by KL Donn
Biting my lip, I have to rub my thighs together because, for whatever depraved reason, his anger ignites a flame of desire deep in my core. From the very first night on my birthday to every time he’s yelled or blown up since. An angry Domino is a force to be reckoned with.
Donato turns as he answers his call and our eyes meet briefly before his tone lowers. Pace and Maso sit on the couch in the room, their eyes glued to another screen as they speak in muted voices.
“Cara mia.” I shiver at Domino’s tone—steel laced with his own burning desire for me. “Are you going to come in here?”
Releasing a breath, I glance down at Capo. “Now or never, I guess.” He sneezes and follows me into the room. I aim for Domino but get sidetracked when I’m held from behind.
“Didn’t think you’d get past me, did you?” Pace whispers in my ear before kissing my cheek. Domino stands, placing both fists on his desk, a feral growl emanating from him. “Seems someone’s jealous,” Pace continues to whisper, not letting me go.
Turning my head, I match his tone. “He might kill you.” My intent is to tease him, but I don’t doubt Domino will do precisely that to keep any man away from me.
“Little brother doesn’t scare me,” Pace laughs.
Domino’s face turns thunderous. “Get your fucking hands off my girl, Pace, or I’ll remove them from your body.”
Resting his chin on my shoulder, the brothers glare at each other. Or rather, Domino glares, and Pace grins before he kisses my cheek again and slowly releases me and taps my ass to get me walking to Domino.
If possible, Dom’s glare intensifies, and I’m pretty sure if he could, he’d chop his brother's head off from the look alone.
Immediately when I’m within reaching distance, Domino grabs my hand gently and tugs me forward. Without hesitation, he picks me up and places me on the desk in front of him. In a possessive show of ownership, he captures my lips and doesn’t let go. Stepping between my thighs, he wraps his arms around my back, holding me closer. Tighter.
And for the first time since that day outside the detention center, I feel like his claiming is real. It’s more than words promised in the aftermath of intense lovemaking. It’s a declaration to the most important men in his life that I’m off limits and belong solely to him.
It’s a claiming I can finally accept.
Chapter 9
Domino
Overwhelmed and in pain, I watched Nicola struggle with a close eye all evening. When she finally fell asleep in my lap while my brothers talked about Santini and Salvatore’s operations, I couldn’t stop thinking about what could have happened to her if my father hadn’t found her when he did.
After tucking her back into bed, Capo at her side, I grabbed Pace, and we were out the door. I can’t wait any longer, and the sooner I act, the better I’ll feel.
“Going to tell me why I’m the chosen one here, Dom?” Pace mutters next to me as I pick the lock to the chief’s home after cutting the electricity. Ensuring no alarms could go off.
“Because you have a relationship with her. You give a shit about her well-being, and this asshole and his family have spent ten fucking years torturing her. Did she tell you it was the chief’s daughter who got her sent away?” Staring back at him as the lock pops, I register the shock on his face from the moonlight.
“You know he’s going to come for us, right?” The anger I had hoped to entice in him is now present.
“Yup. I have Natale’s full support. They won’t be able to do shit.” While the Morellos have gone mostly legit since coming home, they still control some of the upper echelons in Sicily’s underground. Natale won’t let me down. Not with this.
Slipping through the now open front door, Pace closes it behind him, and we wait a few beats before moving forward. Searching out the rooms in the house, we come across Santini’s den. Finding a laptop on his desk and one hidden in the top of a closet, we take both. As we rustle through locked filing cabinets, a file with Salvatore’s name appears, so we confiscate that too. I’m sure there’s likely a safe, but we don’t have time to crack it.
Not tonight.
Placing the bag with the computers and files near the door, we quietly make our way upstairs. Gina’s room is easily identified by a personalized sign. Finding the chief and his wife at the end of the hall, Pace pulls out a cloth and chloroform.
Silently breaching the room, the loud snoring sends us to the far side of the bed. “Idiot. Leaves his wife to be attacked first,” Pace mutters. Don’t let a woman sleep on the side where the door is open. I’d never do that to Nicola. Leave her open to such danger. This man doesn’t deserve the drugged air he’s about to breathe in.
With little trouble, Pace puts the cloth over the man’s mouth and nose. There’s no struggle; he didn’t even wake up. Taking him from the bed, I carry him over my shoulder as my brother follows behind as silently as we came.
Pace grabs the bag on his way out, re-locking the door behind us. We head down the driveway, where I toss Santini in the trunk and Pace backtracks to turn the electricity on. We’re in and out in less than an hour.
Heading to the country, we arrive at the farm in two hours. The sun isn’t yet rising either. I have a couple more hours before I need to be home for Nicola. Plenty of time to interrogate the piece of scum in my trunk.
The farm is a piece of property my grandfather purchased in the sixties for just such occasions as this. It’s a working property, as well, donating produce and crops to local shelters and churches in need. At one time, though, it was a slaughterhouse for diseased livestock.
The barn that housed the machinery that processed the animals is still standing and functional. I have no idea if it’s been used to get rid of bodies, but I do know it’s motivational and closed off from anyone stumbling around.
