Betrayal Within

Betrayal Within
Aria's POV

The sniper's bullet broke the kitchen window right where I'd been standing two seconds earlier.
If I hadn't dropped my coffee mug and bent down to clean it up, I'd be dead.
"Everyone down!" Marco shouted, diving over the bar as more shots punched through the walls.
"How did they find us?" Dmitri growled, army-crawling toward his weapons cache.
This was our fourth safe house in three days. Every time we moved, Vincent's people found us within hours. It was like they had GPS trackers on us.
"Same pattern," Kai noted quietly, staying low behind the couch. "They always know exactly where we are."
"Someone's talking," Luca said, stating what we were all thinking.
The shooting stopped as quickly as it started. Through the broken windows, I could hear cars driving away.
"They're gone," Elena said, coming from the bathroom where she'd been hiding.
"For now," Marco answered grimly. "But they'll be back. They always come back."
I stood up carefully, glass crunching under my feet. "This is crazy. How do they keep finding us?"
"Someone in this room is feeding them information," Dmitri said bluntly, his ice-blue eyes scanning each face.
The charge hung in the air like poison. We all looked at each other with new suspicion.
"That's impossible," Elena argued. "Everyone here is family."
"Family doesn't mean loyal," Luca said darkly. "Vincent could be paying someone. Or threatening them."
"Or blackmailing them," Kai added.
I watched their faces, trying to read their emotions. Marco looked angry but determined. Luca seemed cunning, like he was already making lists of suspects. Dmitri was nearly vibrating with rage. Kai looked calm, but I could see the tension in his shoulders.
And Elena... Elena looked scared.
"We need to figure this out," I said. "Before Vincent kills my great-grandfather."
"Agreed," Marco said. "But how do we find a traitor when any one of us could be lying?"
That's when I realized something. "I'm the only one here who doesn't have a family link to this world. Maybe I can see things you can't."
"What do you mean?" Elena asked.
"You're all thinking like mafia families - who has motivation, who could be bought, who might crack under pressure. But what if we're looking at this wrong?"
I started pacing, my mind racing. "Every time we've been found, what happened right before?"
"We moved locations," Luca said.
"Who decides where we go?"
"Elena and I plan the routes," Marco answered. "We choose the safe houses."
"And who else knows the plans?"
Marco frowned. "My security team. Elena's mentors. The drivers who take us there."
"How many people total?"
"Maybe fifteen," Elena said slowly.
"Too many," Kai noted. "Vincent only needs one."
I pulled out my phone and started making notes. "Let's narrow it down. Who knew about the first safe house?"
"All of us, plus my security chief Tony," Marco said.
"Second house?"
"Same group, but we added Elena's advisor Roberto."
"Third house?"
"Everyone except Tony - he was in the hospital after the pier shooting."
I looked up from my notes. "But we were still found at the third house. So it's not Tony."
"That leaves Roberto," Luca said, his eyes narrowing.
"Roberto's been with my family for twenty years," Elena argued. "He's like an uncle to Marco and Luca."
"Twenty years is a long time to build trust," Dmitri said. "Perfect cover for a spy."
"We need proof," Marco said strongly. "I won't accuse family without evidence."
That's when I had an idea. "What if we set a trap?"
"How?"
"We tell different stories to different people. See which version Vincent acts on."
It was risky, but it was the only way to know for sure. We spent the next hour planning three fake situations. Marco would tell Tony we were moving to a building downtown. Elena would tell Roberto we were going to a house in the suburbs. And Kai would tell the drivers we were going to a hotel by the airport.
"Whichever location gets hit first, we'll know who the traitor is," I explained.
"And what if Vincent hits all three?" Elena asked.
"Then we know there's more than one spy."
We split up to give our false information. I stayed behind with Dmitri to check communications and watch for any signs of movement from Vincent's people.
"You're smart," Dmitri said, cleaning his guns while we waited. "Thinking like an outsider instead of family."
"Sometimes being different is useful."
"Is that how you feel? Different?"
I considered the question. "I've felt different my whole life. Never quite fitting in anywhere. But with you guys... I don't know. It's like I found where I belong."
"Even though we kidnapped you?"
I laughed despite everything. "Especially because you stole me. You saved my life that first night, even if I didn't know it then."
Dmitri's expression relaxed. "We all needed saving, I think. You just gave us a reason to try."
My phone buzzed with a text from Marco: "Roberto took the bait. Asked three questions about the suburbs house. Too many to be casual."
My heart sank. Elena was going to be crushed.
"It's Roberto," I told Dmitri.
His face went dark. "Elena's guide. The man who helped raise Marco and Luca."
"We need to approach him carefully. Elena trusted him with everything."
But when we called the others back to share our find, Roberto walked in with them.
"Aria," he said with a warm smile. "I brought some food from the market. You look too thin."
This kind, grandfatherly man who brought me food was the one betraying us to Vincent. The one who'd nearly gotten me killed dozens of times.
"Thank you, Roberto," I said carefully, taking the bag of food.
"Of course, cara mia. Family takes care of family."
The word 'family' twisted in my stomach. How could he talk about family while selling us out?
Marco caught my eye and nodded slightly. They were ready to move.
"Roberto," Elena said softly. "We need to talk."
"What about, Elena?"
"About the phone calls you've been making to Vincent Torrino."
Roberto's face didn't change, but I saw his hand move slightly toward his jacket. Dmitri was faster, pinning the bigger man's arms before he could draw a weapon.
"Twenty years," Elena said, tears in her eyes. "Twenty years you've been part of this family."
"And twenty years Vincent has been paying me," Roberto answered calmly. "More than you ever did."
"Why?" Marco asked, his voice broken. "You helped raise us."
"I helped raise spoiled children who never realized what they had. Vincent offered me real money and a chance at payback."
"Revenge for what?"
"Your father killed my son during that warehouse raid ten years ago. Did you think I'd forgotten?"
The deception cut deeper than any bullet. This man had been part of their family while quietly planning their destruction.
"Where is Antonio Castellano?" I asked.
Roberto smiled coldly. "Closer than you think, little princess."
That's when the lights went out and smoke started pouring through the vents.
"Gas masks!" Kai shouted, but it was too late.
The world started spinning as whatever Vincent had pumped into the air took action. I saw Marco reaching for me, but my legs gave out.
As awareness faded, I heard Roberto's voice through the darkness: "Don't worry, Aria. Your great-grandfather is very excited to meet you. Right before Vincent puts a bullet in both your heads."