A Treacherous King- Dark Mafia Romance

thirty nine

Caine

Maeve runs her hands up and down my shirt, her body almost visibly shaking with nerves.

"I need to tell you something." She says, her gaze not meeting my eyes.

I rub her shoulders comfortingly, hoping that whatever is bothering her doesn't involve what transpired between us last night.

I hated leaving her this morning. Her features looked so soft and content. Her dark hair had contrasted with the white sheets on my bed, her full lips parted slightly. I couldn't help thinking how beautiful she was and how I could have ever overlooked it. I wanted nothing more than to pull her closer to me and sleep in, but the Bratva had other plans.

I had caught myself smiling several times today, the image of her being back in my arms again tonight. I couldn't wait to get back to my manor and see her, to hold her and kiss her again. But now, seeing the blatant discomfort on her face has me in a panic. I refuse to allow the one good thing my life has me brought me to escape, especially now that I've had my fill of her.

"It's Ilya." She breathes.

I still. My body seems to shut down completely. I'm not even sure I'm breathing, waiting for her to land the blow. What does she mean it's Ilya? I will burn and maim everyone and everything Ilya cares about if he has somehow wedged himself in between Maeve and I.

"He came here." She continues.

"What?" My voice like a slicing blade. Maeve grabs my hands, her brown eyes are pleading me, begging me to hear her out. But it's kind of hard to hear her over the rush of blood pumping in my veins. I pull away from her, the intent of murdering Leo who is still downstairs. How could Sokolov sneak his way into Maeve's room, into my fucking house without alerting anyone?

Maeve reaches for me again, grasping my arm. "He came to warn us. He says that Vlad is planning an attack on you and your men in three days. He wants to arrange a meeting with you." Her words still my movements.

I turn to face her, her are eyes wide, her chest rising and falling quickly.

"A meeting?" I deadpan.

"Yes. He gave me this." She holds out a small cell phone. "He said he will text the location to this burner. He asked you to come alone."

I scoff. "Of course he wants me to come alone. He will have a militia waiting to mow me down the moment I step out of the car." I bite out.

"I don't think so." Maeve concedes. I pause, not liking the defensive note her voice has taken over Ilya.

"And why should I believe him?" I contest.

"He didn't know about the attack on the docks. I don't think he trusts his father." She admits.

"What makes you think he didn't know?" I question.

"I...I saw the look on his face whenever you mentioned the attack. He was surprised." I also noted the fleet look of surprise on his face when I mentioned the docks, but had written it off as nothing more than another one of his schemes.

"Could have been a trick. This all could be apart of their plan. To get you to trust him only for him to ambush me when I'm not guarded." Ilya was known for his ability to fool people into trusting him. Those devilish good looks and charming personality was all for show. A cunning trickster hid behind that mask, waiting to ensnare an unfortunate soul.

"I don't think he will pull anything. I think he's starting to realize that he can't trust his father." Maeve's confidence in Ilya's innocence is endearing, but she's only recently been exposed to this life. Men like Ilya and I have only ever known the mafia. We know how to scheme and manipulate people to get what we want.