Bound To My Mafia Stepuncles novel Chapter 187

Aria First Person POV

The house was too quiet in the way that said something was definitely wrong.

It wasn’t the kind of quiet that came with peace or rest. It was the kind of quiet that came before something big. Like the silence before a wave crashes or before the sky opens up and lets the storm pour out. The usual hum of life was gone. The soft clinks of dishes in the kitchen, the distant music someone always left playing in a room, even the sharp sound of Enzo’s phone ringing every other hour it had all vanished.

–

I stood at the top of the stairs, barefoot, arms wrapped tightly around my middle. From there I could see the main hallway, the front entrance, and the narrow stretch of rooms that led to the side of the house. Men in black suits moved through the space, carrying sleek black cases and neatly packed bags. They weren’t loud. In fact, they barely spoke at all. Just little nods, quick glances, and the occasional muttered word into their earpieces.

This wasn’t a normal move. It wasn’t about changing scenery or upgrading to a prettier house with more rooms. This was strategic. Urgent. Protective.

And it made everything feel more real than ever.

I spotted Matteo standing near the front door, checking something on his phone. His face was calm but serious, brows slightly drawn. He was listening to one of the guards talking quietly beside him. Enzo stood across from them with his hands in his pockets, eyes sharp, scanning everything like he was looking for weak spots. I didn’t see Dante anywhere, but I could feel him. I always could.

I didn’t go to them. Not yet. Instead, I turned and walked back through the hallway and out the back of the house. The doors opened onto the garden. The early morning air touched my skin and I breathed in deep. The grass was damp under my feet and the sun was still low enough that everything was bathed in soft, sleepy light.

That was when I saw him.

Dante.

He was sitting on one of the stone benches near the fountain, back slightly slouched, legs stretched out. His fingers held a cigarette loosely, the smoke rising slowly into the pale air. His eyes were distant, unfocused, like he was a thousand miles away in his head.

I almost turned around, not wanting to disturb him. But then his gaze flicked up and landed on me. He didn’t smile, but his face softened just a little. He patted the bench beside him without saying a word.

So I walked over.

I sat beside him slowly, close but not touching, and we stayed like that for a while. Neither of us spoke. We just sat in the the gentle splash of the fountain behind us and the low rustle of leaves above our heads.

Eventually, he took another drag of his cigarette and let it out slow.

“I hate this part,” he said finally, voice low and rough from sleep or maybe just emotion.

“What part?”

* listening to

“The waiting. The moving. The unknown. I hate knowing you’re in danger and there’s nothing I can do but watch and plan and hope we’re faster than they are.”

I looked over at him, surprised by the honesty in his voice. Dante didn’t say things like that often. He felt things deeply, I knew that, but he rarely spoke them out loud.

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Chapter 187

“I know,” I said softly. “I feel it too.”

He glanced at me, then back at the smoke curling through the air. “You’ve been quiet. Even more than usual.”

“I didn’t want to worry anyone.”

He let out a short breath that sounded a lot like frustration. “You don’t have to do that, Not with us. Not with me.”

I reached over slowly and took his free hand in mine.

He didn’t pull away.

His hand was warm. Solid. It wrapped around mine gently, like he was holding something fragile.

“You’ve always been the quiet one,” I said with a soft smile. “But when you speak, it sticks.”

He looked at me then. Really looked. His expression was unreadable for a moment. Then his eyes dropped to our hands.

“You’re not alone in this, Aria,” he said quietly. “You never were. But now, you’re… ours. Whether you’re scared, angry, breaking down going to be right here. Every time.”

we’re

I leaned against him slowly, resting my head on his shoulder. He didn’t flinch. He just let out a soft sigh and leaned his cheek against the top of my head.

“I don’t deserve you,” I whispered.

“Too late,” he said. “You’ve already got me.”

We sat like that for a while. Just breathing together. Just holding the moment.

After a while, he tapped the edge of his cigarette against the bench, then glanced sideways at me with the tiniest smirk.

“So… have you packed your secret snack drawer?”

I groaned. “You too?”

“I saw Enzo steal a chocolate bar from it last week. He thinks nobody knows.”

I giggled and covered my face with my hand. “This house has no privacy.”

He grinned and bumped his knee against mine. “You love it.”

I did.

More than I ever expected to.

But as the laughter faded, I felt a quiet ache creep back in. I sat up slowly and looked out toward the trees beyond the garden wall.

“There’s someone I need to talk to,” I said softly.

He looked at me, serious again. “Who?”

“My best friend. Gloria. I haven’t spoken to her since everything happened. And now… I just need to hear her voice.”

He nodded. “Go call her. Just make sure to tell her not to post about you or tag you in anything. Not until this blows over.”

Chapter 187

“I will.”

“And Aria?”

“Yeah?”

“If she’s a real friend, she’ll understand why you disappeared. And if she doesn’t… then she’s not someone you need.”

I nodded, his words sinking into me like warmth in the cold.

I stood and gave his hand one last squeeze before heading back into the house. My room was still quiet. My bag was sitting on the bed, already zipped. My phone was on the nightstand. I picked it up and stared at it for a long second.

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