Page 64 of Mafia Crown

“Tomorrow night.” Marcus folds the map, tucking it away. “We do this clean, and we do it fast.”

“I’ll go and see Lee,” I say, glad to get away from the Walshes.

“Marcus will go with you,” Patrick says offhandedly.

I hate it. He doesn’t trust me. He shouldn’t, but he doesn’t have to be so obvious about it.

With Marcus, there is no hesitation. No wasted time. “I’ll drive,” he says.

The moment we leave the pub, I scan the area for any sign of Hazel or Mary but they are long gone.

Marcus’s BMW is parked behind the pub. He clicks the keys, and the lights flash, unlocking the car. Marcus gets in, and when I climb into the passenger seat, he glances at me before starting the engine and reversing out the gates along the pub.

After a few minutes, he finally speaks.

“You think you’re special,” he says, not looking at me.

I raise a brow. “Do I?”

He glances at me briefly, then back at the road. “Patrick let you walk out of that room when most men wouldn’t have.”

I don’t answer. He’s right.

Marcus exhales sharply. “You’re alive because he needs you. Don’t mistake that for trust.”

I smirk. “I don’t make mistakes.”

“I can promise you one thing, Kieran, if I find out you have one million euro of our money, I’ll kill you myself.”

“I don’t have it, but I hope you get it back,” I say while keeping every part of me relaxed. They will never find the money or maybe it’s something I need them to find to keep myself alive. I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.

We arrive at Lee’s hideout, and I knock once before the door swings open. Lee doesn’t look surprised to see me. His eyes flick to Marcus, lingering just long enough to register what this means; clearly he thinks he’s in trouble from the way his gaze widens.

“We are here for intel,” I say quickly so he doesn’t start acting guilty.

Lee opens the door, allowing us in.

“We want all the intel on the O’Donnell gang,” Marcus says.

I can see the shift in Lee, he’s nervous around Marcus, but he sets to work. Pulling out files, maps, anything relevant. The O’Donnell gang’s movements, their safe houses, their vulnerabilities—it’s all there. We have all we need.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

HAZEL

THE HOTEL IS nothing like the last one.

I step into the pristine lobby, taking in the grand chandelier overhead, the polished marble floors, the hushed murmur of people who actually belong in a place like this. It’s a stark contrast to the dingy hotel room where Kieran and I spent the night.

Mary walks ahead of me like she owns the place, her heels clicking with confidence. She stops at the reception desk, says something in a smooth, authoritative tone, and within minutes, we have a suite. A suite. I don’t belong here.

Once we’re inside, she turns to me. “Take a shower. I’ll order us some food.”

I don’t move. I don’t want a shower. I don’t want food. My stomach twists with unease, my thoughts circling back to Kieran. I can still feel his hands on me, his body against mine, the way he made me forget everything for a while. But now? Now, I can’t forget.

“Will they kill him?” I ask, my voice smaller than I want it to be.

Mary stops, her eyes narrowing. “You love him?”

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