by S. K. Hardy
The words had barely cleared Dominick's mouth before someone rushed forward and slammed a fist in Dominick’s face.
His jaw throbbing, Dominick spat out the blood that gathered in his mouth and cut his eyes back to the man who had hit him. He was the one Dom had trained a gun on in his hotel room, the tall, skinny one.
Surprising everyone there, he let out a jovial guffaw of laughter as he spit again. Shaking his head, he lowered his lashes and chuckled underneath his breath.
Frowning, Javier glanced at the others in the room, then at Melania. "Loco bastardo."
But Melania ignored him as she continued to study Dominick. She'd noticed a calculating gleam flash in his eyes for the briefest of moments. Melania knew that look well because it was one she was intimately familiar with from Angelo. Dominick was up to something.
"Do not make the mistake of thinking he is crazy, cousin. What is it the Americans say? Crazy like a fox, eh?" Melania walked closer to Dominick, her astute gaze still on his face. "Believe me, this one is far from stupid."
"Melania-"
"Have you forgotten who his brother is? This is no ordinary mark off the street, I tried to tell you that. The bruises on your face should be a reminder if you need one, sí?"
Javier bristled at the slight, feeling blatantly disrespected at being talked to in such a manner in front of his men and Spain. "I have not forgotten, Melania, but he is not Angelo LaCroix," he spat out in a surly tone.
"Aye Dios mio!" Impatience emanated from every inch of Melania's body as she whirled around, eyes visually slicing Javier into thin pieces.
He hastily lowered his gaze, belatedly realizing he may have overstepped. Family or not, Melania was famous for her temper and lack of tolerance for those around her. She was already displeased with Javier's handling of things so far, and the more he talked, the worse it became.
"Taking him from his hotel room should have been a simple task, devoid of any problems such as the ones we encountered. Instead you all looked like a bunch of bumbling amateurs! Especially you, Javier." Melania's words pierced his pride like a sharp edged knife. "You made the mistake of underestimating him then and you do so now, even after I warn you not to. You would do well to take heed to the lesson he has already delivered to you."
Javier's gaze shifted to Dominick as Melania continued her rant, his furious thoughts running rampant in his mind. Before drawing his last breath, the bastardo would suffer dearly for making him look like a fool. "We should have killed his woman, Melania. It was a mistake to leave her alive only because of your desire to taunt Angelo."
Hearing confirmation that Keisha was indeed alive, Dominick closed his eyes for a brief second and released a quiet sigh of relief.
Melania rounded on Javier, her tongue delivering scathing lashes of words intended to put her cousin in his place.
"You do not question me, Javier! If you had been strong enough to lead our familia after my brother died, my papa would've have appointed you as such. But you are in exactly the position you should be in. You take orders from me!"
Javier did a slow simmer at the treatment he seemed to constantly receive from Melania, but he was an expert at hiding the hatred he felt for her. When they were kids, she'd worn a sense of entitlement and superiority with ease and comfort. It had only gotten worse the older they became.
Seeing her waiting, he did as was expected. "Lo siento, Melania. I beg your pardon."
Melania's eyes lingered on him for several moments still, her anger so palpable no one dared to even move until she turned her attention back to Dominick.
Studying him for a moment, her mood changed lightning quick. Trailing a hand over his chest, her fingers glided over the defined muscles she encountered. Greedily seeking more, she continued downwards until she got to his stomach. Splaying her fingers over Dominick's abs, Melania paused for a brief moment before slipping her hand beneath the waistband of his sweats and curling her anxious fingers around his manhood. She literally purred as she caressed his length, impressive even at rest.
"Mmmm, mi Dios. I have to say I can somewhat understand my sister’s obsession with you, Dominick Spain. If you are anything like your brother, you make the act of fucking a memorable one that a woman would find hard to forget," she laughed.
