out of places to hide.
Isabella read it twice before setting it down.
“They’re getting bolder,” she said quietly.
Luca clenched his jaw. “They want us scared.”
I exhaled slowly, gripping the edge of the table. “It’s working.”
We weren’t just fighting for control of the story anymore. We were fighting to stay alive.
