Exposed to the CEO Behind the Mafia Mask

Chapter 403: Chapter 187 Dangerous Lies

Lila’s POV

We had gathered at Xavier’s secure compound for a relaxing afternoon by the pool and barbecue. It had been since the brutal takedown of that psychotic witch Nancy, and life within the Thorne family’s protection seemed to have returned to its usual dangerous normalcy.

Almost normal, anyway. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was eating at Daniel lately. Just moments ago, he’d stepped away from our group to take what looked like an urgent call, his entire posture radiating the kind of tension I’d seen when rival families made moves against Thorne territory. This wasn’t new behavior either. For days now, he’d been jumpy as hell, constantly checking encrypted messages on his burner phone and disappearing for mysterious meetings. I’d initially written it off as family business stress, knowing better than to pry too deeply into Thorne operations.

Ruby dropped onto the lounger beside me, her sharp eyes catching my worried expression immediately. ”What’s got you looking like someone’s about to start a war, Little June?”

”Nothing’s wrong, Ru,” I replied, trying to keep my voice steady.

She rolled her eyes with the exasperation of someone who’d survived too many family secrets. ”Don’t feed me that bullshit. And don’t pull a Gemma by keeping us in the dark when something serious is going down. Should I just signal Zoe over here right now?” The threat in her voice carried real weight. I knew exactly what would happen if Zoe got involved in this - Daniel would find himself subjected to her particular brand of enhanced interrogation techniques, the kind that left grown men confessing sins they’d forgotten they’d committed.

”Please don’t bring Zo into this,” I pleaded. ”It’s just that Daniel’s been acting strange lately.”

”Strange how?” Ruby followed my gaze toward him, watching as he paced near the compound’s reinforced perimeter. ”I mean, yeah, he seems more on edge than usual, and he’s practically married to that encrypted phone. But he’s Thorne family security - paranoia keeps us all breathing.”

”This feels different, Ru. I can’t put my finger on it, but my gut’s screaming that something’s wrong. Maybe I’m just being paranoid myself.”

”Have you confronted him about it?” She continued observing as Daniel gestured sharply during his call, his free hand instinctively checking the concealed weapon at his hip.

I sighed deeply. ”I don’t want to come off as some clingy civilian girlfriend who can’t handle the family business. The gap between his world and mine is already massive - I don’t need him thinking I’m too naive to understand how things work in this life.”

”Lila, noticing changes in your man’s behavior and feeling concerned isn’t naive - it’s smart survival instinct. In our world, when someone starts acting secretive, it usually means blood’s about to spill. You need to have this conversation with him.”

”You’re right. I’ll corner him when we get back to the safe house tonight.”

Shortly after, Daniel approached me, his face carrying the kind of grim expression that usually preceded family enforcement actions.

”Little one, something urgent came up with Thorne operations. I need to handle some business at headquarters,” he said, leaning down to kiss me with an intensity that felt almost desperate.

”I’ll come with you. You can drop me at the safe house on the way,” I said, already reaching for my things.

”No!” The sharpness in his voice made me freeze. He immediately softened his tone, but I caught the flash of something like panic in his eyes. ”Little one, stay here and enjoy yourself. It’s a beautiful day - spend it with the family.”

”Trying to sneak away with your deadly enforcer, Lila?” Zoe materialized beside us, martini in hand and that predatory smile that usually meant someone was about to have a very bad day.

”Daniel got called away on Thorne business, so I figured I’d head back too,” I explained.

Zoe’s eyebrow arched in that way that had made seasoned capos sweat. ”Martinez, I thought today was your stand-down day?”

”Family business doesn’t take days off,” he replied with a strained smile that didn’t reach his eyes. ”But I’m telling my little one to stay here where it’s secure.” He ran his fingers through my hair in that protective gesture that usually melted my resolve.

”She absolutely should stay,” Zoe declared with authority. ”Finn and I will escort her back to the safe house later - we’re in the same sector anyway.”

”That won’t be necessary,” Daniel countered with an edge to his voice. ”I’ll come back for my little one once I’ve handled the situation at headquarters.” His smile looked more like a grimace.

”Daniel, is everything really under control?” I couldn’t help asking, that gnawing worry in my gut getting stronger.

”Yes, just routine security protocols. I wish I could stay here with you though.” He kissed me again, this time with a lingering intensity that felt like goodbye. ”I’ll be back to collect you later.”

As he prepared to leave, I noticed him discretely pull Xavier aside for what looked like urgent whispered instructions. Both Zoe and I caught this exchange, and the look that passed between us confirmed we were thinking the same thing.

”That was suspicious as hell,” Zoe commented once he’d disappeared through the compound’s secured gates. ”What’s really going on, Little June? And don’t you dare say ’nothing’ because I can smell lies from three blocks away.”

Nothing ever escaped Zoe’s notice - it’s what made her so valuable to the Thorne family’s intelligence network. Seeing my increasingly worried expression, she quickly gathered the girls and led us to the private sauna room where we could speak freely without surveillance concerns.

Inside the steamy sanctuary, I finally opened up about Daniel’s increasingly erratic behavior - the encrypted calls at all hours, including middle-of-the-night conversations that had him speaking in hushed, urgent tones, his unusual solo trips to Thorne headquarters during his scheduled downtime, and his constant state of hypervigilance that went beyond normal family security protocols.

”When did this pattern start?” Ivy asked, her face showing the kind of concern that came from surviving too many family betrayals.

”It’s been building for a while now,” I admitted reluctantly.

”And you didn’t think to share this intelligence with your family?” Zoe’s tone carried the dangerous calm that preceded violent retribution. ”Are you channeling Gemma’s tendency to handle deadly situations solo?”

”Initially, I genuinely believed it was just increased security measures after the Nancy situation. But as his behavior became more erratic and secretive, I started having serious doubts about what he’s really involved in,” I explained.

Ruby’s eyes narrowed with the calculating look of someone planning strategic warfare. ”Well, we’re going to uncover the truth behind this, even if I have to unleash Zo’s enhanced interrogation techniques on him.” We all laughed, though mine felt hollow and forced.

When we returned to the pool area, we noticed the men clustered around the grill in what was clearly a strategic planning session rather than casual conversation.

”Perfect, now they’re all acting like they’re planning a hostile takeover,” Ivy observed dryly.

”I don’t think they’re acting suspicious, Ivy. I know they are,” Zoe crossed her arms with the decisive air of someone about to initiate a full-scale investigation. ”Let’s give them enough rope to hang themselves.”

Later that afternoon, Zoe’s encrypted phone buzzed. A predatory smile spread across her face as she checked the secure caller ID.

”Time to verify whether our boy actually went to Thorne headquarters,” she said, showing us Inspector Adler’s name on the screen before answering on speaker. ”Adler, my favorite dirty cop!”

”Boss lady! How’s life at the top of the food chain?” came the cheerful reply.

”Profitable as always. What about you?”

”I need some expert advice from the queen of fixing impossible situations.”

”My consultation fees have gone up,” Zoe teased, eliciting laughter from Adler.

”Whatever you want, Boss lady - you know I’m good for it!”

”So what’s the crisis?”

”My wife’s ready to put a contract out on me because I had to work today instead of taking her to some family gathering at the lake. I need a foolproof way to make amends unless I want to be sleeping in the garage indefinitely.” Zoe chuckled at his domestic predicament.

”I’ll send you details for an exclusive spa that caters to family wives. Book their premium couples package and drop my name - they’ll treat you both like royalty. She’ll forgive you instantly, especially if you can get in tonight after your shift.”

”You’re a lifesaver, Boss lady! Your reputation for fixing the unfixable is well-earned,” Adler said gratefully. ”What can I do to balance the books?”

”Why are you pulling duty today, Adler?” Zoe asked with calculated casualness.

”Someone from the rival task force called in sick and asked me to cover their surveillance detail. Easy money.”

”Interesting! Is Martinez working the Thorne security detail today too?” Her tone remained deliberately neutral.

”No, Martinez is off rotation today. Probably holed up somewhere secure with his civilian girlfriend.”

”I see. I’ll let you know how you can repay this favor, Adler.”

”Deal, Boss lady. You know I’m always available for family business.”

After ending the call, we all stared at Zoe with a mixture of admiration and growing alarm.

”Since when did you and Adler become such close allies?” Ivy asked, clearly surprised by the familiarity.

”That partnership developed during your pregnancy complications. He kept me updated on all the Roman investigation details and potential threats to family security. I ended up meeting his household - his wife is absolutely charming and completely ignorant of what her husband actually does for the Thorne family,” Zoe explained matter-of-factly. ”We maintain regular contact for intelligence purposes.”

”How did none of us know about this connection?” Ruby wondered aloud.

”You never asked, and operational security demanded discretion,” Zoe shrugged. ”Now, can we focus on the immediate threat? Martinez lied about Thorne headquarters requiring his presence today. Time to apply serious pressure on these idiots and find out what kind of game he’s playing.”

My heart felt like it was being squeezed in a vice, and I felt my throat constricting with fear. What kind of dangerous secrets was Daniel keeping from me? In the Thorne family’s world, lies usually meant someone was about to die.