Page 5 of Reckless Royalty

Giovanni leans forward, bracing his elbows on his knees.

“This isn’t just about keeping her alive, Mihai. If she talks, she could tip the scales in our favor. The Cartel is in chaos right now, and everyone knows Sofia is too young to take over. This is a power struggle, and your father’s playing the long game.”

“Yeah, I get that,” I reply, my voice tense. “But why me? Why not put someone else on this?”

Connor grins, leaning back on the couch again. “Because you’re the only one stubborn enough to keep her safe, even if you don’t want to.”

Giovanni nods, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Ion trusts you, Mihai. This is your chance to prove your worth as his heir.”

I laugh, the sound bitter and hollow. “Trust. Sure. Or maybe he just knows I can’t say no.”

“Either way,” Connor interrupts, “you’re stuck with her. How bad could it be? You’ve had worse jobs.”

I shoot him a look. “This isn’t about the job. It’s about the fact that we’re all walking on thin ice right now. A Crown is fucking dead, and we’re nowhere close to finding out who the fuck ratted out or killed Santiago.”

“Which is exactly why you can’t afford to fuck this up,” Giovanni says. “The mission is important because someone killed a Crown; it could be any one of us in the years to come. And I’d like to think you all would put the same fucking effort into avenging me if the same were to happen.”

The room goes silent for a moment, the weight of the situation settling over us like a heavy blanket. I know Giovanni’s right. He always is when it comes to shit like this.

It isn’t just about keeping Madison alive—it’s about keeping control. And right now, control is slipping through our fingers faster than I’d like.

I turn away, walking toward the large windows that overlook the city. The lights below blur together, a mix of neon and darkness that feels just as chaotic as everything swirling in my head.

“Mihai,” Nikolai’s voice cuts through the quiet, softer now, “you’ve got this. You’ve dealt with worse. Just keep your head on straight.”

I nod, though I don’t turn around. He’s right. I’ve been through hell before. But this… this feels different. It feels like there’s more at stake, like there’s no room for mistakes.

“Still,” I say, my voice firm, “the Cartels will want Madison dead, and if they find out where she is, they’ll stop at nothing to get to her.”

“We’ll be ready.” Giovanni drawls.

Turning, I lean back against the window behind me, crossing my arms over my chest.

“I don’t like this,” I admit quietly. “I don’t like that we’re relying on her to solve this mess.”

Nikolai rests a hand on my shoulder. “You don’t have to like it, Mihai. You just have to do your part.”

I sigh, nodding slightly. He’s right. I don’t have to like any of this. But I do have to see it through.

“Tomorrow morning,” I say, pushing off the wall. “We’ll get her out of here. After that, we’ll figure out what the next move is.”

Connor claps his hands together, his grin back in place. “Good. Let’s just get through this without any more drama, yeah?”

I shoot him a look. “This is us, Connor. There’s always drama.”

He laughs, shaking his head. “Aye, but a guy can hope. Besides, you literally fuckin’ handle The Day of Silence, this should be a piece of cake for you.”

We all collectively groan at Connor’s shitty joke, and I shake my head, feeling the tension ease just a little. These guys—they’re my family, my brothers. We’ve been through worse together, and we’ll get through this, too.

As long as Madison Graves doesn’t crack before we do.

MADDY

The morning air is cold, biting against my skin as I step outside the Vasile estate. My breath fogs in front of me, and I pull my jacket tighter around myself. I don’t want to do this—leave or be around these people—but it’s not like I have a choice. Not if I want to stay alive.

A black SUV pulls up in front of me, its windows tinted dark. The door swings open, and Mihai steps out. He’s dressed in black again and has an unreadable expression on his face. I can’t tell if he’s still pissed about this whole situation or if this is just who he is.

Probably both.

---