Dating the Don (Savage Crime Lords #1)

Chapter 20

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 can access 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.

“A necessary choice,” I grouse, already double-checking that the gun is properly loaded. If they have put their hands on her, if they have harmed her in any way because of her connection to me…

Somewhere in the back of my mind, my mother’s words of warning register once more. She is trouble. There’s no denying that Maeve is trouble and that she’s going to continue to be a problem until all of this is sorted out, but she’s more than worth it.

If that means that I’m going to have to challenge her father in a proper duel, then that’s exactly what I’m going to do.

“Do we have a plan, sir?” Al asks as the car speeds up.

I don’t have one. It’s terribly unlike me to make moves like this, but she’s forcing me to be irrational and impulsive. “Get her back, Al,” I answer as I finish with the gun and grab another from the glove compartment. “That’s the only plan.”