by KL Donn
Maso makes himself comfortable and sits in the oversized leather chair behind the desk, placing his feet on top and covertly planting one of the listening devices. Santi remains standing by the door, ready for anyone who enters.
“How important is your image, Chief Santini?” I ask, pulling out the folder from my jacket pocket.
“Excuse me?” He’s flustered. Good.
“Your public image. The one the media, citizens, maybe your wife and daughter see on a daily basis. How important is it?” Leaning against his desk, I cross my arms, giving the impression I’m relaxed and not a threat. When inside, I’d like nothing more than to rip him apart, limb from fucking limb.
“It’s not an image, as you say. It’s who I am. I cleaned up the streets of Palermo. Got rid of the riff-raff.” His eyes bore into me with accusation.
“Did you, though? What about Vincenzo Salvatore. Surely he’s considered riff-raff?” The man’s got a good poker face, I’ll give him that. But I catch the surprise in his eyes.
“What about him?” His tone is cautious now.
Holding out the folder for him, I wait until he gives it a cursory glance. “What is this?”
“Proof,” Santi barks.
“Of what?” Santini looks between us.
“Of your knowledge that your cousin sells children after he slaughters their families.” I take no satisfaction in the words I speak, but I enjoy the way the chief pales.
Nicola
I keep my head down, bite my tongue, and remain as low-key as possible all day. Ignoring the stares, the whispers, nasty rumors, as lies are spread is the most challenging thing I’ve ever done in my life. I’d like nothing more than to knock some of these girls’ teeth down their throats.
Except I made a promise to Domino to keep my cool. To remain as unobtrusive as possible and just finish this last month of school.
Lunch was a mess. I walked into the cafeteria and, less than a minute later, walked right back out. The silence was nearly deafening, and the number of eyes on me, unsettling.
For the last hour, I’ve been watching the clock, waiting for the bell to ring. Once I make my escape, I’m done. I’m not coming back here for another day of pure hell, let alone another month. I can earn my diploma online or request the teachers send the work home with me and hand it in weekly. Something has to be better than today.
When the bell finally rings, I rush out of the room, stopping quickly at my locker to retrieve my sweater and a textbook before darting out the front door. Gina and her group of friends stop me.
Her eyes are black, her nose is swollen, and her jaw remains bruised with a fat lip. “Well, looky here, the whore of Palermo is back.”
The girls all cackle like disgruntled hyenas. Hiking my bag higher on my shoulder, I try to ignore them and walk around their group, but they block my way.
Blowing out a breath, I accept they’ve been waiting for this confrontation all day. “Were you all wanting to look as beat up as Gina does?” I ask the girls as a group. “Because I’m more than happy to make that happen.”
“There’s one of you and five of us. I think it’s time you get what you’ve been dishing out,” Gina laughs.
Dropping my things, I prepare to give as good as I get. There may be more of them, but they have nowhere near my temper that blinds me from pain.
As one girl approaches me, I don’t hesitate to swing my fist with as much force as possible. The clack of her teeth smashing together is satisfying. More so when she cries and blood slides from her mouth in thick rivulets.
Gina backs up because she knows I won’t be deterred, but the other three girls rush forward, and I know I wallop at least two of them before they overpower me. Once I’m on the ground, Gina joins in, her booted foot kicking me in the chest, the hip, and just as she’s about to stomp on my face, one girl is tossed to the side as Gina’s yanked back by her hair.
“I fucking warned you!” Domino’s furious tone makes me flinch, and I immediately moan from the pain.
“Don’t think so, little lady.” I see Maso and Santi block the other tormentors’ exit as two teachers come over.
“Cara mia, are you okay?” Domino inquires, but he doesn’t relinquish his grip on Gina.
“What’s going on here?” the principal asks, glaring at Domino and his brothers.
I stay where I am because I’m afraid if I move, I’ll pass out. I think one of them might have cracked a rib. Breathing is painful.
“This little gang of sluts thought they could beat up on Nicola,” Santi snaps out and growls when one of them makes a move to get past him.
