No Greater Loyalty

by S. K. Hardy

  "Keisha...I have no doubt we're going to be able to get my son, and I need to do it before that life Melania is a part of gets its toxic grip on him, because once it pulls him in it'll be too late."

  "How do you know it's not already too late?"

  The question wasn’t asked in a negative way, and Dom didn’t take it as such. Keisha had a valid point because that’s exactly what he’d been thinking earlier at dinner. It very well might be too late to save him. That was his fear. However, he'd looked closely at that stilled image of Armando, and along with the gutsy bravado that had been present, Dominick had seen something else. He'd seen a sadness he couldn't explain, and that emotion was the one he was holding onto. Melania didn't have Armando completely. Not yet.

  "It’s just a feeling I have, and I have to go with that. I've told Angel, no matter what happens I want him to make sure Armando is brought home."

  Keisha's brow furrowed. "What do you mean no matter what happens?"

  "Baby, if by some chance things don't go the way I plan, if something happens to me..."

  "What? Nothing's going to happen to you, Dominick!" Keisha's heart thudded violently in her chest at the thought. The tears that had been welling up in her eyes made their escape and ran freely down the side of her face. "Promise me. Promise me that you'll come back safely. Promise me that –"

  "Baby, don't. Stop." Dominick covered her mouth with his to swallow the fearful words that poured from her lips. He rested his forehead against hers. "Keisha, please, please, please..."

  His voice cracked as her silent sobs sliced through his flesh and carved away at his heart.

  "Please don't. I'm not saying anything will happen to me."

  "But..."

  "But we have to be realistic and face facts. How cruel would it be to make light of this situation and not prepare you for what could happen? This isn't a fairytale where we're guaranteed a happily ever after, but..."

  Lifting his head, Dom dug deep. He pushed aside his own fear of never growing old with her in order to ease her mind as much as he could. He only wished he could absorb her pain as well.

  "Believe me when I say I'm going to fight with everything in me to give you that, to give our family that. Trust."

  He stared deeply into her eyes, until Keisha pressed her lips together in a tight line and moved her head up and down. The movement was barely a nod, but he'd take it as acknowledgment that she was with him.

  "I know that after putting you in this situation and derailing our lives like this that I don't have a right to ask anything else, but I'm going to anyway."

  "You know I'd do anything for you, Dominick. Anything. Whatever it is, just say it."

  "If anything happens to me, I want you to make sure you take care of Armando, raise him and Christian and Samantha together and make sure they grow up to be close to one another. To be family. Not that it was necessary, but I've already talked to Angel, Marcus, and Darrell. They'll be there to help you, but I want you to instill in Christian and Armando that they're to always look out for you and their sister because that's what men do. Will you do this for me?"

  Keisha almost lost it. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs, fall to his feet and beg him not to go. She didn't think she could go on if something happened to Dominick, much less have the strength to do what he was asking, but if this was what he needed in order to focus on what he had to do, she would give him that.

  "Yes." The word came out a broken whisper. Keisha cleared her throat, forcing her voice to be strong and firm. She knew she needed to reassure him that she and his children would be okay if...

  Keisha quickly pushed that thought aside. She wouldn't even think about it because if she did, then it would give merit to that possibility, and she refused to do that.

  Seeing Dominick waiting, she nodded. "Yes. I can do that. I promise. If..."

  She took a deep breath and briefly closed her eyes before delivering the words in a rush so that she wouldn't have to say them again.

  "If anything h-happens to you in Mexico, I'll take care of Armando and raise him the way you'd want him to be raised."

  Dom's worry turned to relief for a split second before it disappeared. He knew this wasn't an easy conversation, for either of them. Hell, it was something he'd put off doing until he couldn't any longer. Dom fully intended on growing old with this woman and living to see his children grow up, seeing their children. But, he had to prepare her. Just in case.

  "Thank you." Dom kissed each of her eyelids, stroking her hair as he spoke soft words of love and gratitude. He hugged her to him, kissing Keisha and telling her how much she meant to him. The cuddling naturally turned into a sexual expression of their feelings for one another. This time, the tears that rolled down Keisha's cheeks were a release full of love and adoration, and she told him so in breathy, hoarse whispers.

