Page 51 of Mafia Crown

“I need you to decrypt a SIM,” I tell him, keeping my tone sharp and to the point.

Lee groans. “Kieran, you’re dragging me into something messy again, aren’t you? Patrick would kill me if—”

“I know,” I cut him off. “But this might save your ass, too. Trust me.”

A long pause. I can almost hear him weighing his options, and I know he doesn’t have many.

“Fine. Send it through,” he says.

I do, tapping on the screen as I send the encrypted data. While I wait, I glance over my shoulder. Hazel’s crouched down by the first-aid kit, organizing the supplies. Charlie is rightat herside, his head brushing against her leg every time she moves. Every few minutes, she reaches down to scratch behind his ears without even thinking, like it’s second nature. A smile tugs at the corner of my mouth. She fits here—too well.

Lee’s voice draws my attention back to the call.

“Got it,” Lee says. His voice is tighter now, more serious. “Wow. It looks like you hit the jackpot.” He states. “It’s filled with messages”. I look at the screen briefly, but the messages confirm. “The O’Donnell gang was hired by a third party to kidnap Mary. They failed, but they’re not giving up. The messages suggest they’ve shifted tactics.”

I clench the phone tighter, the weight of his words sinking in. “What do you mean?”

“They’re using Hazel as bait,” Lee explains. “They’re banking on Mary coming out of hiding to save her friend. And once they have her, they’ll strike the Walsh family.”

I take a breath, slow and steady, as my mind processes the new intel. The O’Donnells aren’t just a threat—they’re an immediate one. And Hazel, whether she realizes it or not, is the key to their plan. But now, I have something they didn’t expect: explosive proof of their involvement.

This isn’t just leverage. It’s our way out. I can use this to buy Hazel’s safety. And mine.

“Good,” I tell Lee. “This is exactly what I need to bring to Patrick.”

“Kieran.” Lee’s voice sounds hushed now. “Man, you better do it soon. He’s not happy, and neither are his sons. Everyone is antsy since Hazel is still alive and could start talking at any moment.”

“I know where she is. I’m going to get her and finish this,” I say.

I hang up and turn to Hazel. She’s still in the kitchen, but now she’s watching me, her hand resting on Charlie’s head. I stride over to her, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. Her eyes search mine, probably sensing the shift in my mood.

“We’ve got what we need,” I murmur, voice low.

Her lips part like she’s about to ask something, but I can’t give her answers yet. Not until I’m sure she’s safe. For now, she just needs to trust me. And for the first time in a long time, I want to believe someone will.

I press another kiss to her forehead, longer this time. “Let me take care of this. I’m getting us out of here.”

And this time, I mean it.

I pull out the second phone, the one I’ve been using to stay in contact with Mary. The screen lights up, the familiar thread of messages blinking at me, but I don’t need to keep pushing her anymore. If she hasn’t deposited the money by now, it doesn’t matter. It would’ve been a nice sum—enough to start fresh, away from all of this—but things have changed. Money can’t solve this problem.

I turn the phone over in my hand, my thumb tracing the edge of the cheap plastic casing. Instead of focusing on Mary, my attention shifts to the burner phone sitting on the table, the one loaded with evidence that’ll suggest Sean was planning to use Hazel for ransom. It’s all there, just enough breadcrumbs to lead Patrick exactly where I want him to go. Sean was talking to someone, making plans that never panned out. The trail will lead to a dead end, of course—it has to. But Patrick doesn’t need to know that.

Now, with the new intel Lee gave me, I have more than enough to convince Patrick. The O’Donnell gang wanted Mary all along, just like he suspected. And now I can hand him what he needs to finish the job. In return, I’ll ask for what I need—my freedom. Hazel’s freedom.

If he agrees, we’re gone. No more looking over our shoulders. No more running. If he refuses?

I’ll deal with that when the time comes.

My hand tightens around the phone, and I exhale through my nose, forcing the tension out of my chest. The one thing I know for certain is we can’t stay here. They’ll keep coming, wave after wave, until they finally overwhelm us. I won’t let that happen.

I glance over my shoulder. Hazel is sitting at the table with the blood-soaked tea towel I used earlier in her hands; Charlie sits at her feet, his head resting on her leg as if he senses something is wrong. I swallow the lump in my throat and turn back to the burner phone.

We need to be ready—everything cleaned, packed, and burned if necessary.

I walk to the small table in the corner and grab my other phones, all of them. There’s a certain finality in wiping the data clean, erasing every trace of my presence. But this isn’t the first time I’ve done it, and it won’t be the last. As I scroll through the settings, my mind runs through the next steps.

We’ll pack what we can carry. The rest gets left behind. I won’trisk leavinga trail. One more stop before I face Patrick and plead my case.

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