Page 52 of Reckless Royalty

I grit my teeth, trying to keep my own anger in check.

“I’ll go with you,” I say to Connor. I need to make sure my father knows exactly what happened, and that this isn’t just some small-time hit job. This is bigger.

As soon as the words leave my mouth, Maddy tenses against me, her grip tightening on my shirt. She shakes her head, burying her face deeper into my chest. My heart twists painfully. She doesn’t want me to go. I can feel her panic, the fear that if I leave, something bad will happen again.

Fuck.

I lean down, my lips close to her ear, keeping my voice low and soothing. “I’ll be right outside,frumoasa.I’m not going anywhere, I promise. Cat and Chiara will stay here with you.”

She shakes her head, her eyes wide and full of fear, and I feel like an asshole for even suggesting leaving her. But this is something I have to do.

She doesn’t move at first, doesn’t let go. It takes a few more whispered reassurances before I feel her slowly loosen her grip. Her fingers uncurl from my shirt, and she pulls away just enough to look up at me, her big brown eyes filled with uncertainty.

I brush a thumb across her cheek, trying to give her the softest smile I can manage. “I’ll be right outside,” I repeat. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

She nods, and finally lets go, shifting off my lap to sit on the bed. Maddy’s breathing slows, and after a long moment, she finally lets go of me, though I can tell it’s taking everything she has to trust that I’ll come back.

I brush my thumb gently across her cheek again before standing up, leaving her with Chiara and Cat. Chiara immediately takes her hand, offering her a reassuring smile, while Cat sits down next to her, rubbing her back gently.

“Don’t worry, we’ve got her,” Cat says softly, giving me a reassuring nod.

Chiara adds, “We’ll keep her safe, Mihai.”

I glance back at Maddy one more time before I stand up, my jaw clenched as I head toward the door. The second I step out into the hallway, I’m hit with a wave of emotions—rage, fear, protectiveness. It’s overwhelming, and I need to get my shit together fast.

Connor, Nikolai, and Giovanni follow me out, the door clicking shut behind us. As soon as we’re downstairs, I can feel all three of them staring at me with matching smirks, like they know something I don’t.

“What the fuck’s with those looks?” I snap, already on edge.

Connor’s grin is the widest, and he gives me a knowing look. “Mate, I think she’s attached.”

I scowl, not in the mood for his teasing right now. “Shut the fuck up, Connor.”

But Nikolai chimes in, his smirk just as irritating. “Nah, he’s right. She didn’t want to let go of you, man. And let me tell you, I don’t think it’s just because you’re the closest Crown.”

Giovanni chuckles, shaking his head. “Can’t say I blame her. Looking at that fucker’s face, you went full beast mode back there.”

“Fucking hell,” I mutter, rubbing the back of my neck. I know they’re just messing around, but it’s not the time for jokes. Not when Maddy’s upstairs, scared out of her mind, and there’s a goddamn traitor in our ranks.

Connor slaps a hand on my shoulder, still grinning. “Relax, Mihai. We know you’re not going anywhere. But you’ve gotta admit, she’s gotten under your skin.”

I shrug off his hand, shooting him a glare. “Yeah, well, it’s not like I asked for this. I was doing fine before all this shit.”

“Were you, though?” Nikolai cuts in, raising an eyebrow.

I don’t answer, mostly because he’s not wrong. I have been on edge since Maddy came into our lives, and tonight just pushed it all over the line.

Giovanni leans against the wall, crossing his arms. “So what’s the plan? We break this guy and get the info, then what? We’ve got a mole, and it’s gonna take more than just interrogating one asshole to figure out who’s behind it.”

“Yeah, first step is making sure we get everything out of that piece of shit who attacked Maddy,” I say. “Once we have names, we go from there.”

“And our fathers?” Connor asks, his tone more serious now.

I clench my fists, trying to rein in the frustration that’s bubbling up again. “They need to know what’s happening. If there’s a mole, it could go deeper than we think. I’ll go with you to tell them.”

Connor studies me for a moment, then nods. “Alright. Let’s go.”

Nikolai walks beside me, his hands shoved into his pockets as he glances over at me. “You know, it’s not a bad thing,” he says casually.

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