  Dominick was gentle and attentive as he carried them both to ecstasy. They held each other tight, riding the crest of orgasmic waves as the sounds of their lovemaking filled the quiet room. Dom's body trembled as he collapsed on top of Keisha, resting his head on her breasts, sighing in contentment while she ran her hand over the back of his head.

  After a few minutes, he lay on his back and pulled her into his arms. They spoke quietly to each other about inconsequential things, feeling closer than they ever had. Before long, Keisha's quiet, even breathing told Dominick she'd fallen asleep. However, Dominick lay there, his thoughts keeping him woke until he gently extricated himself from Keisha's arms and legs and slipped out of bed. Careful so as not to wake her, he pulled on a pair of jeans then padded barefoot onto the balcony.

  He didn’t notice the bright lights and endless hustle of activity that was a natural part of Las Vegas. He'd been born and raised in this city, so the view was nothing new to him.

  No, his attention was on the sky above which looked like an inky blanket illuminated with thousands of sparkling stars. Closing his eyes, he silently uttered the same prayer he'd been praying every night for the last couple of weeks. Dom had to believe that God heard and understood that prayer, but he still struggled with letting go and putting everything in His hands.

  As always, a phrase his mother used to tell him came rushing back like a gush of wind. He could hear the accented lilt of her voice now, whispering in his ear. Dominick closed his eyes and smiled as the words drifted through his mind: Chile, if you gon’ pray 'bout it, don' worry. If you gon' worry, why pray?

  Still smiling, Dominick opened his eyes and looked up at the sky again. "I hear ya, Mama. I ain't ga' no worries," he whispered, perfectly mimicking her West Indian accent. "I'm gon' le' um go."

  Rasping his knuckles on the railing of the balcony, Dominick took a couple of steps backwards then turned to go back in the room determined to push away the tingling of warning that still attached itself to him like a soul sucking leech.

  CHAPTER 30

  "Housekeeping."

  Dominick's lashes fluttered when he heard the muted words outside the door of the hotel followed by several firm taps. He looked around, momentarily confused about why he was in the living room on the couch. But, just as quickly he remembered that, still restless and wide awake a few hours ago, he'd decided to watch television in here so that he wouldn't wake Keisha. He must have eventually fallen asleep.

  "Housekeeping." Again the tapping sounded on the door.

  Squinting, Dom swung his legs to the floor and stood up. "What time is it?" he muttered to himself.

  Glancing out the window, he noticed the sun was just beginning to peek through and announce the day. No fucking way. Why in the hell was the housekeeper here so freakin’ early?

  When the knock sounded again, Dominick hurried to the door and swung it open. He didn’t even try to hide the irritated scowl he directed at the woman standing there with a large laundry cart in front of her.

  "Good morning, sir. I'm here to clean the suite."

  "This early?" Dom snapped. "Look, we're still asleep, so I’m gonna
have to ask you to come back later."

  "I'm afraid that won't be possible, sir."

  Dom's scowl turned fierce. His eyes narrowed as they ran over the woman. The uneasiness he'd been feeling a couple of hours ago returned tenfold. Something wasn't right. At just that moment, the woman's eyes flickered, knowing he’d figured it out. In the next instant, she pulled a gun from underneath the pile of towels and aimed it directly at his chest.

  "Put your hands up and slowly back into the room, Mr. Spain."

  Dominick's mind raced. In that split second, he knew he'd fallen into a trap. His first thought was Keisha's safety.

  "I know what you're thinking, but by the time you close the door, a bullet will already be lodged in your heart. That pretty wife of yours in the bedroom will be next." The woman's voice was calm, her smile detached. "Your choice."

  Dominick detected the coldness in her eyes. If he had any chance at all of protecting Keisha, he had to do what she said. At least it would buy him a little time. Jaw twitching, he did as ordered, slowly backing up with his hands raised.

  The woman followed him in, but left the door partly open.

