Page 21 of Forbidden Daddy
"What do you have?" The question was barely more than a whisper, but it carried the weight of a death sentence.
Declan’s smile widened, cold and dangerous. "You’re not going to like it."
8
ROMAN
Iforced my breathing to steady as Declan settled into the leather chair across from my desk. The scent of Cassie still clung to my clothes, and I could feel the heat of where her body had been pressed against mine moments before. But the moment Declan had mentioned the mole, everything else faded into background noise.
"Talk," I said, pouring myself another whiskey despite the early hour. My hands were steadier than they had any right to be.
Declan pulled out a tablet, his eyes scanning the screen with cool detachment. "Three shipments intercepted in the last two weeks. Two deals that fell through because law enforcement got ‘anonymous tips’ about our meetings. And yesterday, the feds raided the Baltimore operation—walked away with enough evidence to put half our associates behind bars."
The whiskey burned going down, but it did nothing to cool the rage building in my chest. "How much did we lose?"
"Financially? About twelve million. But that’s not the real problem." Declan’s fingers drummed against the arm of his chair—a nervous tell I’d learned to read years ago. "The problem is that someone knew exactly when and where to strike. Someone with access to our most sensitive information."
I stood and walked to the windows, watching the morning sun cast long shadows across the estate grounds. My territory. My kingdom. And someone was trying to tear it down from the inside.
"Who had access to all three operations?" I asked without turning around.
"That’s where it gets interesting." I heard papers rustle behind me. "The shipping manifests, the meeting locations, the Baltimore warehouse—only eight people knew about all three. And Roman?" His voice dropped lower. "One of them isn’t who they appear to be."
The implication hit me like a physical blow. Eight people. My inner circle. Men I’d trusted with my life, my business, my fucking future. One of them was a snake, feeding information to my enemies while breaking bread at my table.
"Names," I said, my voice deadly quiet.
"Connor, Joey, Tommy, Sean, Fion, and myself..." He paused, and I could feel his eyes boring into my back. "And your new fiancée."
I turned around slowly, every muscle in my body coiled tight. "Excuse me?"
Declan leaned back in his chair, his expression carefully neutral. But there was something in his eyes—something calculating that made my skin crawl. "I’m just being thorough, Roman. She’s been your assistant for five months. She’s been present forsensitive conversations. She has access to your office, your files, your schedule."
"She’s not the mole, Declan." The words came out sharper than I intended.
"How can you be sure?" He stood, moving to the bar cart with predatory grace. "She’s an outsider, Roman. No family connections, no history with our organization. For all we know, she could be working for the feds. Or worse—for Mickey’s old associates."
The mention of my uncle’s name made my jaw clench. Mickey Creed, my father’s brother, the man who’d tried to seize control after Patrick’s death. The man I’d been forced to put down when diplomacy failed. Mickey had allies—people who still believed he should have inherited the Creed empire instead of me.
"Cassie isn’t working for anyone," I said, but even as the words left my mouth, doubt crept in.How well did I really know her?Five months of professional interaction and two days of explosive chemistry didn’t exactly constitute a thorough background check.
Declan poured himself a drink, his movements deliberate and theatrical. "She’s not one of us, Roman. She doesn’t understand our world, our codes, our loyalties. She’s a risk."
"She’s my fiancée."
"Is she?" Declan’s pale eyes met mine over the rim of his glass. "Or is she just a convenient solution to your inheritance problem?"
The question hung in the air like smoke, acrid and suffocating. Because that’s exactly what Cassie was supposed to be—aconvenient solution. A beautiful, intelligent woman who could help me legitimize the business while satisfying the family’s demands for stability.
But somewhere between our two desperate fucking encounters, the lines had blurred. Cassie wasn’t just a business arrangement anymore. She was becoming something more dangerous—something I cared about.
"My personal life isn’t your concern," I said finally.
Declan’s smile was sharp as a blade. "Everything about you is my concern. That’s what a consigliere does—he protects his boss from all threats. Including the ones he can’t see coming."
He stepped closer, and I caught the scent of his expensive cologne. "You’re changing the way we operate for her, Roman. Bringing her to family meetings, letting her into secure areas, and sharing information that should be compartmentalized. That’s not leadership—it’s compromise."
The accusation hit home because it was true. I had been making exceptions for Cassie, breaking protocols I’d established specifically to prevent security breaches. But it wasn’t compromise—it was trust. Something Declan wouldn’t understand.
