Page 12 of Mafia Kingdom

Lucas nods in understanding. He knows we don’t ask questions.

I glance around the open space again. Someone had intel to know where we would be but not enough to know the day or time. We're used to attacks, but from inside our own circle? That’s something we’ve never had to face before. The realization hits hard, and the implications are chilling. We have a traitor among us, and finding them is now our top priority.

CHAPTER SIX

Sasha

I SINK INTO the worn couch, staring at the number Baz programmed into my phone. He was so eager, so hopeful about the date I arranged. A date I have no intention of attending. When the time comes, I’ll fabricate some excuse—a sudden headache, an emergency at work—anything to avoid seeing him again.

Dad’s voice pulls me from my thoughts, sharp and accusatory. “What have you done, Sasha? Getting involved with Marco Walsh. Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you’ve brought upon us?”

I look up, seeing the worry etched deep into his face. Marco Walsh. The name alone sends a shiver down my spine. “I’m trying to get us out of trouble.”

He throws his hands up in exasperation. “He’s mafia, Sasha. Do you understand that? Mafia. And now, we’re tangled up in his mess.”

My heart pounds as guilt and fear twist together inside me. Marco’s world is dangerous, but I can’t see any other way out.

He storms out of the room, and I throw my head back on the couch. My mind drifts back to Marco. Seeing him in that small room getting stitched up will be forever etched in mymind. The sharp scent of antiseptic filling the small room and the sight of the blood, the bullet wound – it was all so surreal.

Agreeing to go to that charity event with him felt like a mistake the moment the words left my mouth. But I needed our home back, not just for me but for Lily.

Looking around our so-called home, I get up and enter the kitchen, grabbing some rags and cleaning spray.

I attack the grime on the kitchen counters with more force than necessary. The rhythmic scrubbing helps drown out his angry words, but not entirely.

“Sasha, what did you promise a man like Marco?” His voice is relentless, a drill piercing through my thoughts as he enters the kitchen.

“I didn’t promise him anything, Dad,” I snap back, focusing on a particularly stubborn stain.

“You’re lying,” he says.

I stop scrubbing and turn to face him, my patience wearing thin. “I told him I’d go to a charity event with him, okay? That’s it.”

His eyes narrowed, disbelief etched into every line of his face. “And you think that’s all he wants from you? You’re being naive.”

Frustration bubbles up inside me, but I swallow it down. There’s no point in arguing. I return to my cleaning, hoping the task will calm my racing thoughts.

I need a distraction, anything to pull me away from this suffocating conversation. “Have you called Karen to see how Lily is settling in?” I ask, not looking up from my work.

He grunts, a sound of disdain. “No. I won’t speak to my sister.”

I roll my eyes, exasperated. “Then, at least help me clean this mess up before Lily comes back in a few days. She deserves to come home to something normal.”

There’s a moment of silence. Finally, he sighs, a sound heavy with resignation. I’m surprised when he grabs a broom and starts sweeping the floor.

My thoughts drift to Lily. I hope she’s safe, that she’s adjusting well. Because right now, she’s the only bright spot in this dark, twisted mess our father has created.

It takes us two hours, but the kitchen finally resembles an actual family room. The fridge is almost empty. Tomorrow, after all this is sorted out, I will go to the grocery store and restock.

We move on to the living space. Dad focuses on the piles of clothes, and I take out all the old dishes and rubbish.

“You’re not going to that charity event, Sasha,” he says out of the blue. “I’ll speak to Marco and find another way.” He sounds determined, like he’s been pondering on it since we started cleaning.

“No,” I snap, spinning around to face him. “It’s one charity event, Dad. One night, and then this whole problem is solved.”

He stops with a pile of clothes pressed to his chest, fixing me with a hard stare. “Do you really think it’s that simple?”

The disbelief in his voice grates on my nerves. “Yes, I do. And you know what? I can’t afford to think about myself right now. I have to protect Lily.”

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