Bound To My Mafia Stepuncles novel Chapter 207

Chapter 207

Aria’s POV

My fingers trembled as they hovered over the empty drawer. The air around me felt thick like it was pressing against my chest. I blinked slowly, hoping I was seeing things wrong. That maybe the journal had somehow slipped behind the drawer or fallen somewhere. But it hadn’t. I knew exactly where I had left it I had placed it neatly on top of the old folded shirt, right in the center of the drawer. My dad’s journal was gone.

I crouched and yanked the drawer all the way out, peering into the narrow space behind it, my breathing shallow. Nothing. I opened every other drawer. 1 pulled open the closet, kicked off my shoes, and

even checked under the bed. My heart started pounding harder with each second. I hadn’t misplaced it. Someone had been in here.

I stood up slowly and walked to the door. Locked it. My fingers fumbled with the knob before the click sounded and I leaned my back against the wood, trying to catch my breath. Someone was in my room. Someone went through my stuff and took the journal.

I picked up my phone and dialed without thinking. The first name I hit was Matteo’s. He answered on the second ring.

My heart was pounding in my chest as I sat there clutching my phone like it was the only thing holding me together and the words were already tumbling out of my mouth before I could second guess myself because I had to tell someone I had to say it out loud or I was going to explode I knew something wasn’t right and it had been bothering me all day like a shadow clinging to my back and I just couldn’t shake it off anymore so I started with the note on the beach how it wasn’t just a coincidence how it felt too perfectly timed how it showed up right after I opened up to them and I knew it was meant to scare me or maybe warn me or maybe both and then I told them about Valentina how weird she had been acting how distant and edgy and how earlier I had caught her on the phone speaking in hushed tones with her back turned like she didn’t want anyone to hear and when I called out her name she jumped like I had caught her red–handed and she tried to cover it up but I saw it I saw how nervous she was and the way she forced a smile it didn’t feel real and it stuck with me and I couldn’t let it go and now my dad’s journal was missing like someone had gone through my things and taken the only thing that connected me to him and I just knew it was all connected and as I poured everything out I realized I was shaking not because I was scared but because I was angry because I trusted her I really did and now I didn’t know what to believe anymore and that broke something in me a little because this wasn’t just about secrets it was about betrayal and I wasn’t going to let it slide I needed answers and I needed the truth before something worse happened.

“Aria?”

“I need you to listen,” I said quickly, my voice shaking. “Someone took my dad’s journal. was in my room.”

“What?” His voice sharpened. “When? Are you okay? Are you alone?”

It’s

gone.

I checked everywhere. I didn’t move it, I swear. Someone

“Yes. I mean, no. I don’t know. I just came back from training. Everything looked fine but… I could tell. The air felt different. You know when you just know someone’s touched your things?”

There was movement on the other end. I heard footsteps and the echo of a door slamming. He was probably pulling the others together.

“Aria, are you locked in?”

“Yes. I locked the door,” I whispered. I backed away from it, glancing around my room again. “And there’s more. I think I know who the mole is.”

The line went quiet for a second.

“I think it’s Valentina,” I said, heart in my throat. “I know how that sounds, but listen. She’s been acting strange all day. When I walked outside earlier, I saw her hiding behind the fountain. She was whispering on the phone, and when I called her name, she jumped like she’d been caught. She lied about who she was talking to.”

I swallowed hard, remembering her expression. The guilt in her eyes. The way she avoided mine.

ven

“Earlier this week, I found a note on the beach,” I continued, trying to keep my voice steady. “It had my name on it. Someone was warning me. I thought I imagined it or maybe overreacted but now it makes sense. There’s someone close. Someone inside. And Valentina… she’s been nervous. Distracted. asked me weird questions about the journal.”

Matteo cursed under his breath. “You should’ve told us this sooner.”

“I know. I just didn’t want to accuse anyone without proof. But now the journal’s gone.”

More footsteps on the other end. Then I heard Leo’s voice, faint and urgent.

1/2

Chapter 207

“We’re coming to you now,” Matteo said. “Do not open the door unless it’s one of us. Reep the phone ont speaker. Stay close to the door in pane hear what’s happening.”

I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. “Okay. Just hurry.”

I set the phone on my dresser, still on speaker, and turned toward my closet, deciding to grab something heavier, just in case. That’s when I saw it

A shadow.

Movement, near the edge of the open closet door. My body went cold. My mouth opened but no sound came out. I stared, frozen, as a figure stepped into view.

A black hoodie. Gloves. A mask.

I gasped and lunged toward the phone. “Someone’s in here!” I shouted. “They’re-”

But they were faster. Something hard slammed into the side of my head. White–hot pain exploded in my skull. I stumbled, hitting the wall. My phone hit the ground.

Voices. I could hear the boys yelling through the speaker, but it was muffled. Distant. Like I was underwater.

I looked up through blurred vision, just

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify