Reckless Royalty (Willow Bridge Academy #2)

Maddy

MADDY

30TH APRIL 2023

BUCHAREST, ROMANIA

T hree days.

It’s been three days since I watched my Mum and sister die. Three days since I saw the blood, heard the gunshots, and felt the air shatter around me. I should’ve never chosen that restaurant, but I did— and now they’re gone because of me.

That’s the part that leaves me gutted. Out of all the places we could’ve gone for my birthday, I thought it would be fun. Some trendy little spot near the city center with overpriced cocktails and live music. I wanted to impress them with the good money I was finally making at my new job.

Now I can’t stop thinking about how my choice put them in the line of fire. How it got them killed.

I swallow hard, my throat still raw, even though I haven’t spoken a word since it happened. Not to the police, not to anyone. Even when they begged me to tell them who I saw—who pulled the trigger.

It’s like my voice broke when the bullets started flying, and now it’s buried so deep, I can’t reach it. It’s locked somewhere so far inside, along with the screams I never let out.

The black SUV pulls up to an estate that looks more like a fortress. The gate swings open, and we drive inside without stopping. I’m sitting in the back, silently staring out the window at the manicured lawns.

I still don’t know where I’m going; all the police told me was it would be for my own safety. It’s not like I could fight them on it, since I can’t even speak.

The car stops, and the driver—a man I don’t know—opens the door for me. “Miss Graves, we’re here,” he says with a thick accent.

I nod, even though I don’t feel like moving. I force myself out of the car, wrapping my arms around myself as the wind cuts through the thin sweater I’m wearing. The estate looms in front of me, massive and intimidating.

No matter what the police say, it doesn’t feel like safety. Nothing does anymore.

The driver leads me inside, where two guards are standing by the door. They glance at me but say nothing as we walk through the grand hall.

The interior is elegant but cold, all polished wood and marble, like the kind of place you can’t touch anything without feeling apprehensive. I don’t belong here, but then again, I don’t belong anywhere anymore.

“Mr. Vasile will see you now,” the driver says, stopping in front of a large set of double doors.

I blink. Vasile? As in Ion Vasile, the crime boss ?

I nod again, since that’s the only thing I can do lately— my throat tight and my heart pounding harder than it should be.

There’s no point in being afraid of this. I’ve already lived through the worst of it. Still, I feel like I’m walking into the lion’s den.

The doors open, and I step inside.

My breath hitches as I see Ion Vasile sitting behind a massive desk, looking exactly like the kind of man who could control an empire. King of the Romanian Mob, you would have to be pretty dumb not to recognize the man who owns every dark place in this city.

And the police think the safest place for me is right here… with a mob kingpin? This man must be more powerful than I thought, seeing as he has the police completely in his pocket.

He’s older than I remember from pictures in the papers, his hair streaked with silver, his face lined with age but sharp with authority.

But when his eyes meet mine, there’s a softness there that catches me off guard. He doesn’t look like the monster people say he is. In fact, there’s something almost fatherly about the way he nods at me.

I tighten my grip on the sleeves of my jacket, a nervous habit I can’t shake. My fingers are cold, and my heart is racing.

“Madison Graves,” he says, his voice even, calm. “I understand this is not where you thought your life would be three days ago.”

No. Three days ago, I didn’t know how much blood one person could lose before they stopped breathing.

I stare at him, my throat tightening as his words land like stones in my chest. I want to respond. I want to tell him it’s my fault. That they weren’t supposed to be there. That if I had just picked somewhere else…

But the words get trapped inside me, like everything else. Instead, I just nod, my lips pressed together in a hard line.

Ion doesn’t seem surprised by my silence. He gestures to one of the chairs across from him. “Sit, please.”

I don’t hesitate, sinking into the chair without a sound, my mind racing. He’s so composed, so different from the men who surround him—thick-necked enforcers with scars and dead eyes. But there’s no denying that this man is more dangerous than all of them combined.

“My condolences. I’m sorry for what you’ve been through,” he continues, his voice softening like he actually means it. “No one should have to witness what you did, let alone lose family in the process.”

My breath catches, and I clench my hands in my lap, squeezing tight enough to leave half-moon indentations in my skin. He’s not telling me anything I don’t already know.

So much blood, the dead look in my little sister’s eyes, the metallic smell. My mother didn’t want to go, but I pushed. They weren’t supposed to be, if I’d just ? —

Ion clears his throat, bringing my attention back to him and out of the same spiral I’ve gone down for the past three days. His dark eyes are steady, calculating, but not unkind.

“I won’t sugarcoat this for you, Madison,” Ion continues, leaning forward slightly, resting his elbows on the desk. “You witnessed something you were never meant to see. It was a targeted hit, a mob execution. Santiago was a good friend of mine but also a man with many enemies, and someone finally made a move against him.”

Santiago. So that was the man who was sitting just behind us. The man I barely noticed until everything went to hell, the man who was arguing with someone about some… deal.

“The people responsible for the deaths of your family,” he says, pausing as if to soften the blow, “are powerful. They have connections that span across borders, and they will stop at nothing to ensure there are no loose ends.”