Dominick tensed, but knew it wouldn't do any good to show how repulsed he was by Melania's touch. If anything, it would amuse her all the more and prolong the little cat and mouse game she was determined to play with him. For the time being, he had to keep a cool head and wait for an opportunity that would allow his escape...or die taking as many of them with him as he could.
CHAPTER 39
Javier watched in outrage as Melania groped Angelo's brother. Punta! Had she no decency? It wouldn’t surprise him in the least if she fucked the asshole before they killed him.
Javier looked away in disgust. They were spending way too much time and energy on this thirst for revenge she harbored against this man. Melania could have killed Dominick Spain any time she desired. Instead, she chose to treat this as if it were some type of game. To add insult to injury, she had insisted on the two of them coming to Las Vegas personally to finish him off.
Melania's perspective had become seriously tainted. Her father would’ve never let emotions determine their course of action this way. He had no idea what his uncle was thinking when he chose Melania as the cartel’s leader.
Javier's eyes went back to Spain. Something about the motherfucker irked the hell out of him. It seemed as if he found Javier amusing. Hands clenched tight, he vowed to show him just how funny he could be.
He continued to stare at Dominick but directed his statement to Melania. "Again, my apologies, cousin. But please, allow me to rectify my mistake, por favor. Before I put a bullet in his head, I promise to make his screams of pain echo throughout this building for what he has done to your sister."
"Speaking of which, I’d like to ask you a question, Melania." Dom smoothly interceded as if Javier's opinion held little or no relevance whatsoever when it came to making decisions.
Furious, Javier's face reddened. He moved as if to carry out his threat right then and there, but Melania held up a hand to stop him.
“Let him speak. I’m curious as to what he has to say.”
Ignoring Javier, Dominick kept his eyes on Melania. "I think I at least have a right to know what I'm accused of doing. Isabella committed suicide, and I’m sorry about that. She was a beautiful person. But I fail to see how that makes me responsible for her death."
The lustful gleam slowly faded from Melania's eyes. She released Dominick, her face hardening like chiseled stone. "You and I both know how your actions and treatment of her pushed her to the edge. Do not attempt to play me for a fool because I assure you I am not. "
"I cared for your sister, but she and I...it was a relationship born of circumstance."
"You used her like a whore then threw her away as if she were common trash when you no longer had any use for her," Melania sneered.
Dominick's eyes narrowed, truly curious about Melania’s reasoning. For her to go to these lengths and pursue this vendetta against him like this was fucking crazy.
"Things were not as cut and dried as you would like to make them seem," Melania continued. "I witnessed the downward spiral she took after the pregnancy. It was not an easy one, especially knowing that the father of her baby did not care about his own son."
Dom's eyes flared with quick anger. "That's not true," he growled in a low voice. "I didn't even know she was pregnant. If I had-"
"Save your lies," Melania snapped. "I read her journals after she died. Isabella was unable to understand how the man who had seemed so kind and caring to her suddenly turned into a monster as cold and unfeeling as the one he'd freed her from. You didn't even have the decency to tell her to her face that you didn't want to be with her anymore. Instead, you arranged for one of your henchmen to do your dirty work."
Dominick shook his head. "The last couple of ti
mes we spoke, we discussed her plans for the future once Julio Garcia was no longer a threat to her. It was understood that we would go our separate ways and she was okay with that. But after Garcia was killed, she just stopped coming to visit me. I figured it was her way of making a clean break."
"She did come back, was planning on telling you that she was pregnant with your child. My sister had a gentle spirit but an addictive personality. She constantly replaced one obsession with another. First it was Julio. After he was gone, it became you. But I think you know this. You manipulated the blind adoration she felt for you to your advantage. There were other ways you could've gotten your revenge but you chose to use my sister because you knew it would add insult to injury and make the end result that much sweeter, sí?"
