The Mafia King She Couldn't Arrest

The Interrogation

One could only hear the steady drip of rainwater from Emma’s wet hair onto the marble floor as everywhere became deadly silent after that announcement.

Matteo’s hand remained flat against his jacket, right over his weapon. He didn't blink his eyes. He was just waiting for one nod from Lewis to end her life.

Emma could feel her heart hammering against her ribs, but she kept her face completely still. She had trained for this so if she panicked now, she was dead. She looked from Matteo's cold stare straight into Lewis's amber eyes.

Lewis did not move. He looked down at the tablet in Matteo’s hand, his expression totally unreadable.

"An undercover cop,” He said quietly. He looked up from the screen at her. "Is that true, Emma, that your boyfriend is a cop?"

Emma let out a sound of pure bitterness. "A cop? Is that what he tells people now?"

Matteo stepped closer, his voice dropping an octave. "Don't play games, girl. We have his face on the state database. He belongs to Organized Crime."

"Then go and ask him for his badge!" Emma snapped, turning her anger directly on Matteo.

She took a step toward him, forcing herself to look like a woman pushed to her limit.

"Go find him and ask him why he uses his police access to stalk his ex-girlfriend! Ask him why the police department ignores every single restraining order I try to file against him!"

Lewis raised a single hand. Matteo stopped instantly, though his grip on his holster did not loosen.

"Explain," Lewis commanded, his eyes boring into hers.

Emma let tears of fake frustration roll down her eyes. "Marcus, or whatever his real name is, has been tracking me for a year. He told me he worked in private security. Then I found out he had police files on his laptop. He has pictures of me, records of everywhere I go, everyone I talk to.*

“When I threatened to show them to a judge, he beat me so badly I couldn't walk for a week."

She wiped her face with the back of her bruised hand, letting the pain show clearly.

"I went to the local precinct," Emma continued, her voice cracking. "I showed them the bruises. Do you know what they told me? They told me he was a decorated detective, that I must have misunderstood him. They protected him because he wears a badge. He uses the city's traffic cameras to find me every single time I run!"

She turned to Lewis, her eyes wide and desperate. "You think I brought a cop to your door to trap you? I ran into that alley because I thought he was going to kill me tonight! I didn't know he was using police gear to follow my car!"

Matteo sneered. "It's a pretty story, boss but it's too convenient. I'm sure she's a plant."

"If I were a plant," Emma said, staring directly at Matteo, "would I really bring a high-ranking detective to the scene of my own drop? Would I let him scream his head off in the middle of the street right next to Lewis Carter’s car? If I wanted to spy on you, I would have been much quieter."

Lewis remained silent for a long time. He paced slowly around her, his leather shoes clicking against the stone. He stopped behind her, so close she could feel the heat radiating from his chest.

"Matteo," Lewis said quietly.

"Yes, boss?"

"Did the traffic cameras show him following her, or was he already waiting in the area?"

Matteo looked down at the tablet, tapping the screen. "He followed her vehicle from her apartment complex on the west side. He hung back three cars behind her until she parked near the alley."

"And did he have any backup?" Lewis asked. "Any other police units in the area?"

"No," Matteo admitted, shifting his weight. "Our scanners didn't pick up any police radio chatter in that sector. He was flying solo."

Lewis walked back to where Emma could see him. He gripped her chin once more and tilted her face upward, studying every line of her expression.

"A cop who abuses his power to hunt a woman," Lewis murmured, his thumb brushing against her jawline. "It wouldn't be the first time law enforcement hid a monster in their ranks."

"He is a monster," Emma whispered. "Please, Lewis. If you throw me out now, he will use his badge to lock me away where no one can hear me scream."

Lewis let go of her chin. Then he turned to his enforcer. "Drop the weapon, Matteo."

"Boss—"

"I said drop it," Lewis repeated, his voice hardening into steel. "If the police department wanted to raid this estate, they wouldn't send one rogue detective in combat boots to slap a girl around in an alley. Marcus is a liability to himself. But right now, he is not our primary concern."

Matteo hesitated for a split second, then slowly removed his hand from his jacket. He nodded tightly. "What do you want me to do with his file?"

"Keep an eye on him," Lewis ordered. "If he steps within a mile of my perimeter, remove him from the equation. Nobody touches what belongs to me."

What belongs to me. The words sent a strange, cold shiver through Emma’s chest. She had survived the first test, but the trap was closing around her in ways she hadn't expected.

"Go upstairs, Emma," Lewis said, turning back to her. "The third door on the right. There are clean clothes and a bath. We have a lot of work to do before dinner with the council tomorrow."

"Thank you," she said softly, playing the grateful victim to the very end.

She turned and walked up the grand marble staircase, her cheap heels clicking loudly in the empty space. Her heart didn't slow down until she reached the second-floor corridor. She found the third door on the right and stepped inside.

The room was massive, featuring a king-sized bed with dark silk sheets and a massive glass door that led to a balcony overlooking the city.

Emma locked the door behind her. She walked straight into the bathroom, turned on the heavy gold faucets to let the water roar, and leaned against the sink. She took a deep breath, pulling a tiny, flesh-colored tracking device from the inner lining of her bra.

She needed to log her status immediately. Miller had almost gotten her killed by being careless with the cameras.

She tapped the tiny button on the side of the device three times, signaling that she was safely inside the house.

Suddenly, a faint click sounded from the bedroom.

Emma froze. The water was still running loudly in the tub. She quietly crept back to the bathroom door and peered through the c***k into the dark bedroom.

A figure was standing by the closet. It wasn't Lewis. It was smaller and leaner, moving with absolute silence. The person was holding a small black device, waving it over the mattress and the furniture.

A bug sweeper.

Emma held her breath, her hand tightening around the small tracker in her palm. The figure turned toward the bathroom door, the light from the hallway hitting their face. It was one of the maids she had seen downstairs, but her eyes were cold, sharp, and totally devoid of servant-like humility.

The woman took a step toward the bathroom, her eyes fixing right on the door c***k where Emma was standing.