Parking around back, I shut the engine off and step into the crisp morning air. Regarding the fields and mountains surrounding us, I can’t help but think Nicola would love the view. The escape. I might have to speak to my father about upgrading the property to include a getaway here.
“You know, for someone who took a vow to protect and serve, you’re falling into this mafia lifestyle fairly well.” Pace’s comment matches that of Maso’s last week, and as I look over at him, I see the concern in his eyes.
I’m the only person in our family's history to join the other side of the law. Even though Santi and a few other members have joined the military in some capacity or another, it’s not always black and white in war either.
“I needed to help people, Pace. I needed to stop the injustices before they began, and I didn’t think I would be able to do that in the family business.” I shrug. Good guy, bad guy, it doesn’t matter anymore so long as I can keep the people I love protected.
“Fair enough, brother.” Pace opens the trunk, and we pull out Santini together, dragging his unconscious body into the barn. Tying him to a chair, Pace goes about turning on some lights.
The building still smells like death, and blood stains the cement floor, the walls, even the few windows. Rusty blades and tools hang along three walls, and gates have collapsed from lack of use or caretaking. The ceiling is at least two stories high, and as the wind whips about outside, it makes for a horrific sound above us in the empty rafters.
“How long do you think he’ll be out?” Pace asks as he leans against a beam, appearing relaxed.
“Should wake up any minute now.” As I finish speaking, Santini begins groaning and moving his head. We give him a few minutes before either of us approaches.
If he’s smart, he’s biding his time. Remaining still and silent, assessing the situation he’s found himself in. It takes a solid five minutes before he lifts his head. Pace’s grin widens when the chief’s eyes bulge upon seeing us. He thought he was alone.
“What is this? Who are you? Do you know who I am?” he questions as his vision clears of the night-night drug.
“Yup, we just don’t care who you are, chief, but I
guarantee you’ll care about us.” I walk over to him, a rusty bone saw in my hand.
“I’ll have your head for this, Cardarelli!” he shouts in sudden recognition as I grip a finger.
“We’re going to play a little game. Answer me correctly, and I won’t saw your fingers off. Got it?” His glare intensifies, but I don’t care. When he refuses to answer me, I snap the finger back, easily breaking it.
“Ahhh!” he screams.
I wait until he finishes. “Don’t fight me, and this won’t hurt one bit.” Pace drags a chair over and sits next to our prisoner.
“Do you understand my brother, chief?” Pace smacks the man’s shoulder.
“Yes, yes, I understand.” Sweat is already forming on his brow.
“Good. Tell me about your relationship with Vincenzo Salvatore.” He scoffs at me before spitting at my feet.
Pace chuckles, shaking his head. My anger mounts. Gripping the finger I previously broke, I saw the digit off, bone slows the process, but I don’t stop. I can’t stop. His blood flows in rivulets as he stares in shock before the pain short-circuits his brain, and he begins to scream. Dropping the severed digit on the dirty ground, I wait for him to silence.
“He warned you, man,” Pace remarks while I grab another finger, uncaring about the mess, the damage. Anything at all.
I have tunnel vision right now, and all I care about is getting rid of this varmint and his cousin off the face of the earth.
Nicola
I know Domino isn’t here before my eyes open. Not in the bedroom, nor the house. His presence is one I sense from miles away, or it seems that way, at least. And when he’s not in my vicinity, I know. I feel the loss to my bones.
Opening my eyes, I stare at the white ceiling as the bright sun cascades across the room. For years, I dreaded waking up. I would awaken anxious and lonely. Afraid of what the day would bring. I never understood why until I began sharing Domino’s bed.
Even if we butt heads more often than not, I know he’s mine. I know I’m his. I have someone to count on in a way I never did before. Even when I was with the Salvatores in what I believed was a seemingly happy home, I never felt as complete as I do with Domino.
My life has been one uncertain change to the next. Never any stability, and now that I know the truth about my past, I think I understand it more. Whatever love I felt when my parents were alive has melted away over the years until it vanished into nothingness.
I can’t ever get that back, not in the way I wish. But with Domino at my side, I feel like I could have something new and all my own. Something we create together.
Sitting up in bed, I grow dizzy, and my stomach feels queasy until I settle my feet on the ground. As I slowly inhale, I breathe through the sensations before standing.
Going about my morning routine of showering and cleaning up before getting dressed in one of the other outfits Domino bought me for my birthday, I intend to sit in the backyard garden and complete my schoolwork for the day. Disregarding my bout of nausea this morning, I grab a latte and muffin from Esme after feeding Capo and getting him fresh water.
“The email from your teachers came this morning. Everything is set up for you. If you need assistance on anything, let me know.” Esme smiles before she continues cleaning up the kitchen.
“Thank you, Esme.” I return her grin and stare at her for a moment. For as long as I’ve known her, she’s always been a motherly figure in my life. Caring and compassionate, but also strict when I need it. She’s what I imagine my own mother would have been like if she were given the chance.