The principal looks from the others to me on the ground before crossing her arms. I already know what she’s going to say.
It appears Domino does as well. “Don’t. Whatever the fuck you’re about to deny right now, I suggest you swallow your fucking tongue. Gina will be back tomorrow to explain what’s happened after she speaks with her father. Until then, have all of Nicola’s teachers email her work; she won’t be back. And when I’m through with you, Santini, neither will you.” Tossing Gina to the side, Domino bends down to lift me in his arms.
“Shit, shit, shit,” I hiss with every move he makes.
“I’m sorry, cara mia.” He kisses my head gently before glaring back at the group. “You will all pay for every minute she’s in agony. Mark my words.”
Leaning my head on his shoulder, I watch his jaw as he walks us to his car. Domino isn’t just a man, he’s a protector. A righter of many wrongs, and right now, he’s my hero.
“Shit, bro. You’re working your way into the role of mafia boss like a fucking pro.” Maso claps his back, and I moan as stars dot my vision. “Fuck, sorry, Nic.” I nod. It’s the only movement that doesn’t make me want to die.
The ride home goes by in a blur of pain and tears because the more the vehicle moves, the more I want to pass out. Once I’m settled into bed, Domino informs me a doctor has been called, but I’m in too much agony to pay attention. I just want to sleep. I want to have never gone to school today and revert back to the weekend.
When it was just Domino and me. The two of us making love anywhere we wanted to, whenever we wanted to. We spent more time naked than dressed. We talked, shared, laughed. For the first time since meeting him, I felt like Domino legitimately cared about me as a person. I want to travel back in time.
I’m dreaming. I have to be, but I have no idea where I am. There are men in the room with me, but they don’t see me. I try to speak, to ask what’s happening, only I’m ignored.
When a young couple walks into the room, the man with his arm around the woman, I freeze. My body, my heart, my lungs. The air has been sucked from the room, and I have no idea why.
I recognize them, but I’m not sure from where. Who they are. I just know they’re important to me. When they begin to argue, and the woman starts to cry, shaking with fear as one man pulls a gun out, I try to scream at them to stop it. Stop whatever they’re about to do because, in my heart, I know it’s not going to be good.
When the man with the gun aims his shot, I rush to stand in front of the couple, holding my hands out, begging him to stop. The first bullet passes through me, and somehow, I feel the splatter of blood on the back of my body. The warmth, the fluid sliding down my exposed flesh, and as I turn to the man holding the woman in his arms, crimson red spilling from her chest as they crash to the ground, our eyes meet, and for a second, I think she sees me.
Nicola.
She mouths, and everything clicks as I drop to my knees and stare around the room, my gaze landing on familiar objects. The lion statue I used to hide behind in the corner. The stone fireplace we would sit in front of and Papa would tell me fantastical stories that could never possibly be true, but I believed him anyways.
The hidden cubby door next to the bookshelf where I watched this entire scenario unfold that day long ago. I forgot the atrocities I witnessed and the coppery smell of blood. The sound of my terrified screams when the next bullet h
its my papa in the head, sending him crashing back into the white sofa.
I buried the sounds of my whimpering when the blood began to seep under the cubby door because there was so much of it.
I blocked it.
And now, I wish I never remembered at all.
The hate for the man with the evil eyes. The man who made me believe he loved me.
The man who slaughtered my family and sold me ten years later.
Chapter 8
Domino
The doctor came and went, pronouncing that Nicola would be fine soon. With a bruised rib, a few cuts, and other bruises, she’ll be back to her normal self in no time, he said.
I should believe him.
I meant to.
But the blood-curdling scream that raced through the house just a few hours after he left still has me wondering what the hell happened in her dreams.
For as tough as Nicola is, she is very slight in size, and her discomfort was agonizing to watch. When asked if she wanted a shot of something to help ease her pain and allow her to sleep, she agreed.
