Page 61 of Undeniable

I know I probably shouldn’t be surprised. She is a Chernoff. She somehow has managed to stay off of their radar for the last 6 years. Anyone that can do that is a survivor and sneaky as hell.

“Gio, why the fuck are you shouting in my house at 6 in the morning?” Luca growls as he comes down the stairs, Ashlynn hot on his trail.

My eyes flick around wildly as I try to get an understanding on everything. I know that Luca would never have just let her go, but there was no sign that he killed her either unless he already had the cell cleaned, which I doubt. He was very insistent that my punishment would be for me to kill her.Fucking asshole.

I open my mouth to speak when I notice that Ashlynn is not meeting my eyes, instead seeming way too interested in the lace trim of her sleeve. My eyes narrow as I take in her nervous posture and fidgeting.

“You did it, didn’t you?” I ask her.

Her eyes dart up to mine and what looks like panic fills them for a moment before it fades away. She rolls her shoulders back and lifts her chin like the Mafia Queen that she is.

“Yes. I didn’t think you were going to have the balls to do the right thing and I know you would have never survived the planned outcome. Someone had to.”

“Had to what?” Luca snaps as his irritated glare bouncing between his wife and me.

A few silent seconds pass before Ashlynn speaks again.

“I let Tasha go,” she says coolly.

“You WHAT?” Luca roars.

Ashlynn doesn’t even flinch at his tone as his eyes bug out of his head, his face turning an angry shade of red.

“She wasn’t a spy you idiot. Anyone could see that. She was a woman who was born to a horrible man and was desperate to escape. She was just trying to move on, survive. If anyone can understand that, it’s me,” she says with a heavy look that has Luca’s bunched up shoulders slowly lowering.

“It doesn’t matter,” Luca spits. “She lied to all of us. She put us all in danger. Now the Chernoff’s are gunning for us more than ever. Who knows how trustworthy she really is? God knows what she has overheard just living here. What if she runs to them and trades information for immunity?”

“She won’t,” I snap, surprising all three of us. “She isn’t stupid. The way she spoke about them. She knows that they would never hold their end of a bargain like that. She is loyal, Luc. She is just scared.”

“How the hell did you find out that she was gone anyways?” Luca asks me with narrowed eyes.

Now it is my turn to raise my chin in defiance.

“Because I was just about to let her go myself.”

“Against my direct orders?” Luca scoffs almost in disbelief. “I should kill you just for admitting that.”

“But you won’t. You have far bigger fish to fry than killing your Underboss for being willing to save the woman he loves.”

The room doesn’t seem even slightly fazed that I openly admitted that I am in love with Tasha. Probably because it was about as obvious as could be. Saying it out loud though like that feels like a weight has been lifted off of my chest.

Luca opens his mouth, no doubt to dole out some type of threat or punishment when a sleepy Seraphina comes down the stairs.

“Where’s Alessandro?” She asks.

We all freeze as we look up at her.

“What do you mean, sweetheart?” Ashlynn asks carefully.

“He not in his room.”

Not a second later I am racing up the stairs towards the room that Alessandro is staying in. I throw the door open to see a dark and very empty room. I shout his name as I begin searching all of the rooms and bedrooms on the top floor.

I hear Ashlynn and Luca calling his name on the first floor with no response. I run down the stairs to see a panicked looking Ashlynn shake her head. I continue to sprint out the door and out to the security office at the front gate.

Jimmy, the supervisor for the on-site security, looks up startled to see me. Before he can greet me, I am snapping at him.

“Where is my son! When was the last time you saw him?”

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