The Mafia King She Couldn't Arrest

The First Rule

The maid stood two feet from the bathroom door. A small device buzzed in her hand.

Emma closed her fist around the tracking device inside her palm and pushed the trousers pocket over it. She took one breath and opened the door wide.

The maid did not jump. She lowered the device into her apron and bowed her head. "I am sorry, miss. I did not mean to disturb your bath."

"What is that in your hand?" Emma asked, letting her voice shake a little.

"A thermostat, miss," the maid said, flat and smooth. "Mr. Carter asked me to check the room temperature for you."

"Is that why you were waving it over my pillows?"

The maid looked up. Her cold eyes swept over Emma from head to toe. "We are careful in this house, Miss Stone. I am finished now. Sleep well."

She walked past Emma and left, the heavy door clicking shut behind her.

Emma did not waste time. She went back into the bathroom and turned off the running water. Then she waited. After about ten minutes, there was a sharp knock hitting the bedroom door. Emma's heart pounded as she opened it. Lewis stood in the hallway. He had already removed his coat. He wore only a black shirt with it's sleeves pushed up.

"Are you decent?" he asked, his eyes moving over her wet hair.

"As decent as I can be in clothes soaked by city rain." She stepped back to let him in. "Your maid was just here. She had a strange machine."

Lewis walked into the room and looked around before he looked at her. "Gina. She checks for bugs."

"Bugs?"

"Listening devices, Emma." His voice was calm.

"My uncle Victor has eyes and ears everywhere. I do not trust a room in this house until it has been checked twice a day."

A cold feeling ran through Emma. If she had used her transmitter one minute earlier, that machine would have caught it. "So you check the bed for microphones before you sleep?"

"It is how I stay alive." He walked to the glass balcony door and looked out at the city lights. "We need to set the rules before tomorrow."

"I thought the rule was just to pretend to love you?"

"That is the performance." He turned to face her.

"The rules are different. Rule one: you do not walk anywhere in this house without me or Matteo. If I find you near the east wing or the basement, the deal ends."

Emma crossed her arms. "So I am a prisoner?"

"You are a guest under protection. Some parts of my grandfather's business are not for you to see. For your safety. And for mine."

"And rule two?"

"You do not talk to the staff. You do not ask about the family. You do not ask about the shipments. And you do not ask about my past."

"You are asking me to marry you, Lewis. If I know nothing about you, your grandfather's council will see through me tomorrow night."

He slowly walked toward her and stopped close. "They will ask how we met. Tell them the truth, but leave out the police. Tell them I saved you from a man who wanted to hurt you. The council understands violence. They will believe that."

"And when they ask why a powerful man like you fell for a woman with nothing?"

He reached out and tucked a wet strand of hair behind her ear. His touch was soft, but his eyes stayed dark. "Tell them you gave me something no one in this city can buy."

"What is that?"

"Peace." His voice dropped. "They know I am surrounded by snakes. They will believe I chose a woman with no loyalty to any other family."

Emma looked into his amber eyes, searching for the monster her superiors had warned her about.

"Is that what I am to you? A safe place?"

"You are a tool, Emma. Do not forget that." His voice was low now. "I use you to protect my family's name. You use me to hide from a man who wants you dead. It is a clean trade."

"Nothing in this world is clean, Mr. Carter."

"We will make it clean." He stepped back, and the moment broke. "A dress is in the dressing room. Wear it tomorrow night. Do not be late for breakfast. Seven sharp."

"Wait." Emma called out as he reached the door.

He paused, hand on the knob. "What?"

"What happens if Marcus finds out? What if he comes here with a police warrant?"

A dark smile touched his lips. "This estate is outside the city jurisdiction, Emma. If your ex-boyfriend comes here with a badge, he will disappear before he reaches the driveway. Sleep well, fiancée."

As the door shut, Emma stood alone in the silence. After a moment, she walked to her wet jacket on the chair by the door, reached into the hidden inner pocket, and felt for her backup micro-camera.

It was gone. Her stomach dropped. She checked the other pocket. There was nothing there.

She turned in a slow circle, eyes searching the room. Had Gina found it during the sweep? Or had Lewis taken it back in the alley, when he pulled her off the ground?

A soft scraping sound came from the balcony.

Emma froze, then she crept toward the glass doors, where the curtains moved in a small draft. The rain had stopped. The balcony was wet and dark under the moon.

She pushed the door open and stepped outside.

On the stone tile lay a single black leather glove. It was not Lewis's style. It was the same brand worn by state police tactical units.

Emma looked up at the dark trees at the edge of the

estate. A small red dot moved slowly across the stone railing.

It stopped on her chest.