Page 37 of Dating the Don

I smile, finding it easier to react now that I know I’m faking. “Charmer.”

“Keiran,” he says, extending his hand to me. “Keiran Doyle.”

I take his hand and shake it firmly. I’m ready to introduce myself, but he holds up a hand to stop me.

“Clearly, I know very well who you are, Miss Sullivan,” Keiran smirks. “And I also know that ring on your finger is going to be replaced by something much better, very soon.”

I glance down at the ring Cristiano bought me. It has started to feel overly natural to wear it, I had almost forgotten it was there.

“I will admit that I think it’s rather cute that you’re still attempting to stick to the traditional ways despite your temporary fiancé being Italian scum,” Keiran continues, his smirk never fading for a single second.

My smile threatens to waiver. “I guess it’s a good thing that I’ve found you, then.”

“Is that what happened? You found me?” Keiran takes a sip of his dark beer and watches me over the brim of the glass. I can’t tell what he’s waiting for. Whether it’s for me to try to bolt or if it’s for somebody else to show up, I can’t tell.

“Well, I would say so,” I pull the beer closer to myself without actually taking a drink. “Does that intimidate you? Having a woman making the moves?”

Keiran leans in closer, his knees closing around mine. I don’t like him. I don’t like the way he’s leaning closer to me but I don’t dare to back away. I can’t allow him to call my bluff like this. “I think you just haven’t experienced a real man before. I can hardly fault you for only having experience around men who have forced you to make the moves.”

His hand drops to my knee and I fight a shudder. I’m beyond grateful for the fact that I opted for pants today.

“All of that will change very soon, that I can promise you. I think you will come to like the fact that when a real man makes a promise to you, he keeps it,” Keiran says as his index finger runs over the curve of my knee.

“Well, then I intend to make you work for it,” I give him a thin-lipped smile and angle my knees away from him.

His smile disappears. I try to shift my legs away from him, but thenice guy facade fades. He jerks my legs back into their original position, placing his entire hand on my knee. Three men behind him, at three different tables, all at once stop what they're doing and stand up. Two of them draw their firearms and hold them idly by their sides as a warning of what they could do if they so choose. I guess they don’t like anything that makes their boss angry.

“I don’t need to work for what’s already mine, Miss Sullivan. But, you will learn your part in all of this soon. Do not worry,” he warns, gesturing for the men to come closer. They are going to take me. There’s no way out of it. This is what I wanted. I just have to keep reminding myself of that little fact. This is a necessary thing. It doesn’t matter how much it scares me.

If Cristiano were here… well, it doesn't matter what he would do. He wanted to exclude me from this, so I’m going to do it myself. These men are going to take me to Doyle and, therefore, to my father. There's no way out of this that spares him from death. I know that now.I’m going to be the one that killshim. I want to watch the life drain from himwhen he tells me what he did to my mother. I can do this. No more engagements. Real or fake. Nobody will treat me like property. I tell myself thatas the men come up behind me and immediately yank me off thestool.

I don’t have to fake my terror as they wrench me sideways and drag me right out of the bar.

CHAPTER TWENTY

CRISTIANO

The Next Morning

When I wake up, the sun hasn't yet risen. When I turn to face the cold bed I'm in, the soft light of dawn is still filtering through the bedroom curtains. This is strange. I slowly stretch my arm across the mattress, seeking the warmth of Maeve. A strange sense of foreboding grows in the pit of my stomach when I find nothing. My ears strain for any sound. Nothing. It’s too quiet.

The sudden spike in adrenaline that something is not right and that I can feel it in my bones slaps me completely awake. I bolt upright, stumbling as I grab my pants and pull them on. I make a beeline for the control room. It doesn't take long to find my dearMaeve as she exits the estate and gets into a taxi.

“Shit,” I mutter through my teeth. I watch the direction her taxi takes off to and instantly switch to the street view cameras. I canaccess every single camera in my territory from here. I track her movements and watch her leave our zone and go straight into the heart of Irish territory. Just what the hell is she playing at? What does she think she’s doing?!

I'm to blame for this. I know that much. I know this is because I went off and handled things on my own. There is some truth there but that does not give her the authority to just turn on me. She is oblivious to how dangerous these people are. She has no idea the depths of the horrors I have seen firsthand from those bastards. Maybe I should have warned her more effectively.

I jog through the hall, stopping only to grab clothes and shoes from my room.

I don't stop when I pass Ada, still groggily leaving her bedroom to head down to breakfast. “Cristiano?” She calls to me, but I can’t stop. If I tell her what Maeve’s done, then she will not only have more questions for me, but she will want to watch or help in some capacity. I need her to stay here and safe. Just like Maeve should have done.

I also don't stop when I see my mother reading the newspaper and sipping her tea. Her brows knit as she peers up over the top of the page. They both call after me with questions, but I can’t stop. I stop near the garage door, pressing my hand against the wall safe and pulling open the panel to reveal a small armory. One of many in the house. Armed and ready, I press the warning bell on the door so that my men are alerted. Anything that comes next won't go well, so they'll all need to be ready for it.

I might already be too late. She’s been gone for hours. I know in my gut that they have her. Whatever reckless actions she made, I have to find her. I have to make sure she’s safe. That’s the only thing that matters now.

Al pulls a car around the garage to meet me. He’s always had a sixth sense for these sorts of things. I slide into the passenger seat without waiting. The tires squeal against the garage flooring as he speeds out and starts to head through the city. He knows better than to ask questions I cannot or will not answer. So instead, he only offers commentary.

“This puts things very ahead of schedule,” Al says softly without taking his eyes off the road for a single second. It was not as if we weren’t planning on making a move against the Irish Mob. That was always the plan. This feud has gone on for far too many years as it is. It’s only right that one of us defeats the other. However, this is way ahead of schedule. Never mind the fact that because of the rushed nature of things, I have to go into this whole situation completely blind. It could be a blatant trap for all I know. The reckless woman that I love chose to walk blindly into danger, and I have no choice but to follow her.

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