Loose ends. That’s what I am now. A dangling thread who could unravel their entire world if I had to tell them what I heard. The image of the blood bubbling out of my little sister’s mouth flashes in my mind, and I feel a sudden wave of nausea.

“You’re safe here, but it won’t be enough. Not for long.”

A shiver runs down my spine. I know what he’s saying. I’ve known it since the police found me, their pitying eyes telling me more than their words ever could. No one is safe. Not even here.

Ion leans back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest as he watches me. “That’s why you’re going to a place called Willow Bridge. It’s secluded, secure and the only place where you’ll be protected from the people who want you dead.”

I flinch at the word— dead . It’s one thing to know that I’m a target, but another thing to hear it spoken aloud. Like it’s already been decided, and I’m just waiting for it to happen.

“I know this is a lot to take in,” he says, “but it’s the only way to ensure your safety. And I’ve assigned someone to be with you at all times. My son, Mihai, will be your personal bodyguard.”

Bodyguard. Like I’m some kind of package needing to be kept safe until they decide what to do with me. I’m not a person anymore; I’m just a problem that needs solving.

The door behind me opens, and I hear footsteps. Ion looks over my shoulder, and I know it’s Mihai before I even turn around.

“Mihai,” his father says, his voice carrying a tone of authority. “This is Madison Graves.”

I force myself to look up as Mihai steps into the room. Every popular entertainment place knows Mihai Vasile and how he spends his money. He’s tall and tanned, broad-shouldered, with a sharp jawline and brown eyes that give nothing away.

He looks every bit like his father—cold, controlled, dangerous. His long black curls just reach his shoulders, brushing against a crowned skull tattoo on his neck. He’s dressed in a fitted black shirt and jeans, the kind of casual that only comes from someone who knows they have all the power in the room.

He glances at me, his blank eyes flicking over my face with the briefest hint of disinterest. Like this whole situation is just a waste of his time. There’s no kindness there, no warmth, just an acknowledgment that this is his job, and nothing more.

“We leave for Willow Bridge tomorrow morning,” he says, his tone clipped, like he can’t wait to get this over with. “I’ll make sure everything is arranged. You don’t need to worry about a thing.”

Except I do. I worry about everything. I worry that no matter where I go, it won’t be far enough from what happened. I worry that the guilt sitting in my chest, heavy and constant, will never leave.

Ion clears his throat, and Mihai’s attention shifts back to him. “Your primary objective is to keep her safe, Mihai.”

Mihai gives a single nod, his eyes briefly meeting his father’s before they settle on me again. There’s no empathy in that gaze. If anything, he looks like he’s already decided that I’m just a burden he’s forced to carry.

“Understood,” Mihai says, his voice low, firm. “I won’t let anyone near her.”

Ion nods, seemingly satisfied with his son’s response. “Good. I trust you’ll do what needs to be done.”

Mihai doesn’t respond. He just turns his gaze back to me, and for a second, we lock eyes again. There’s a coldness there, a distance that tells me everything I need to know about this arrangement. He’s not here because he wants to be. He’s here because he’s been ordered to.

“Madison,” Ion says, his voice softer now, “I understand that this is overwhelming. But you’ll be safe at Willow Bridge. Mihai will make sure of it.”

I nod, though I’m not sure I believe him. It’s hard to feel safe when the world feels like it’s collapsing around you.

“We’ll leave at six tomorrow morning,” Mihai says, his tone clipped as he turns to leave the room. He doesn’t spare me a second glance when he walks out.

My bodyguard might as well be a block of concrete.

The door clicks shut behind him, and I’m left alone with Ion Vasile again.

“I know this is a lot to take in,” he says, his tone softening again. “But you need to trust me, Madison. My primary concern is your safety, and this is the best way to keep you safe.”

Trust. It’s a foreign concept to me now. I trusted that I’d be safe with my family, that nothing bad would happen if we went to dinner. I trusted that everything would be fine, that life would go on like it always had.

But now, everything is different. Everything is broken. I’m broken.

Ion rises from his seat and walks around the desk, coming to stand in front of me.

“My son will protect you,” he says, his gaze steady. “I know he seems … distant, but he understands the importance of this. You will be safe with him.”

I nod again, my hands gripping the arms of the chair tightly. There’s nothing left for me to say. Not that I can, even if I wanted to.

“Boris will take you to your bedroom, everything you need is there. Get some rest,” he says, stepping back. “Tomorrow, we’ll leave this all behind.”

As if it’s that easy. As if leaving means the memories won’t follow me wherever I go.

I stand up, feeling like the air has been knocked out of me. Ion watches me for a moment longer before nodding toward the door.

“Goodnight, .”

My heart leaps into my throat at the casual way he says my nickname, and I turn and walk out, the silence heavy around me.

Mihai is waiting in the hallway, leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. He glances at me with an unreadable expression, before pushing off the wall and walking toward the front door.

No words. No comfort. Just the cold reminder that I’m a job to him.

And that’s all I’ll ever be.