Page 27 of Dating the Don

Cristiano’s lips pull into a thin line as he struggles to find an answer. I can see the conflict in his eyes. “We’ll find out.”

It’s a promise. I can feel it.

I can’t even be bothered to protest in the slightest as he scoops me up into his arms and carries me out of the building. I let my head rest against his chest, relishing in the scent of him as he takes us to the car back home. I ope that we will have answers soon. But for now, I just need him to keep holding me.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CRISTIANO

Maeve is silent for the first part of the drive home, but she doesn’t leave my lap.

Her head is tucked against my chest and her forehead presses into the curve of my neck. Her grip on my shirt is tight enough that I can see the whites of her knuckles. Her fingers are going to cramp. She may need medical attention. At the very least, a nice cool shower to settle her down. I think that’s going to be the first order of business when we get home. Get her pulse back to normal.

Part of me wants to tell her that this is the sort of life that she’s supposedly signing up for. While it’s not every single day that these things occur, we are at war. Our whole family and the Irish Mob. I know that, in theory, she knows that, but this is the first time that it’s become real to her.

“He called me Miss Sullivan,” she murmurs softly.

I brush an ashy lock of red hair behind her ear. Pieces start to connect. Do they think she’s somebody she’s not? Dennis was speaking of an engagement to somebody named Sullivan. If they were attempting to kidnap her, then it stands to reason that whoever this Sullivan person is, they think it’s her.

“He said that my father had plans for me…” She continues. Another tear rolls down her cheek and sinks into the fabric of my shirt before disappearing.

I wish I had gotten a better look at the man so that I’d have a starting point. I’ve already instructed my men to look into the security footage to see if they can get a positive identification of the man. That’s something of a priority. I want that fucker to pay for daring to touch what’s mine.

“My father died. Even before my mom got the job with your family, he was dead. That’s what she told me whenever I asked. My mother would never lie to me.”

I hate that there’s doubt in her voice.

I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for her to try to piece everything together. To be pulling and pushing at the strings of her life and identity like that. I’m fortunate in that, for better or for worse, I’ve always known who my parents are.

“If he hadn’t died, she wouldn’t have had to work so hard. I keep trying…” She trails off as her chin dimples and she fights back a fresh wave of tears. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her look so vulnerable before. I hate that this has shaken her so much. Even more, I hate that I don’t know what to say to comfort her.

Instead, my mind defaults to strategy and how to make this attack work in my favor.

I just keep trailing back to what Dennis said about the arrangement. It’s too much to simply be a coincidence. As soon as Maeve’s settled, I’m going to have to set my tech team on every mention of a Sullivan associated with the Doyle clan. I know my enemy well. I think I would know if such a name was among their ranks. Self-doubt isn’t something that I normally have to worry about.

But for Maeve? I promised to take care of her. I said that she could surrender control to me and at the first test, I almost failed. I don’t take that lightly.

“I keep trying to think if my mother ever said anything else about him. If she ever said what he looked like, other than the fact that I took more after him,” she sighs and finally lifts her gaze to him. “Do you think… is he alive? Is he this Sullivan person?”

I don’t have a good answer. “I don’t know,” I admit, and the words feel like vinegar on my tongue. “I’m going to get answers.”

Somehow, that seems to settle her.

“I thought that…” She trails off. Her eyes scrunch shut and I hug her closer into my chest.

“Nothing is going to take you from me, Maeve,” I whisper. The words feel like an oath. “No matter what happens from this point forward, I will always protect you. I will always find you. I swear that we will get answers.”

“What if he had my mother murdered?” She hiccups.

Helpless is not something that I’ve ever been before. My chest aches for her. I try to soothe her with my touch but I can’t tell if it’s helping. If this information is one and the same, then the obvious choice is going to be to simply kill Kieran Doyle, Hugh’s heir and only son. I will never let him put his hands on Maeve, not for anything.

“The man who grabbed you… what can you tell me about him? I need to know while it’s fresh,” I say as gently as I can.

“Tall, blond… very Irish,” she shakes her head. “I didn’t even think to ask his name. Clearly, he works for this Sullivan person.”

We drive in silence, nearing the house when something in my memory serves. There was a man who disappeared some years back. I can’t recall just how many. My father had once said that he thought that Callum had succumbed to his wounds. The old right-hand man of Hugh’s… Callum Sullivan. That is why the name was familiar! He was believed to be dead. Had been, formost of my life actually. What was it that the man had gotten shot for? He had been…

My heart thuds uncomfortably in my chest as the memory finally surfaces.

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