  Hearing his phone ring, Dominick's pulse jumped, praying that Keisha didn't wake up. He eyed the gun and tried to stall. "Okay. I did as you said. What's this all about? If you want money..."

  The woman's laughter sounded genuinely amused. "I think you know exactly what this is about, Mr. Spain. Please. Don't insult our intelligence."

  Dom's eyebrow lifted. Our?

  When the door opened behind her, he got his answer. Two men walked in, one tall and solidly built with an air of authority, and the other young and very thin with long, black hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail. They both stared at Dominick with eyes empty and devoid of emotion.

  “We should just kill him now, Javier.”

  Dominick kept his face expressionless when the younger man spoke in Spanish, but he slowly swung his gaze to the man whom he now knew was Javier Guzmán, Melania Cruz's cousin and highly trusted cappo.

  Seeing that Dominick recognized his name, Javier answered with a mocking sneer: “He will die soon enough. She wants her revenge first.”

  Dominick snorted and looked away, intentionally provoking them as he mumbled under his breath.

  Javier walked up to Dominick. He angled his head, his glare fierce and menacing.

  “Repeat what you said.”

  Dom swung his attention back to the man in front of him, staring him directly in the eye. “I said what kind of man does the bidding of a woman and still calls himself a man?” He replied in Spanish.

  Blind rage covered Javier's face at the insult. Letting out a roar of outrage, the man drew back and slammed his fist into Dominick's jaw.

  Dominick had expected the blow, had intentionally antagonized him to throw him off. The jab knocked him back a step. Dom cautiously opened and closed his mouth to make sure nothing was broken. He spat out a mouthful of blood then turned back to the man and laughed. “That answers my question. You hit like a pussy.”

  Javier's eyes bulged and the muscles in his jaw worked furiously as he gritted his teeth. He pulled his arm back again to plow his beefy fist into Dominick's face, but this time Dom dodged a blow that surely would have taken him down. Putting every bit of strength he possessed into his swing, he landed three painful body shots to the man's ribs then tried his best to take Javier's jaw off with a jab so powerful, it brought Javier to his knees.

  Dominick whipped the gun out of the left shoulder holster he'd spied underneath Javier's coat. Lifting him up off the floor, Dom pulled Javier back against his chest and quickly wrapped his arm around his throat. Using him as a shield, Dominick aimed the weapon at the other man standing in the middle of the room with his gun pointed straight at him.

  "Drop it." Dom's voice was calm and even.

  "Fuck you," the younger man said.

  "Nah, fuck you. Drop the gun."

  The two of them engaged in visual warfare until an amused voice addressed them from the doorway. "Boys, boys, can we all just get along, no?"

  Dom turned his head and saw a face he would've recognized in his sleep by now. He kept his back to the glass doors leading to the balcony and his gun steady while eyeing the woman who'd just entered.

  "Melania Cruz. Welcome to the party. I'm Dominick," he smirked. "Heard you been lookin' for me?"

  CHAPTER 31

  "I know who you are, of course, Dominick." His name rolled smoothly off Melania’s tongue in an accent that was as sweet as the finest of wines. "I see Angelo has passed my message on to you. Good. Therefore, we both know what this is about, but before we go any further..." Her eyes moved past him to settle on a point to his right. "I suggest you reconsider your position."

  Dominick pulled his eyes away from her and looked in the direction she was staring in, but he already knew what he would find.

  The breath all but left his body when he saw the woman who had posed as a maid standing behind Keisha clutching a handful of her hair with one hand and pointing a gun to Keisha's temple with the other. She must have slipped away without Dominick noticing. And now she had his wife.

  Dom felt the first stirrings of panic. "Baby..."

  Keisha stared at him with eyes that told him how terrified she was, but she didn't make a sound.

  Dominick swallowed hard, holding her gaze and conveying without words to stay calm. "You okay?"

  Keisha bravely nodded, but he could see she was anything but.

