Chapter 2 - The Underground Clinic
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The SUV rolled to a smooth halt in a dimly lit alleyway in the International District. Panic was a living, breathing thing inside my chest, clawing at my ribs. Jake was going to take Emma. The man who had abandoned us to poverty was now planning to use our three-year-old as a bargaining chip with the mafia.
“I have to go get her,” I gasped, reaching frantically for the door handle. “I have to get Emma right now!”
“Lock the doors, Dante,” Luca commanded softly from the seat beside me.
The heavy locks clicked into place with a definitive thud. I spun around, my hands balling into fists despite the sheer terror radiating from the man in the bespoke suit.
“Let me out!” I screamed, hitting his chest. “You cannot keep me here while that monster is looking for my baby!”
Luca caught my wrists effortlessly. His grip was entirely unbreakable, yet strangely gentle. He did not hurt me. He simply stopped my frantic movements, forcing me to look into his dark, unreadable eyes.
“Listen to me very carefully, Ava,” Luca said, his voice dropping to a hypnotic, dangerous whisper. “If you walk out of this car in your condition, you will not save her. You cannot even walk on that ankle. I am not keeping you from your daughter. I am keeping you alive so you can actually protect her.”
He released my wrists and nodded toward the brick building outside the window.
“This is Marchetti’s clinic,” Luca explained. “He is a private physician for my organization. He will stabilize your ankle. While he does that, my men are already en route to Mrs. Chen’s apartment block.”
“Your men?” I choked out, a fresh wave of terror washing over me.
“Dante is leading the extraction,” Luca said, gesturing to the massive bodyguard in the front seat. “They will secure Emma and Mrs. Chen, and they will bring them to my secure penthouse. Jake Martinez will not get within ten miles of your child tonight. Do you understand me?”
I stared at him, my chest heaving as I tried to process the sheer magnitude of what was happening. A mafia boss was commandeering my life.
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“Why?” I whispered, a tear finally spilling over my lashes. “Why are you doing this for us?”
“Because Jake crossed me,” Luca said, his jaw tightening into a harsh, unforgiving line. “And I do not allow men who cross me to use women and children as collateral damage. Now, let’s fix your leg.”
