Page 101 of Mafia King's Forbidden Obsession

Time slips through my fingers like sand, and it feels like I’m choking on the pressure. Thirteen hours to hand over the records…to lose my mafia—or lose Raven and our baby.

My chest constricts just thinking about them. But worrying won’t help me now. I need to stay focused.

I exhale loudly, hands clasped beneath my chin as I stare at the video Matteo sent to me. I’ve watched it so many times now that I can practically hear Raven’s soft breathing before it even plays.

Every second, every frame of that video is seared into my mind— the way her hair falls over her face in disarray, her eyes hiddenbeneath the strands, her body tense. But there’s nothing in the image that gives clues to where she might be.

Nothing I can use to bring her back.

Damn it.

I clench my fists as the thought of not finding her crosses my mind.

I rub my eyes, which are starting to burn from staring at the screen for so long, but I can’t stop. I won’t stop. There has to be something here.

Across from me, Elio sits on the other couch, his face just as tense as mine. He’s been searching for Matteo through the usual channels—tracking numbers, sifting through communication patterns— yet nothing.

It’s like we’re back to chasing ghosts, just like when we hunted Smerti, who now happens to be Matteo.

The video plays again, and that’s when I hear it. A faint sound, barely noticeable under Matteo’s voice, but it’s there.

A bell.

My eyes narrow as I pause the video and rewind it. I turn the volume up, listening carefully. The sound of a church bell rings softly in the background.

“Elio,” I shout, not taking my eyes off the screen. “Ascolta questo(Listen to this).”

He shifts, leaning in.

“Senti quello(Do you hear that)?” I point to the paused video, my heart racing as I hit play for the gazillionth time today.

Elio’s brows knit together, his attention locked on the screen. The bell rings again, faint but unmistakable.

“Una campana di chiesa(A church bell),” he mutters, under his breath, and I nod.

The look in his eyes tells me he picks up what I'm driving at.

“He’s close to a church.” The realization hits me like a jolt of electricity. My mind races, sifting through possible locations.

“Elio,” I snap my fingers, “Assemble the team. I need a list of every building, abandoned or not, within earshot of a church bell.Non abbiamo molto tempo(We don’t have much time).”

He nods and rushes out of the room, already making calls.

I sit back in my chair, my fingers tapping restlessly on the armrest. The sound of that bell—it’s our only clue, but it should be enough.

Matteo can’t hide from me forever. He might’ve moved carefully, covering his tracks, but this? This is the breakthrough I need.

Minutes tick by, each feeling like years have passed on. I feel useless just sitting here, but I also know I have to take my condition into consideration. So, I simply continue replaying the video over and over again.

I keep watching Raven, hoping to catch something—anything—that gives me a clue. A bruise on her wrist, maybe. Or a shadow of a barred window, a glimpse of something outside...

My eyes dart to the digital time on the screen every now and then, my knees jerking as I wait for my second in command.

The second it hits the two-hour mark, I decide to go see what's happening myself. Just then, Elio finally returns, a map in his hand.

“We’ve narrowed it down to three places.” He spreads the map across the desk. “All within hearing range of a church bell. Two are abandoned warehouses, one just out of town and another by the docks. The third’s a mansion in Manhattan, bought earlier this year under a fake name.”

A mansion? Definitely Matteo’s style.