Page 61 of His Forced Irish Mafia Bride

I looked at him. That wasn’t the phrasing he normally used. “Go on.”

A brief pause, not hesitation in the obvious sense. It was more like he was choosing where to begin, which was already a change from his usual structure. “It’s not operational,” he said. “It’s peripheral.”

That made my attention sharpen slightly. “Say it anyway.”

“Maeve has been moving through restricted areas adjacent to your office corridor.”

I didn’t react outwardly, but something in the room tightened anyway.

“She’s snooping around.” he continued. “Nothing direct. Nothing that would trigger concern on its own.”

I held his gaze. “About what.”

Declan’s answer came steady. “Personnel presence. Routine movement near your office.” A pause, then, carefully, “She’s observing the environment more than the individuals.”

That distinction mattered. I knew it did, because observing the environment meant she was figuring out our structure.

I turned slightly away from him. “She’s allowed access.”

“Yes,” he replied.

I looked back at him. “You brought this to me now because…” I stopped.

Not because I lost the thought. Because I saw the timing in it. Declan answered before I finished.

“Because it’s starting to overlap with operational awareness,” he said. “Not in a dangerous way yet. But in a way that could become one.”

“Your concern?” I asked.

“Is exposure,” he said. I exhaled once through my nose and looked toward the glass.

Maeve wasn’t a variable I didn’t account for. She was one I’d allowed to remain uncontained for longer than usual. On purpose, but allowance had limits. And Declan’s report didn’t feel like a warning.

I turned back. “Keep watching it,” I said.

“Yes,” he replied. But as he left, his pause at the door was fractionally longer than before. And I noticed it again.

***

Gabrielle walked in like she owned the place—no hesitation at the threshold, just the door opening and her presence settling into the space.

I didn’t stand. That alone made her pause for half a second. Then she smiled, faintly. “Still showing up unannounced,” I said.

She looked at me. “Well, yes. What do you think I should do in my lover’s penthouse?” I knew it was a joke, but I didn’t like her saying that.

“Say what you came to say.”

She stepped farther in, her eyes taking in the room without rushing. “You didn’t follow up with me.”

I didn’t respond. She tilted her head slightly. “The deal,” she added. “The one I brought you.”

I leaned back slightly in the chair. “You mean the alliance you explained like a threat.”

Her smile widened just a fraction. “I mean the reason you’re not moving fast enough,” she corrected. “You have a Maeve problem.”

“I don’t have a Maeve problem,” I said.

Gabrielle gave a soft sound, almost amused. “You just keep telling yourself that.”