  "Everything'll be alright. I promise you. Just do as-"

  Melania interrupted him. "E-noouugh," she drawled, rolling her eyes as if bored with the both of them. "Do not make promises you cannot keep, Dominick. Everything will not be okay. This I promise you." Her eyes flickered down his body and back up again. "But I'm in a generous mood. Maybe I'll leave your pretty little wife alive so that she can live out the rest of her days in pain and heartache every time she thinks about you. I know a little bit about how that feels. I will do that for you, Dominick, but only if you do as I say."

  Dom's fingers flexed then tightened around the butt of the gun. "And what might that be?"

  "I don't have time for this foolishness. Put the gun down and come with us."

  "And why would I do that?"

  "Because if you don't, your wife has ten seconds to live."

  Dom's hand gripped the gun tighter. "Let her go and I'll do anything you say."

  "Oh, you will do that anyway, querida. It's cute that you think you have options though." Melania's tone told him it didn't matter to her one way or another if Keisha lived or died. She glanced down at her watch. "Five seconds."

  "Alright!" Dominick's eyes went back to Keisha. He removed his arm from around Javier's neck then held his hands up, the gun dangling from his finger.

  Javier snatched it from Dominick, coughing and rubbing his neck once he was finally able to get air into his lungs. Snarling and breathing heavily, he swung the gun up and slammed it against the side of Dominick's head.

  Blood gushed from the cut that opened up. Grunting, Dominick fell to one knee. He glared at Javier with murder lurking in his eyes, all but promising that he was a dead man the second the opportunity presented itself.

  Dom’s eyes went to Keisha. Seeing how afraid she was, he stood on shaky legs to reassure her, blinking to bring the room into focus and stop it from spinning. That’s when he saw the identical expressions on the faces of Melania and her people. They were out for blood…literally as well as figuratively.

  Dominick instinctively knew he was out of time. The next few seconds seemed to move in slow motion. He looked at Keisha again. Desperate to say one last thing before it was too late, he whispered fiercely, "Don’t forget what we talked about last night, baby. Remember your promise. Alright, Keisha?"

  He only had time to see her nod vigorously before his head seemed to explode into a thousand agonizing pieces. Whatever hit him sent him staggering to his knees. He vaguely heard the thud of an object being t
hrown to the floor beside him by Javier. His vision blurry, Dom managed to make out the heavy statue that had been sitting on the end table by the sofa. He stared at it for a moment before it registered that there was blood on it. His blood. Rivulets of it rolled down his face and splattered to the wood floor.

  Sucking deep breaths of air into his lungs, Dominick fought unconsciousness. He struggled valiantly to stand, but a booted foot came swinging forward, catching him in the face. The last thing Dominick heard before darkness claimed him was Keisha hysterically screaming his name over and over again.

  CHAPTER 32

  Angel stood in his son's room with a smile softening his lips as he looked down at A.J. sleeping in the “pirate’s fort” Nikki must have helped him build. The flimsy structure consisted of sheets and blankets draped over several chairs to cover an area large enough for him to stretch out under comfortably. Mounds of pillows were piled up around the perimeter. Angel knew from prior forts that they acted as protective walls to keep him safe from fire breathing dragons. Too little to sleep on the floor with A.J., Christian was tucked safely in the bottom bunk bed with a railing pulled up for safety.

  A wave of regret hit Angel because he'd promised the boys that he would make it back before they fell asleep, but once again, he'd been gone longer than he anticipated. Bending down on one knee, he carefully removed the pirate’s hat his son still wore and pulled the blankets around him. Angel kissed him on top of his head then went to the bed and did the same to his nephew before quietly walking out of the room.

  He brought his hand up to the massage the back of his neck as he made his way to his bedroom where his and Nikki's suite took up an entire side of the second floor.

  Angel glanced at his watch and saw that it was almost three o'clock in the morning. He’d been on the phone with Lucas Pattel for the last hour. They had a problem.

  Lucas had flown to Mexico yesterday under the guise of business, but that had only been an excuse to get close to Melania and touch bases with their source, but neither had happened. He hadn’t been able to catch up with Melania and their contact had disappeared. Angel had a bad feeling about the entire thing. This was the one situation he couldn’t afford to be wrong about.