Rain tapped softly on the car windows. The sky had darkened fast, casting a shadow over the quiet street.
Aria gripped the steering wheel tighter, her knuckles turning white. The black van slowed down as it approached her. No headlights. No license plate she could see. Just silent, rolling danger.
She didn't move. Couldn't.
Her phone sat in her lap, screen still on from her call with Luca. Her heart pounded so loud she could hear it in her ears.
Then, the van stopped. Just across the street.
No one got out.
The driver didn't even move.
Aria's mind raced.
Was this a message? A warning? A kidnapping?
*The boys....* They were still at school. Safe. For now.
Then, her phone buzzed again.
Another unknown number.
She hesitated. Then answered with a shaky voice.
"Hello?"
A slow, raspy voice replied. "This is the last warning, Aria. Walk away. Or the next time, we don't just watch."
Click.
She dropped the phone. Her hands shook as she slammed the car into reverse and sped off, tires screeching on wet pavement.
The van didn't follow.
But the fear chased her all the way home.
``Twenty Minutes Later
Luciano was already waiting on her porch when she pulled into the driveway. His jaw clenched the moment he saw her face.
"What happened?" he demanded, rushing to open her door.
"A van. Someone called me again. Said it was a warning. Luca, they know about the twins."
He didn't speak. Just pulled out his phone, called someone, and started speaking in rapid Italian.
She stood there, wet from the rain, shivering not from the cold, but from the fear.
When he finally hung up, he looked at her with hard eyes.
"You need protection. Now."
"I don't want guns around the boys."
"This isn't about what you *want*, Aria. This is about what they need."
She hesitated. "Who do you think it is?"
He looked away. "Someone who doesn't want me to have an heir. Or two."
Her heart dropped. "You think they'd hurt the boys?"
"Yes." He didn't sugarcoat it. "Because they carry my name. Even if they don't know it yet."
Aria swayed, dizzy from the weight of it all.
Luciano stepped closer, voice low. "They're not safe out here anymore. And neither are you."
``That Evening
Aria sat at the kitchen table, hands wrapped around a mug of untouched tea. The boys were upstairs, laughing, unaware of the danger growing outside their peaceful world.
Luciano stood in the kitchen, pacing.
"I'll have two men stationed outside, day and night," he said. "No arguments."
Aria nodded slowly. "And what happens next? You bring them into your world?"
"They're already in it."
She looked up, eyes shining. "That's not fair. They didn't choose this."
"Neither did I."
Silence stretched between them.
Then she whispered, "I thought if I ran far enough… if I stayed quiet long enough… maybe it would never touch them."
He sat across from her. "It always catches up. You and I… we don't get peace. We get survival."
Tears slipped down her cheeks.
He reached out and took her hand.
"I'm not here to punish you, Aria. But I won't lose them. And I won't lose *you* again either."
Her eyes met his. There was something different in him tonight. Not just anger or control but fear. Fear of losing something real.
Then footsteps came down the stairs.
Nico peeked around the corner. "Mom? Can Mr. Luca read us a bedtime story?"
Aria blinked.
Luca smiled gently. "Only if you ask nicely."
"Please?"
She nodded once, and Nico cheered.
``Upstairs
Luciano sat on the edge of the bed, book in hand, two boys tucked in beside him. Aria leaned on the doorway, watching.
"…and then the knight said, 'I will never let anything happen to my family.'"
He closed the book. Nico and Nino clapped.
"Can you come back tomorrow night too?" Nino asked.
Luca hesitated. Then: "Yes."
The boys hugged him without asking permission. He hugged them back.
Aria bit her lip to hold back tears.
``Midnight
Aria couldn't sleep.
She stepped out onto the porch and found Luca smoking a cigar, shirt sleeves rolled up. Rain had stopped, but the air was heavy.
"You always smoke when you're thinking," she said softly.
He glanced at her. "You remember that?"
"I remember more than I want to."
They stood in silence.
Then she asked the question that had been burning in her chest.
"Do you really want them… or is this just about power?"
His eyes flashed. "You think I'd use my sons for power?"
"I don't know what to think, Luca. You're still a stranger."
"I'm not a stranger to them."
"No, but you are to me."
He nodded slowly. "Then get to know me again."
"And if I don't want to?"
"Then I'll keep showing up. Every day. Until you remember who we were."
She looked at him. "That was one night."
He stepped closer. "One night. But you never forgot me."
She didn't answer.
Because it was true.
``The Next Morning
The sun rose over Ridge Hollow, casting golden light on a world that suddenly felt too small.
Luciano's guards were posted outside the house, dressed like regular neighbors but too alert to fool anyone who looked close enough.
The boys were dressed for school. Aria packed their lunches, pretending things were normal.
At the last minute, Luca insisted on driving them.
Aria rode in the front seat, arms folded.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked as he drove.
"Because it's what a father does."
"And when they start asking where you've been all this time?"
He didn't answer right away.
Then: "I'll tell them the truth. That I failed to find you. But I never stopped looking."
Her eyes stung again.
The school came into view. Kids were running across the lawn. Parents stood in clumps, chatting.
Luca stopped the car.
"Have a good day," he said to the twins.
"Will you be here when we get out?" Nico asked.
"Yes," he promised.
They jumped out, waved, and ran toward the doors.
Aria and Luca sat in silence.
Then her phone rang.
Unknown number.
She froze.
Luca noticed. "Answer it."
She put it on speaker.
A different voice this time. Calm. Smooth. Male.
"You're late, De Rossi."
Luca sat up straighter. "Who is this?"
"I warned her once. She didn't listen."
Aria's skin went cold.
"We're done talking," the voice said. "Next time, we don't call first."
Then the line went dead.
Luciano threw the car into gear.
"Where are we going?" Aria asked, panicked.
"To find out who just threatened my family."
``Later That Night
Luciano met Matteo in a dark alley behind a closed nightclub. Rain was falling again.
"They tapped into her phone," Matteo said. "Whoever it is, they're smart."
"Too smart," Luca muttered.
"There's more," Matteo said, handing him a file. "Look who's back in town."
Luca flipped the folder open.
His entire body went still.
Aria's ex.
David Kingston.
Former cartel affiliate. Known arms dealer. Vanished years ago after stealing millions from a rival family.
Aria had always said she left him. That he was gone. Dead, maybe.
But now… he was alive. And in Ridge Hollow.
Luciano's eyes turned to steel.
"He's not here for her," Matteo said. "He's here for the boys."
Luca's voice was deadly quiet.
"Then he's already signed his death sentence."