My Childhood Bully is a Mafia Boss-Chapter 31

Ivy, present time...

"Aaagh!"

A sharp, guttural cry escaped my lips as the memories flooded back with sudden force.

That night at the pool replayed in my mind like a movie on repeat. I had buried it deep within me, hoping to never have to relive that moment again. But now, years later, Aidan had to go and resurface it.

It was one of our most intimate moments together, a secret we shared that no one else knew about.

Why? Why did he have to remind me of that night at the pool?

But I couldn’t deny the fact that it was one of my favorite moments we shared together.

Our dirty little secret.

God...we were so young and stupid!

I sighed and dropped down on the mattress. Aidan had kept his promise back then. He didn’t tell a soul. He didn’t even tease me about it the next day or the week after. We both pretended like it never happened.

But did I keep my promise to him?

"Never abandon me."

His voice was a distant echo in my mind, haunting and accusing. I could feel the weight of his disappointment in every syllable.

A naïve and foolish pledge made in our teenage years, now a broken promise that hung heavy on my conscience. Was that why he was so angry and bitter? I couldn’t help but wonder as the guilt gnawed at me like a relentless storm.

But how could he still be angry about it? It’s been ages! We were young and---

BANG!

The sudden sound of a gunshot jolted me out of my thoughts, my heart pounding in my chest as adrenaline surged through my veins. I froze, my breath caught in my throat, listening intently for any sign of danger.

What was happening?

Instinctively, I moved toward the window, cautiously peering outside to see if I could spot the source of the noise. But the night was shrouded in darkness, offering no clues as to what had just transpired.

I glanced back toward the door, considering my options. Should I stay put and wait for the chaos to pass, or should I open the door?

Aidan? Was Aidan okay?

The door burst open and I stared ahead hopefully.

A man stood in front of me, dressed in all black. "Ivy Williams? You are coming with me," he declared.

"What? Who are you?" I demanded to know.

The man didn’t answer. Instead, he stormed over to me and grabbed my wrist. "I don’t have time to explain. I was sent here to take you."

"Ta...take me? Hold on...let go of me! I won’t just go with you. Where is Aidan?" I cried out, struggling to break free from this strange man.

"Stop fighting me, Ivy," the man growled. "Boss asked me to take you to him."

Who was he talking about?

Right then, Aidan stormed into the room, his eyes blazing with fury as he took in the scene before him. Without a moment’s hesitation, he lunged forward, grabbing the man by the collar and yanking him away from me with a strength that left me breathless.

"Let go of her, you son of a bitch!" Aidan’s voice was low and dangerous, a warning that sent shivers down my spine.

The man struggled against Aidan’s grip, but it was like trying to move a mountain. Aidan was relentless, his fingers digging into the man’s flesh with a ferocity that made me flinch.

"Who sent you? Answer me!" Aidan’s voice boomed through the room, commanding and authoritative.

The man’s eyes darted around the room, panic flickering in their depths as he searched for an escape. But there was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide from the fury of Aidan Blackwood.

Finally, with a defeated sigh, the man relented. "It was Morozov," he confessed, his voice barely a whisper.

Aidan’s grip tightened, his jaw clenched with barely contained rage. "Slava Morozov," he growled, the name dripping with venom. "He took my sister and now he is trying to take my woman?"

The man said nothing, his eyes filled with fear.

"Tell Morozov that if he wants to play games, he should come and see me himself," he snarled, his voice ice-cold and deadly.

"Boss isn’t stupid. He made sure you will never find him," the man spat out. "And no amount of torture will make me reveal his location to you."

I watched in awe as Aidan’s demeanor shifted, his usually composed exterior crumbling away to reveal a primal, untamed force. It was a side of him I’d never witnessed before.

Before my eyes, Aidan transformed into a lethal predator as he clutched the man’s shirt in his fist, teeth gritted and muscles tense.

The man trembled under his grip, sweat trickling down his forehead and pooling at the base of his skull.

"Your boss isn’t as smart as he thinks because I already know where he is," Aidan said, his voice low and dangerous.

"Oh yeah?" the man asked condescendingly.

"Yes. And do you know what that means?" Aidan drawled.

