His Ruthless Claim

Chapter Five-Staying alive

CHAPTER FIVE.

Alessandro forced his eyes open, the ceiling above him was unfamiliar and for a moment, he didn’t move. He simply listened to the sounds and voices echoed.

The distant roar of engines, the steady rhythms of waves striking the harbor walls, and immediately he knew where he was… The port.

Pain shot through his ribs immediately, sharp enough to blur his vision.

“Don’t move,” someone cautioned, the voice had come from the corner of the room. A gray-haired doctor stepped forward quickly, his face laced with irritation. “You have lost enough blood already, you need to lay back.”

Alessandro ignored him. “Report,” he muttered.

The doctor sighed, he definitely expected this from Alexandro, “You were shot,” he said flatly. “You need rest.”

Alessandro swung his legs off the narrow bed, “I didn’t ask for medical advice.” His voice was so deep.

The doctor rubbed his forehead, and stepped aside. Alessandro sat up slowly, his hand pressing against the thick bandage wrapped around his side. His white shirt had already begun to stain again with fresh blood. He barely noticed.

“What happened after the attack he asked?” One of his men, Marco, stepped forward from the doorway.

“Two of their men are dead, but one escaped. The port is safe now.”

Alessandro’s expression darkened. “Who did this?”

Marco hesitated,“We’re still confirming.”

His eyes sharpened immediately, “Where is she?”

Marco understood immediately, “The house by the docks,” he replied. “Just like you ordered.”

Alessandro nodded. Good, at least she is safe… For now.

“Make sure she doesn’t come out of there,” he said quietly.

Marco frowned, “But boss...she keeps asking for you.”

Alessandro’s expression hardened, “That’s not important.” The lie was much simpler.

The people moving against the Valentis empire weren’t ordinary criminals. They are patient while calculating what next to do and if they realized she mattered to him by now, they would use her.

Alessandro immediately grabbed his jacket from the chair despite the doctor’s protest.

“Where are you going?” the doctor snapped.

“To work.”

“You should be in bed!”

Alessandro slid the jacket over his shoulders slowly, ignoring the burning pain in his ribs.

“I will sleep when the war is finished.” Without another word, he stepped out into the cold Sicilian night.

Kathryn sat alone in the narrow room of the stone house overlooking the port. Not even a wink of sleep could she get. The last few hours had her thinking real deep.

“Was he going to be fine?”

“Who were the people that attacked them that night?”

“Did they come looking for her?”

“How long was she going to keep hiding in this small room?”

Kathryn stared at the half-empty cup of coffee in front of her, it had gone cold hours ago.

The door opened suddenly behind her, Kathryn turned sharply, the same guard from earlier stepped inside, his expression tight with tension.

“Get your coat,” he said.

She frowned.“Why?”

“Signor Valentis wants you moved,” he replied almost immediately.

Her heart skipped. Moved? “To where?” she asked.

The guard avoided her gaze.“Just get ready.” He stepped aside, leaving the door open.

For a moment, Kathryn stood frozen, so what was it? After days of silence, the only message Alessandro had for her was an order to relocate like a cargo.

She was disappointed, she still grabbed the thin coat hanging by the door and stepped into the cold night.

The convoy of black SUVs waited outside, their headlights cutting through the darkness like blades. Men moved quickly around them, their voices low and urgent. The tension in the air was impossible to ignore.

As Kathryn approached the nearest car, she noticed something strange. More guards than usual, more weapons.

She turned to the guard beside her, “What happened at the port?”

The man hesitated, then he muttered quietly, “Someone tried to steal Valentis cargo.”

“Did they succeed?”

His jaw tightened. “No.”

A strange relief over her, but it didn’t last, because just then, a black SUV rolled into the lot beside them. The car stopped almost close to her and Alexandro stepped out.

Kathryn’s breath caught instantly. Even beneath the harsh harbor lights, he looked exactly the same as the last time she had seen him, tall, controlling and dangerous, but something about the way he moved made her chest tighten.

The wind lifted the edge of his jacket, she saw it, the dark stain spreading across the side of his shirt…the stain of fresh blood.

Her heart dropped, but Alessandro acted as if nothing was wrong. Two men followed him closely, speaking in quick tense whispers. Alessandro listened for a moment before giving a sharp nod, only then did his gaze lift and land on her.

He walked towards her slowly, the guards stepped back instantly, giving him space. When he finally stopped in front of her, the silence between them felt heavy enough to break a rock.

“You shouldn’t be standing outside,” he said calmly.

Are you okay? Not I’m sorry. Just instructions. Kathryn felt something inside her snap. “Three days,” she said quietly.

Alessandro’s brow arched. “What?”

“You disappeared for three days.” Her voice trembled with restrained anger. “You locked me in that house like a prisoner and didn’t even bother to tell me what was happening.”

A flicker of irritation crossed his face. “I was handling a situation.”

“I noticed,” she replied sharply.

The wind whipped through the harbor, tugging at her hair. “Is this what being married to you means?” she continued. “Silence? Orders? Being moved around like I’m a part of your inventory?”

Alessandro’s eyes darkened. “You’re alive,” he said simply, “That’s what matters.”

Kathryn laughed bitterly. “So that’s it?” she whispered. “That’s all I am to you?”

Alessandro didn’t answer immediately, instead he studied her carefully, as if measuring something unseen.

Finally, he spoke. “You are alive because of me.” His voice had dropped lower now. “You have no idea what’s happening around you, Kathryn Valentis!”

Her anger only grew, “Then tell me!” She yelled.

For a moment Alessandro looked like he might refuse, but then he stepped closer. So close she could see the exhaustion in his eyes.

“The men who attacked my port weren’t stealing cargo,” he said quietly.

Kathryn frowned. “Then what were they looking for?”

Alessandro held her gaze.“They were looking for you.”

The words landed like a stone dropped into still water, “What?”

“They believed you were already here,” he continued calmly.

Her heart began to pound.“Why would anyone think that?” Alessandro’s expression hardened again.

“That’s what I am trying to find out.”

This war wasn’t just about Alessandro’s empire, it was about her, but before she could ask another question, one of Alessandro’s men rushed towards them.

“Boss!”

Alessandro turned quickly.“What?”

The man’s voice was tight with urgency. “We intercepted a message from the rival crew”

Alessandro’s eyes narrowed. “And?”

The man hesitated, he then delivered the words that made the night suddenly colder.

“They say the girl isn’t the main target.” Silence fell between them. Kathryn’s pulse hammered loudly in her ears. Alessandro’s gaze slid slowly towards her face.

“Then who is it?” he asked.

The man swallowed. ‘’You, boss?”

And for the first time since this war began…Alessandro Valentis looked genuinely surprised. His feet couldn’t carry him anymore. And almost like he was going to fall.

“It’s getting more interesting than I thought,” he muttered.