Stepping out the patio door, I immediately sink onto the welcoming settee by the pool. Covered by the shade of the house, for now, I’ll keep cool here until the afternoon. Sipping at my latte and taking small bites of my muffin as I open the laptop, Capo settles in beside me, watching as birds fly around the sky until he spots a squirrel running across the grass to the tree. Other than lifting his head, he doesn’t move to leave my side.
I never dreamed this animal would become so loyal to me from the moment my eyes opened and I saw him lying there with me. I always wanted a companion like him.
Which has me thinking of my parents again. Dreaming of their death, seeing it as an eighteen-year-old woman instead of a four-year-old girl, I mourn them in a way I was never able to previously. Knowing that I called the man who killed them, Daddy, for so many years makes me sick.
They ruined my life. Forced me to become someone I don’t even know half the time. Hatred burns through me the longer I sit and think about it.
“They have to pay,” I mutter, closing the computer in front of me. And I know exactly who to see about it.
The only trouble I’m going to have is the brothers currently occupying the house with me while Domino is gone. I suspect whatever he’s doing, at least one or two of his siblings is with him, but I know he won’t leave me unprotected. Not right now.
I may not know everything that’s going on because they want to keep me in the dark, but I do know that something is happening, and that’s why Domino didn’t come to bed last night.
Standing, I go back inside, placing the laptop on the counter and seeking out which brothers are here. Quickly enough, I find them all in Santo’s office.
“Where’s Domino?” I ask immediately. I already know I’m going to be lied to before Maso speaks.
“He and Pace are running an errand.” The lie falls flawlessly from him.
Shaking my head, I let them know I don’t believe them. “Please, don’t lie to me. Just tell me you can’t say. I need to go to school to get some books from my locker; I’ll be back within the hour.” My own deception comes just as readily as his. “I don’t need a chaperone.”
I take my leave as they argue over who will follow me because I know they won’t allow me to go alone. Grabbing the keys of the compact car Santo lets me use, I do my best to escape before they’ve decided who plays babysitter today.
I’m three blocks away before I see Donato behind the wheel of another car catching up to me. There’s a scowl on his face, and I can’t hide my laughter while Capo leans his head out the window, enjoying the breeze.
The farther I drive away from the Cardarelli home, the more nervous I become. Confronting Vincenzo wasn’t something I ever believed I would get to do. Not after he stood me on the auction block. Not when my memory cold-cocked me with what he did. I thought I would have to let him go. Or at least allow Domino to be the one to take care of him. Yet here I am, about to arrive at his home.
My home.
The house I grew up in, and I feel sick.
Nausea rolls back around as my mind recognizes the street I grew up on. The ostentatious homes lining the road. All the feelings of betrayal when Santo took me away from here. Everything is rushing back in waves that make me so dizzy I have to pull over.
Before the car is even in park, I’m opening the door and vomiting the minuscule contents of my stomach into the perfect green grass.
Closing my eyes, I try to gain my bearings when I hear Donato coming closer. It can only be him because he wouldn’t allow anyone else to get near me.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing out here, Nicola? Domino is going to be furious.” Likely ten times more so than what he’s expressing. I just don’t care right now. Not while my stomach is doing somersaults.
“Domino doesn’t know what it’s like to be betrayed by the man who turns out to be his parents’ murderer,” I bite out as I spit the taste of vomit from my mouth.
Handing me an open bottle of water, Donato doesn’t reply as I rinse my mouth a few times before finally taking a drink and swallowing. Still feeling sick, I lean back in my seat and stare at the house I parked in front of.
“Do you think they know? That their neighbors traffic children. That they’re murderers. Do you think they know?” My gaze shifts to see Donato staring down at me.
“Some. Probably. Others might suspect. Some just don’t pay attention. Nobody w
ould know what to do, though.” I can tell he’s trying to comfort me, but my anger spikes.
“Don’t know what to do about children being sold… Seems pretty simple to me. Call the authorities. The news. Blast the person everywhere they could. Why wouldn’t they do that?” The pinch of tears clogs my nose, and I just grow madder. I hate the way I feel right now. Vulnerable, fearful, like a little girl hiding from the bloodshed of her parents.
“It’s not so cut and dry, Nicola.” Maybe it is. Maybe it isn’t.
“Would you stay quiet?”
His answer is immediate. “I’d burn the house to the ground.”
“Then let’s do that.”
Chapter 10
Domino
I had intended to be home by the time Nicola awoke, but the deeper I questioned Santini, the more blood I wanted to shed. He held out longer than Pace or I thought he would, and it wasn’t until he’d lost all the fingers on one hand and I was moving onto the next that he finally spoke up.
Vincenzo Salvatore is the brains of their operation, which isn’t surprising. However, the police chief would provide his cousin with names of people who had been arrested or affiliated with criminal activity. Nicola’s father just so happened to beat a man to within an inch of his life because the other man had hit on Nicola’s mother aggressively, putting him in their sights.
I can’t lie and say I wouldn’t do the exact same thing to anyone who dared try to steal Nic away from me too.
Salvatore wanted money, Santini wanted money, they found a relatively easy way to attain it without getting caught. Because who in their right mind would suspect the chief of police of trafficking children to sadistic fucking people.