"What?" the man snarled.

"It means I don’t need to keep you alive," Aidan replied with a grin.

My blood ran cold as I heard him say those words. He was bluffing, right?

The fear in the man’s eyes was palpable as he realized his mistake. He began to babble, desperately pleading for his life. But it was too late. Aidan had already made up his mind.

"Aidan...wait...you are not actually going to kill him, are you?" I asked.

But Aidan wasn’t paying attention to me. His eyes stayed trained on the man.

"Before I kill you, I need to show you what happens when you touch something that belongs to me," Aidan said with a tight jaw.

I could feel the tension in the air, like a tightly wound spring ready to snap. I took a step back, not wanting to get too close to the violence unfolding before me. The man squirmed under Aidan’s hold, but it only seemed to amuse him more. There was no doubting who held the upper hand here.

Suddenly, there was a loud crack! The man’s body went limp in shock. I gasped as Aidan had just snapped the man’s arm like a twig! Pain contorted his face into something ugly as he fell to the ground, clutching his broken arm.

"You stupid fuck!" he screamed through clenched teeth but quickly regretted it when another blow came raining down on him again - this time it was Aidan’s fist crashing on his nose.

I felt nauseous as I heard another sickening, cracking noise followed by blood pouring out of the man’s nose.

"Aidan, please stop!" I said weakly.

Aidan took something out of his pocket, something black.

I blinked and then realized it was a small handgun.

He knelt down and shoved the gun’s muzzle inside the man’s mouth.

The man whimpered, tears streaming down his face from the pain caused by the crunched nose. I could see blood and snot dripping onto his lips and chin now. Aidan’s eyes glistened with anger as he glared at him fiercely. When he turned to me, his face was twisted into a snarl that made his cheeks bulge out and his brow furrow. "No one will take you away from me, Ivy."

"Aidan, please don’t do this. He didn’t hurt me or anything. And you made your point, so just let him go," I begged.

But it was clear that my words fell on deaf ears - he was too consumed with rage to listen to reason. All I could do was watch as he pulled the trigger.

A thunderous sound filled the air, and for a split second, I froze in shock. The man’s lifeless body slumped to the ground, eyes wide open in horror-stricken surprise. A pool of blood was forming around him. The smell of gunpowder mixed with copper filled the air as Aidan stood up.

"Aidan... wh-what have you done?" I whispered.

Aidan looked at me, his blue eyes cold and devoid of guilt. "I will do it again if I have to. He should’ve never tried to kidnap you."

"Y...you are a murderer," I said with a trembling voice.

Aidan walked over to me and tried to touch my face, but I flinched away.

"Don’t touch me," I said, tears streaming

"This is who I am now, Ivy. This is the real me," he said.

The Aidan I thought I knew - the one who made me laugh and blush - was gone. In his place stood a cold-blooded killer, someone I didn’t know or understand. Fear gripped my heart as I backed away from him. He killed another human being in front of my eyes, and there was no going back from that.

He sighed as if he was frustrated by my reaction. "Come on, Ivy. Did you forget I belonged to the Mafia now? It’s part of the lifestyle. It’s either kill or be killed.

"I want to go home," I sobbed.

His eyes softened for a moment before hardening again. "I can’t do that, Ivy."

"Why not?"

"You belong with me. I let you leave me once, but I won’t let that happen again," he said firmly.

"But Aidan, I..."

Before I could finish my sentence, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me close. "No more excuses, Ivy," he said, his voice harsh but firm. "You’re staying with me, and that’s final."

I felt a surge of panic rise in my chest. I knew trying to reason with him now would be futile. He was too far gone, consumed by the aggression and hurt he’d pent up over the years.

"I... I need to be alone," I managed to say as I started walking away from him. "I... I can’t do this right now."

Aidan’s sigh was heavy with resignation. "Fine. Go wash off the blood on you while I clean up the mess here."

I nodded, my heart pounding in my chest as I rushed to the bathroom, locking the door behind me. My hands shook as I splashed cold water on my face, trying to wash away the images and memories of what had just happened. Aidan had killed someone... and he didn’t bat an eyelid.

What if one day he tries to kill me too?