His Forbidden Mafia Princess

Chapter- Thirteen

Aleena–POV

I was nearly at the estate's exit when the bodyguards stepped into my path. "What do you think you're doing?" I asked.

"We're sorry, ma'am, but you can't leave the estate without Sir's permission," one of them said.

Seriously? This is ridiculous. I feel trapped; it reminds me of my old home. My hands clenched into fists as I fought to keep my anger in check. I was staring down the same kind of situation all over again. Arguing with these bodyguards would get me nowhere. I turned around to look for Nico, but he was nowhere to be found.

"Looking for someone?"

I jumped at the voice.

"Didn't mean to startle you," Jared said.

"I'm looking for Nico. Where is he?" I asked.

"He went to meet Anastasia," he answered.

"On a date?" I asked.

"Yes," Jared said carefully.

"Why didn't you just say that instead of lying? I don't care," I said. But why do I feel irritated knowing he ran off on a date so quickly? Don't overthink it; this marriage is a sham.

"Why were you looking for him?" Jared asked.

"I need to go somewhere. Apparently, I need permission to leave this prison," I said, my tone sweet as honey. Jared let out a soft chuckle.

"Dramatic, aren't you?"

"Just being reasonable," I said, unbothered.

"Where do you need to go? I can drive you," he said.

I can't take him with me. My meeting with Brian was a secret. It was the only way to protect my business from my father and the

Bellinis, and I couldn't risk anyone finding out.

"Why am I under the Bellinis' watch too?" I asked.

"Are you not aware of how your situation is?" Jared said. "I'll have to accompany you wherever you go until your own bodyguards arrive."

No, I can't risk it. I'd rather find a way to sneak out and get to the location on my own.

"So, where do you need to go?" Jared asked.

"I've changed my mind," I said.

I turned to leave, only to hear an unfamiliar voice cut through the air. "Planning to sneak out?"

Nico looked effortlessly sharp in an all-black suit, his hair loose and falling around his face. His cold green eyes landed on me as he

worked the button of his cufflink with one hand, then rolled his sleeves up to the elbow, exposing the lines of his veins and the hard muscle of his forearms.

"You're back," Jared said, surprised.

"I forgot the gift," Nico said flatly.

I turned to leave. His hand caught mine. I gasped, startled by the contact.

"Let's go," he said.

"Hey. I'm not going anywhere with you," I snapped.

He didn't let go. I twisted my wrist, trying to pull free, but he caught my hand again, firm and effortless.

"Are you deaf? Let go of me," I hissed.

"It seems you had somewhere to be and were willing to take a risk to get there," he said.

"What makes you think I'd do something like that?" I said, trying to keep my voice steady. He released my hand just as we reached his black Ferrari.

"You think I haven't done my research on you?" he asked.

Right. I should have expected nothing less from a man who can pull strings on my father. Having a file on me is nothing to him.

"You can't leave on your own," he said.

"What?" I said. "I'm not a prisoner."

"Technically, you are," he reminded me.

My fists tightened at my sides as I drew a slow, steadying breath.

"Angry, Mrs. Bellini?" he mocked.

Our eyes met. Don't get riled up. Don't give him the satisfaction.

"Don't call me Mrs. Bellini," I said. He sighed.

"Get in the car. I don't want to keep her waiting," he said.

"I'm not going anywhere," I said.

"You can't outrun this place," Nico said.

"Don't challenge me," I said, meeting his gaze. His stoic expression shifted just barely into something like annoyance.

"If you win, you can go wherever you want. Freely," he said.

I smirked.

"I'm in," I said.

He studied me for a moment, then closed the distance between us. My back pressed against the car. His scent wrapped around me as his eyes dropped to mine, and he leaned in close. "Be aware of the danger, Aleena. I have a lot of enemies and you carry the Bellini name now, not Caruso."

His words sent a chill straight down my spine. The Bellinis were the most powerful Mafia family in existence, and that came with every enemy the Caruso had ever made and then some.

"Still want to take that challenge and go it alone?" he asked, his voice low and deliberate.

"I do," I said. "I never back down from a challenge."

He stepped back and rolled his eyes, shaking his head slowly like I was making a mistake he'd already seen coming.

"If that's what you want," he said.

"It is."

"Well, don't say I didn't warn you," he said, and got in his car before I could get another word in.

Why does he always get to have the last word? I hissed under my breath. But I wasn't backing down. Not a chance.

My phone buzzed with a notification.

Where are you? Brian.

I'll be there. I texted back.

I took a long, careful look at the estate's security layout. Security cameras, guards, and electronic systems layered like a best system wall. But I could work with this. I couldn't hack it on a laptop I didn't have, but my tablet would do the job.

I went back to my room and got to work.

The security system was high-level security to hack, but I pushed through it, fingers flying across the keyboard, running lines of code until I cracked it open. I pulled up the guards' rotation schedule on their digital watches and tracked their positions. They shifted every few minutes. That was my window.

I needed a ride out. I messaged Brian, dropped him my location, and asked him to send a car.

Can't manage that. He replied.

Damn it.

Fine. I'd have to steal one.

I changed into my gear, set a timer on my watch, and slipped out through the window. Ledge to ledge, balcony to balcony, I made my way down to the ground slowly and quietly. I landed, caught my breath, and waited for the timer to buzz.

The moment it went off, I moved, rolling low and fast toward the garage.

I pulled out my car-hacking device, a little tool I'd built myself, pressed my tablet against the door panel, and ran the scanner. It clicked. The engine roared to life.

"Yes, baby," I said under my breath, grinning. "I'm going to win this challenge."

I floored it out of the garage and used another gadget to trigger the security gate. The guards scrambled to block the path, but I didn't slow down; they dived out of the way just in time. Gunshots cracked behind me, aimed at my tires. I swerved, held the wheel steady, and punched through the gate.

I was out.

I smirked, driving hard, and pulled up the GPS to wipe the car's tracking data as I went. I keyed in the location and pushed the speed, tires screaming as I finally pulled into the lot of an abandoned warehouse and screeched to a stop.

Brian spun around so fast that he dropped his phone.

"What the hell was that entrance?" he said.

"No time for small talk," I said, climbing out. "Talk to me."

He dragged a metal chair across the floor. "Sit down."

"What's going on?" I asked.

"A massive problem," Brian said, running a hand through his hair. "All our clients got hit with a malware attack. Every single one. They've pulled out all of them. We're on the edge of shutting down the company."

I stared at him, the words landing like a punch to the chest.