Page 172 of Mila: The Godfather

Not even Maeve.

They’re used to times like this.

Some might even crave this kind of chaos.

My husband is one of them.

As kind and loving as he is to me I am not blind to his darker side.

He enjoys the thrill the chase gives him.

The same could be said of my father-in-law.

It’s evident in the way Cathan grips his gun with a determined look on his face. He almost looks giddy.

He throws a cig into his mouth, balancing it between his lips before winking at me and pushing both Maeve and me out the door toward safety. And all I can do is hope that he survives this. That we all do, and that Riagan comes back for me. “Hide, and whatever you do, don’t come out of that room until he comes to get you himself.”

“O-okay.” I tell him, not feeling good about this at all. I don’t want to leave him, but I also don’t want to be in their way.

“We’ll be fine. He’ll be fine. Come on.” Maeve gently leads me down the flights of stairs that lead towards the downstairs area of the mansion.

As soon as we’re safe inside a room I’ve never seen before, Maeve touches a keypad and locks us in.

“No one can come in here. It’s a panic room. We’re safe.”

“And him? Is he safe?” I lean my head back against the metal door. My heart is racing, and my mind is a mess.

“Of course, he is.” she scoffs arrogantly. “He’s the captain. The Godfather. He always comes out on the other side. Always.”

I know.

Deep down, I know that he’ll come out of this just like he has done countless times before, but something about this attack seems different. Seems final.

How did they breach the mansion when he had guards in every corner, and how come the system was hacked? That had to be an inside job, no? Someone on the inside, someone smart. Something that only a hacker could do. The moment the thought crosses my mind, the panic room’s system shuts down completely. Then, my eyes fall to Maeve, who is sitting at a desk no longer typing on her computer but looking at something or someone behind me. “No.” her grief is evident in her tone and in the lone tear that falls from her eyes. Turning, I look at the person who no doubt caused all this. Someone with a mind to match her own. “Con… why?”

Her twin brother.

What is going on?

I watch as Conor, one of Riagan’s men that I know very little of besides that he is a genius hacker and Maeve’s twin, steps inside the panic room while more men stand behind him, waiting with guns strapped to their chests.

Men I don’t recognize.

“I had no choice, Mae.” He walks closer to his sister and lowers his gun. “I made a mistake, and I was in deep.” I detect guilt. Yes, guilt in his tone. At least, there’s that. I alternate between keeping my eyes trained on him and his men. This was an ambush.

Does Riagan know?

Where is he?

Someone he trusted betrayed him. Someone who was close all this time.

Then, I started to wonder if he was behind the vendetta against my family and the contract for my and Arianna’s heads. But I’ve never met this man in my life. What grudge could he hold against my family? This makes no sense.

“Was it money? Maeve cries as she slaps him. The pain in her voice is so raw I feel it in my soul. “Wasn’t all we had enough? Or was it power that you sought? Is that it? What was it? Answer me, dammit!”

“I wanted to see how far I could take it. It was just a game at first. The feeling was addictive. I, the little guy, got to stick it to the big man. I took from them, and they didn’t even fucking notice, and it worked, Mae! I fucking did it until I took it too far.” His eyes go crazy, then he points my way. “If we hand her over then it’ll all be forgiven. No one has to know. We let them take her, and we can walk away with more money than we could ever dream of. More money that we could ever make working for Cap.”

“And what, Con? And fucking what? We pretend you didn’t fucking betray the hand that fed us. The man and son who took us when nobody fucking wanted us. We walk toward the sunset with our pockets full of dirty money that comes from hurting an innocent girl. Who are you? How fucking could you!” She cries harder, and my heart breaks for her. “We had nothing! No one! Cathan gave us everything! The clan saved our lives. How could you?”

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