Mafia's Surrogate Bride Chapter 63

Damian's POV

"Aria is missing. "

Lorenzo's voice in my ear carried.

I pushed away from Adriana mid-sentence, ignoring her startled protest and the confused looks from my father and Antonio. Their voices calling my name faded into background static as I strode through the crowded ballroom with single-minded purpose, Lorenzo falling into step behind me.

"How long?" The question came out as a growl.

"Twenty minutes, maybe thirty. The security cameras were disabled, but we have witnesses who saw a van leaving through the service entrance around the time she disappeared."

Twenty minutes. Long enough for them to be anywhere, to have done anything to her. The thought of Aria—terrified, helpless, at the mercy of whoever had taken her—sent black fury coursing through my veins.

I was moving toward the exit before Lorenzo finished speaking, my hands already checking the concealed weapon beneath my jacket. The familiar weight of the Glock was comforting, but it wouldn't be enough. Not nearly enough for what I was planning to do to whoever had touched what was mine.

"Sir," Lorenzo said carefully as we reached the car, "we should consider that this might be connected to the contract negotiations. The timing suggests—"

"I don't give a fuck about contracts," I snapped, sliding into the driver's seat with controlled violence. "Where are they?"

"We've identified three possible locations based on the van's direction. All abandoned warehouses in the industrial district." Lorenzo handed me a tablet with satellite images as he settled into the passenger seat. "My money's on the furthest one—it's the most isolated."

I gunned the engine, the sleek Aston Martin roaring to life like a predator scenting blood. As we pulled away from the Montrosso estate, I caught a glimpse of Adriana in the rearview mirror, standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips and fury written across her perfect features.

My hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles went white, and I had to consciously force myself to breathe as images of what might be happening to Aria flashed through my mind.

She's fine, I told myself, but the internal voice sounded hollow. She has to be fine.

When had this happened? When had the thought of losing her become unbearable?

Was it that first night when she'd surrendered so completely despite her terror? The way she'd looked at me in the bathroom, water streaming down her naked body, eyes wide with a mixture of fear and desire that had driven me to the edge of sanity?

Or was it later, when she'd negotiated those contract modifications with quiet courage, refusing to be completely dominated even when she had no power? The way she'd stood up to me in that corporate office, chin raised in defiance even as she trembled?

Maybe it was the morning she'd wrapped herself around me in sleep, her body seeking mine with unconscious trust.

Fuck.

Am I in love with her? This is impossible.

I didn't do emotional attachments, didn't form bonds that could be used against me. Love was a weakness I couldn't afford, a vulnerability that had no place in my world.

"Boss," Lorenzo said quietly, checking his weapon, "whatever we find in there... remember that we need at least one of them alive for questioning."

I didn't answer. Right now, the thought of leaving anyone alive who'd laid a finger on Aria seemed impossible.

The first two warehouses were empty, filled with nothing but shadows and the scent of rust and abandonment. By the time we reached the third location, my patience had completely evaporated.

The sound of gunfire echoing from inside made my blood run cold.

No. No, no, no.

I was out of the car before it fully stopped, Lorenzo scrambling to keep up as I approached the building with predatory focus. Every sound, every shadow, every detail of the environment sharpened to crystal clarity as I prepared for whatever I'd find inside.

The warehouse door hung slightly ajar, and through the gap, I could hear voices—male voices discussing something in crude, casual tones that made my trigger finger itch.

I kicked the door open with enough force to send it crashing against the wall, the sound echoing through the cavernous space like thunder. The scene that greeted me inside made my vision go red with rage.

Aria stood pressed against a concrete pillar, her white dress torn and stained, blood and gore splattered across her face and throat.

What made my rational mind shut down completely was the sight of my brother Vito standing too close to her, his hand reaching toward her face with obvious intent.

I put a bullet through his subordinate's head without hesitation.

The body dropped like a sack of meat, brain matter painting the warehouse floor in abstract patterns. Aria's scream echoed through the space, but I was already moving, my weapon trained on the remaining threats with deadly precision.

"Step away from her," I commanded, "Now."

Vito's remaining men raised their weapons, but the smart ones were already backing toward the exits. They recognized the tone of a man who'd moved beyond negotiation into pure execution mode.

But Vito himself seemed oblivious to the danger, his familiar smirk sliding across his face as he turned to face me.

"Damian!" he said with that casual arrogance that had always grated on my nerves. "Perfect timing, brother. I was just getting reacquainted with your little friend here."

"She's mine. And you're going to step away from her before I decide whether or not to let you live."

Vito's eyebrows rose with genuine surprise. "Yours? What exactly do you mean by that? Your woman?" He laughed, the sound grating against my already frayed control. "Since when do you play with toys, Damian? I thought you were above such... messy entanglements."

"Step away from her," I repeated.

Instead of complying, Vito deliberately moved closer to Aria, his hand reaching out to touch her cheek with mocking gentleness. "You know, she really is quite beautiful. I can see why you might want to keep her around for entertainment. But surely you don't mind sharing with family?"

The bullet left my gun before I'd consciously decided to fire, whispering past Vito's ear close enough to singe the skin. He jerked back from Aria with shocked surprise, his hand flying to his ear where a thin line of blood had appeared.

"The next one won't miss," I promised, my voice steady despite the fury burning in my chest.

For the first time, genuine uncertainty flickered across Vito's features. He'd seen me kill without hesitation, had witnessed my capacity for violence, but he'd never been on the receiving end of it. The realization that I was serious—that I would actually shoot him—was apparently a novel experience.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he demanded, backing away from Aria with obvious reluctance. "You're threatening to kill your own brother over some nobody? Have you lost your mind?"

"She's nothing special. She's just mine. I don't share my possessions."

"Possessions?" Vito's voice rose with incredulous anger. "Damian, have you forgotten who you are? Who we are? The Montrosso princess has been waiting for you her entire life. Our families have been planning this alliance since we were children. You're going to throw all of that away for some orphan whore who spreads her legs for money?"

The casual cruelty of his words, the way he reduced Aria to nothing more than a commodity, made something snap inside me. But before I could respond, Vito continued with growing agitation.

"And what about Adriana? She's not going to simply accept this, you know. She'll destroy this girl, destroy anyone who threatens her claim to you. Is that really what you want? A war between families over some temporary obsession?"

"There's no relationship here, Vito. She's a contracted employee who provides certain... services. I don't like people damaging my investments, that's all."

The words tasted like poison

"Let me make something clear," I continued, my voice carrying the finality of an execution order. "I don't share what belongs to me. Anyone who touches her dies. Family or not. Alliance or not. That includes you, Vito."

"You're serious," he said slowly, disbelief coloring his tone. "You're actually serious."

"Try me and find out."

"Fine," he said with obvious resentment. "Keep your little pet. But don't expect the rest of the family to understand when this blows up in your face."

He gestured for his remaining men to follow him toward the exit, but paused at the threshold to deliver one final warning.

"This isn't over, Damian. The girl is a liability you can't afford. Sooner or later, you'll have to choose between her and everything else that matters."