An Unwanted Alliance ✔️

30. Proud

Dario De Luca

As we pulled up before my mansion, I gestured the man to check which one of the entrances were blocked.

Few of my men returned after checking in a minute. Turns out, the secret door which opens next to the armaments' room and the passage that opens up in my study isn't guarded at all.

That's such a big relief.

I divided all of us into two halves. I was leading the first group and Matteo was leading the second one. I commanded them to go towards the tunnel that opens near the armaments' room and I myself led my half to the secret door near my study.

Matteo's team will collect as many armaments and weapons as they can and meet me in the study, once ready. We wished each other luck and then parted ways.

I lead my half to the door and knocked on it. There were definitely men inside as we can hear their small talk and their footsteps. I knocked again but they didn't react. This was smart of them as it could've been someone else here too. Not reacting in such a situation and staying completely passive is helpful most of times.

In mafia, when you're at war, the opponent will try and trick you as much as they can. They will for sure play mind games with you and try to lure you out of the battlefield. They'll try and break your concentration, your willpower and your strength. They'll feed on your insecurities and try to break your team. They'd often do this with traitors and undercover agents. That is why one should always stay alert.

"It's your Don. Open up." I commanded to whoever was standing on the other side of the door and someone spoke back. "What's the code word?" The person asked to make sure it was me.

"lealtà e onestà, 1999." I said and the person immediately started unlocking the door. The text translates to 'loyalty and honour' and 1999 is the birth year of Arianna. It's an odd combination but yet something meaningful and so it's the code word. Very few people know of this.

The door opened and I walked in. I turned and saw the person who opened the door and it was Bob. Makes sense. Nobody else standing in the room apart from him would know of the code word. Because it's shared with men I can trust with my life and also since it changes after every war.

My half of the men walked inside my office but made as little noise as possible. Once all of them were inside, Bob closed the door once again and sealed it shut.

"What's the situation outside?" I asked in a hush tone and Bob filled me in on everything that went down. From the attack to Shane's betrayal. How Arianna tackled everything and how Laura is hid in the safe room with Mia and some other guards. From Arianna keeping the two secret pathways open to the person behind all of this being Michali Smirnov. No wonder he wasn't present at the conference yesterday.

Although, I was so proud of Arianna. The way she handled the situation wisely instead of panicking. I'm proud of my girl.

By the time Bob narrated everything, Matteo quitly entered my study along with some people from his half since my study wasn't large enough to hold my 150 people plus his 150, not to forget the men who were already standing inside before we arrived.

"All of Michali's people are either posted in front of the mansion or in the living room along with Nina and Arianna. There's no one near us. Dario, I think it's safe to go out now. Tiptoed of course." Matteo informed and I nodded my head.

I attached the silencer to my gun and took the safety off of it. The rest of them did the same and we slowly stepped out of my study. The men standing outside went into my study and the armaments' room and came out with silencer attached to their guns as well.

Upon reaching the living room, the first person I saw was Arianna. She was tied to the chair and was unconscious. There was blood on her elbows and her lip was busted too. There were stray tears on her checks and the side of her left cheek was red too. There was a handprint on it. Like somebody slapped her.

My blood started boiling and as I turned my eyes, I saw the back of Michali Smirnov. Without thinking twice I fired my gun and it hit his shoulder, grazing the side of it.

He turned around and his eyes widened when he saw me.

"Surprise, motherfucker." I said and smirked.

"Here comes Mr. De Luca." He said and smirked too.

"Poor Mrs. De Luca was waiting for you since the last couple of hours. Pretty girl you've got here, Dario. Mind if I enjoy a little with her once she wakes up?" He said and my hands tightened on my gun.

"You won't even look in her direction. I'll kill you with my bare hands, Smirnov." I said and started walking towards him.

"You're in no position to make threats, De Luca." He said and I let out a humourless chuckle.

"That's not a threat. That's a promise." I said and punched his jaw with my free hand.