Dom’s eyes flickered because her words hit entirely too close to home. He'd known that Isabella's feelings had become involved, and although he'd made his own position very clear, he hadn't done anything to discourage her growing infatuation with him. His only focus had been making Garcia pay. The fact that Bella considered herself in love with him had only added to his leverage. Dom had taunted Garcia about his and Isabella's sexual encounters every chance he got.
As for someone telling her not to come back to see him, the sinking feeling in his stomach told him there was probably some truth to that. Dominick had no doubt that Angel had known about Isabella; it wasn’t too much of a stretch to believe he’d stepped in and warned Bella to stay away.
Melania's voice sounded distant, as if her body were physically there with them while her mind remained ensconced in the past. "Not long after Armando was born, Isabella started using drugs again as a way to cope with her depression. The doctors tried to diagnose it as that postpartum nonsense, but I knew better. All she talked about was you. She had no interest in her baby. I tried everything to help her get clean, but..." Melania shrugged, bringing herself back to the present. "Eventually she just gave up, tired of fighting whatever demons tormented her day in and day out. A little over a year ago, she hung herself in the closet of her bedroom. Armando was the one who found her."
Dom's head shot up with such force, it intensified his pain, but he barely flinched. "He...my son found his mother's body?"
A somber voice answered from the doorway. "Sí."
Dominick's eyes followed everyone else’s until they landed on the boy stiffly walking towards them.
His son.
CHAPTER 40
"Armando..." Dom's voice was rough and gravelly with overwhelming emotion at seeing his son in the flesh for the first time.
But the moment was far from a joyous introduction. Armando's eyes were full of loathing and hostility, all of which was directed at Dominick.
"Do not call me your son. The only person who deserved to do so is dead because of you."
The depth of the boy's hatred for him hit Dominick like a physical force. He searched his mind for the right words needed to convince him that he was wrong, but years of being around Isabella, witnessing her unstable actions and fragile mindset had no doubt taken root. That, in addition to Melania brainwashing him had to have taken its toll. There was no way to change his mind in a matter of minutes, but Dominick knew he had to try.
"Don't I at least get a chance to tell my side, Armando? There's a lot you don't know."
"He knows enough, and he's right. You throw the word 'son' around as if you have the right. As my nephew said, that is a right you have not earned and do not deserve." Melania held a hand out to Armando. "Come, mi niño. It is time. We must hurry."
Studying Armando's features, Dominick couldn't get over the fact that he could've been looking in a mirror. Armando favored him the same as Christian. He was slim and very tall for his age, just as Dom had been growing up. His skin tone was a slightly darker shade than Dom's own golden complexion, and he wore his coal black hair combed back in a thick, wavy ponytail.
Trying to swallow the lump in his throat, Dom grimaced when someone behind him roughly pulled at his arms as they cut the rope that had been binding him to the chair. He cautiously brought his arms forward, stretching them out in front of him. Ignoring the pain that tore through his body, he carefully stood up and looked at Armando.
Flexing his fingers to bring the circulation back after being tied up for so long, Dominick asked, "Did you know you have a little sister and brother?"
Armando turned his head away from his aunt and stared at Dominick in surprise. He didn't say anything, but Dom could see the flicker of reluctant interest in his eyes.
"Your sister's name is Sam...short for Samantha."
Armando's lips moved as he silently repeated the name. He furtively glanced at Melania before quickly looking away when she frowned in disapproval. But his curiosity had been piqued. As if unable to help himself, he asked Dominick, "How old is she?"
"Ten going on twenty," Dom replied with a twitch of his lips. "She takes after my mother. Your grandmother."
"My...my grandmother?"
"Yes. She's deceased now. Your grandfather, too, but know they would've loved you and spoiled you terribly had they been alive and known about you."
Armando's brows furrowed, mulling over the picture Dominick was painting for him of a family he'd never known about. As if unable to stop the flow of interest, he asked, "And my...my brother?"
"He's almost two. Into everything. You and he look so much alike."