Because of that, I’m unable to wake her. No matter how hard I try. Capo whines at her feet on the bed while I talk soothingly to her as I brush my fingers through her hair.
With the sun diffusing through her window, I open the curtains and lift the window, hoping the warmth and breeze will penetrate whatever horror she’s living through right now.
A knock on the door has me turning to see Donato entering my room with a phone in his hand. “It’s Papa.” He hands it to me and leaves after a glance at Nicola. Her face is scrunched up, and she’s whimpering on the bed as she sleeps.
“What is happening with my girl?” he asks before I can even greet him.
“Hello to you too, Papa.” He huffs his annoyance. “You never told me she throws a wild punch,” I scold.
His bark of laughter is far from amused. “She get you with it?”
“Once,” I admit.
“Santi has been keeping me up to date on what’s happening. Is she safe?” Staring at the woman in my bed, I don’t know how to tell him that physically, yes, but mentally, maybe not so much.
“Yeah, she is,” I finally state.
“Good. What’s being done about the chief and Salvatore.” The pure disgust in his tone is how I feel to a T.
“I’m going to destroy them both.” And I won’t stop until they’re either behind bars or buried six feet in the ground.
“Your mother and I will be there at the end of the week. Do what you have to do.” The phone clicks as he hangs up, and I turn to see my woman staring at me. Her eyes glossy, tear stains on her cheeks, and sweat dotting her head.
Quickly returning to her side, I ease down gently on the bed next to her. Grasping the water bottle I brought up with me earlier, I twist the cap off and help her with little sips.
“How do you feel?” I realize how foolish the question is, but I’ll keep on asking until she tells me not to.
“Like I’ve been run over.” Her dry throat makes her voice raspy.
I nod, understanding. “Bruised ribs. Nothing serious. You were having nightmares.”
Nicola nods her head but offers nothing further.
Hedging, I ask, “Do you want to talk about them?”
“I’d like to have a shower,” she counters.
Gritting my jaw, I stand and pull the blankets down, revealing her nude body. She blushes but accepts my offered hand as I help her to her feet. After settling her in a warm shower, I say, “I’ll be right out here; call if you need me.”
She hums her acknowledgment but doesn’t say anything else. Leaving the door open, I lean against the wall and stare around the room. It’s bare, stripped of anything personal because ordinarily, I live in Catania, taking care of the Morellos.
Now that I’ve got a moment to think about what’s happening around me, I know I need to decide if I’m going back there or if I’ll remain in Palermo. One thing is definitely clear though, wherever I end up, Nicola will be at my side. I’m just going to have to convince her of that.
Pulling my phone from my pocket, I call Natale Morello. He answers after the first ring.
“Domino, everything alright? Have your parents returned?” He’s never been one to beat around the bush.
“They’ll be here by the weekend. Things here have gotten complicated, though.” It still angers me how much hell Nicola has been through.
“How complicated?” A thread of steel laces his tone. Because of Posy, her love for the orphanage, and their adoption of Gianna, crimes against children anger Sicily’s most infamous killer more than anything else.
“Vincenzo Salvatore was the one who slaughtered Nicola’s family when she was a little girl. He’s also the chief of police’s cousin. There is a whole slew of information Santi has revealed, and I can’t let any of it go.” I won’t. If Natale were to ask me to return right now, I’d have to deny him.
His response isn’t disappointing. “How can we help?” Natale may be young, but he is feared all across the country. He’s vicious and possessive to the point that he would slaughter anyone who dares think of even harming either of his girls.
“Santo has been running the mafia for years, but I need to know you’ll have my back when I make my move against the cousins.” Our family is considered as terrifying as the Morellos because of how our grandfathers’ generations ran the mafia; still, Natale’s family is the top dog, so I won’t move without knowing I have his support.
“Ruin them, Domino. Show everyone that we don’t tolerate this type of behavior. Make a glorious fucking show of it, too.” That’s all I need to hear. “And when you’re finished, Posy really wants to meet Nicola. She wants to know the person who brought you to your knees as swiftly as she did to me.”
