Courting Danger: An MM Mafia Romance (Ruthless Empire Book 1) by Eve Riley

Author:Eve Riley [Riley, Eve]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Naughty Nights Press LLC
Published: 2024-07-18T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 11

Garrison

Three days after the argument with Alex, I ran down a familiar path. I’d started the run an hour earlier than usual and my breath fogged in the frosty morning air. What little sun peeked over the horizon was mostly blocked by the trunks of the surrounding trees. The time could barely be called dawn when I stopped and sat on a park bench along the side of the trail.

Moments later, familiar uneven footsteps approached. Caden struggled over the gravel path. With his one good arm, he held the cane that kept him upright, while he tried to balance a container of coffee cups with his other arm in a sling.

“Why the hell did you want to meet out here?” Caden collapsed onto the bench, tossing his cane aside and shoving the coffee at me. “It’s too damn early to walk all the way out here. Makes me feel like an old man hobbling around like this. Fuck, I’m not even forty yet. So, what’s up? You better have a good reason for asking me to meet you here.”

I hadn’t asked Caden to bring coffee, but I appreciated it nonetheless. We divided up the cups, then both of us simultaneously leaned back against the bench with a groan.

Minutes passed, each of us taking sips of our drinks in silence before I started the conversation.

“You knew.”

Caden didn’t bother to respond, just gave an inquisitive hum around the paper rim of his cup and waited for me to continue.

“You knew that club was owned by the Italian mafia when you took me there to interview for a job. And based on your reaction when you saw him, you knew exactly who Alex Mariano was. Why didn’t you tell me?”

It was cold enough that the steam from our coffee didn’t last long. The drink had already cooled enough for Caden to chug the rest of his.

“To be honest, I thought you already knew. It wasn’t until you accepted the job as his bodyguard that I realized you didn’t, but what could I do about it then?”

“You could have warned me before even taking me to the club. Even if you assumed I would recognize the Mariano name, I couldn’t have known who owned the club.”

“Well...” Caden reached for his drink, only to remember at the last moment that it was empty. Instead, he fidgeted with the sling supporting his arm. “You needed the money, and the bouncer job was legit. Even if the Mariano family owns it, the place still needs to function as an actual club. So, you wouldn’t need to get involved with anything illegal.”

Half of my coffee still sat in the cup, but I set it aside anyway. “Then why did you pass on Alex’s message to me?”

The look Caden gave me made me feel like my intelligence had suddenly been cut in half.

“I work for the club, so it was easiest for them to get in contact with you through me. And when the Mariano family personally asks you to do something, you don’t tell them no.

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