"I look like you, too." The second the words escaped, a stricken expression fell over Armando's face as if he suddenly remembered he was supposed to hate Dominick.
Ignoring the scowl that deepened on Melania’s face, Dominic forged ahead. He couldn’t let the narrow opening of communication he'd managed to pry open with Armando close back up.
"Yes, you do. No matter what you were brought up to believe, if I'd been aware of your existence, nothing and no one would've been able to keep me from you." Taking a calculated risk, Dom's eyes held his son's. "You have a family who not only loves you, but want you to come home."
Armando tried to keep his face expressionless. If Dominick didn't know any better, he'd think Armando could care less, but Dominick did know better. Armando's eyes gave him away. They provided a glimpse into a soul that was hungry to be a part of everything that Dominick had just described. Yearned for it, even.
"This isn't how you should be living your life, Armando. I'm sure your other grandmother feels the same."
Frowning, Armando's face showed his confusion. "My grandmother? But...you said she was dead."
"Not my mother, Isabella's mother. She lives in California. I tracked her down and spoke to her recently. She's never forgotten about you." Dominick's gaze slid to Melania's face and saw it reddened with anger. "You do know your mother and your aunt have different mothers, don't you?"
Javier's face twisted in disbelief at the fact that Melania was letting this continue, but before he could voice his outrage, she signaled to one of her men standing behind Dominick.
Dominick saw the gesture and turned just in time to deflect the blow coming at him with his arm. After blocking the punch, he threw a jab that landed on the man's chin.
Furious, Javier nodded to two other men who both rushed Dominick at the same time. Adrenaline coursing through his veins, Dom elbowed one attacker in the face then swung at the other and brought him down, but his injuries quickly left him winded and unsteady. His body cried out in protest, but he kept fighting. He had no other choice if he stood any chance at all of staying alive.
Suddenly, someone grabbed him from behind. Dom struggled to get free, but he could feel himself weakening. Growling he threw his head back as hard as he could. The man screamed and released him as blood spewed from his nose. However, before Dom could make another move, his first attacker plowed a series of brutal punches to his side. Ripples of excruciating pain shot through him as the body shots to his already damaged ribs continued to come. He tried to protect himself as best he could as the others jumped in and brought him down.
&nb
sp; His face showing fear and shock, Armando took a step forward, but Melania grabbed his arm in a punishing grip and turned him towards her.
"You know what has to be done. I promised you that your mamá's death would be avenged, did I not?"
"Sí, Tia, but...but is what he said true? About my grandmother?"
"We will discuss this later, Armando!" Grabbing him by the shoulders, Melania shook him hard, her eyes cold and merciless. "You are a Cruz. Do not bring shame to your name or your familia. Finish this!"
Blinking rapidly and lifting his chin, Armando nodded. "Sí, Tia."
With a gesture of her hand, Melania called the men off. She took the gun Javier extended to her and placed it in Armando's hand.
Armando stared at the gun for a moment then released the safety. Turning to Dominick, he raised the weapon and pointed it directly at him.
Gritting his teeth, Dominick used the last of his strength to push himself up until he stood unsteadily on his feet. His lungs burned with every breath he took, but he somehow remained upright.
Dominick stared at Armando, recognizing the fear in his son's eyes. "It's okay. This isn't your fault. It's okay."
The gun still trained on Dominick, Armando brought his other arm up and wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt.
Javier's gaze narrowed when he saw the panic settling in on the boy's face. "Melania..."
"Shut up, Javier," she snapped before turning back to Armando. "Do. It. Now!"
Lips trembling, Armando's hand tightened on the butt of the gun. He locked eyes with Dominick before shaking his head and whispering, "I can't."
Dominick glared at Melania, enraged by what was happening but powerless to stop it. "Why in the fuck are you making him do this? He's just a kid!"
"It's fitting, don't you think? The sins of the father will be cleansed by the child."
"You're insane!" Dominick whispered.