His laughter lasts long after the phone line is dead, and now that I know I have carte blanche, I have no desire to hold off on neutralizing Salvatore. The chief will be a little more difficult because of his position, but I have no doubt Santi will get everything we need to bring the man down.
Nicola
I could hear Domino speaking to someone as I showered, and while I don’t think he was trying to hide the conversation from me, I still feel guilty for eavesdropping. I’ve been an emotional trauma case for days now, and hearing Domino’s rage about my adoptive father and Gina’s family helps ease some of what I’m feeling. Knowing he plans to retaliate is a comfort, too.
Wrapping a towel around my body after shutting the water off, the painful discomfort I’m feeling is pushed to the back as I step into the room. Domino is leaning against the wall to the bathroom door, and I stop a few feet in front of him.
“Whatever you have planned for Salvatore, I want to be part of it. I want him to know his destruction is because of me. And I want my adoptive mother to be included. Just because she’s a woman doesn’t mean she should be spared any consequences.” I don’t move, hardly breathe as he absorbs what I’ve said.
When I finally register the heat of his body against my back, my entire frame shivers involuntarily, recognizing the man who elicits nothing but pleasure or complete rage. Both have the same results because my anger seems to get his blood pumping.
Domino’s fingers effortlessly flick the towel away from my body before gripping my hips and stepping closer, making it known that he’s hard for me. “It’s fucking hot that you want to cause just as much damage as I do, cara mia.” I feel his lips trailing across my shoulders as one hand slides around to my front. “I’ll give you the woman, but he’s mine. I’ll do with him as I please.”
My eyes close, and my head rolls back to rest on his shoulder. Then, turning my head with a finger, Domino captures my mouth in a sizzling kiss. Pushing his tongue past my lips, he explores my mouth, sucking the air from my lungs until I have to pull away because it’s painful.
“Deal,” I gasp as I spin in his embrace. Wrapping my arms around his neck, Domino picks me up. My legs cling to his hips as he walks me
backwards until I feel the hard wall at my back. Despite his aggressive kisses and growling, his fingers are soft as they hold me in place.
“As much as I want to fuck you like the good girl you are, I have plans to make, and you need to rest. To heal, cara mia.” His gaze penetrates as he breathes heavily.
Chewing the side of my mouth, I debate how angry my next question will make him. “You’ll let me come? So I know what’s happening?” I have to know these men will pay for what they did to me, to my family.
I had no idea I harbored this wicked streak inside of me, but after that dream—nightmare really—all I can concentrate on is the demise of the Salvatore family.
Slowly letting me go, Domino takes a step back, and I’m already gearing up for my argument about why I should be allowed to be there while he and his brothers make their plans.
“Get dressed. Meet me in Papa’s office.” He grins in a sexy, mysterious way when my mouth drops open in surprise.
Kissing my forehead, Domino leaves me to dress.
I quickly slip into a pair of shorts and a sweater, then slide leg warmers up my calves and twist my hair into a thick braid before taking a second to breathe. To remember that I’m hurt and in pain. The adrenaline I’ve been feeling since waking up is slowly creeping out of my system, along with the pain meds, and the throbbing in my body is front and center.
I’ve never backed down from a fight in my life, but today I’m wishing I had. Five against one is never good odds, and I should have known better. Gina Santini just grates on my last nerves, and it simply wasn’t an option.
“Come on, Capo,” I call to my dog as I open the bedroom door. Hearing voices downstairs, I know all the brothers are here now. Until Domino picked me up, I had only met Pace briefly when we moved to Palermo from Catania last year. He helped us get settled.
Nerves creep up as I approach the open office door. I peek around the corner of the frame and see all five brothers in the room. Domino sitting behind his father’s desk appears imposing as he views whatever Santi is showing him on the laptop. His brow is furrowed in concentration and rage. The more Domino sees on the screen, the angrier he becomes. As his gaze flicks up to where Donato’s phone vibrates in his hand, his typically blue gaze is a stormy black.