Seth’s clear loud voice cut through easily. “Dom! Are you all right? You should have kept the fucking vest on!”
“Seth? Domenico?” a high-pitched cry came from the side, and Domenico’s heart stopped when he recognized the voice.
He looked that way, just in time to pull his hand away from being grabbed by an anonymous set of fingers. He was back on his feet within a split second. “Mark? Where are you?” asked Dom, shining his flashlight around and moving along the row of holes. His chest was so tight he didn’t feel like he could take more than one gulp of air. He couldn’t even pinpoint why it affected him so much. His nerves had been made of steel for a long time now, darkness didn’t bother him, and despite the scale of this underground prison, he’d seen other horrendous things in his life that had made him numb. Yet something about that choked voice calling out to him was pulling him to a time when his heart wasn’t stone cold just yet.
He too had been afraid, looking at a round opening above his head, and unable to reach it. And no one had come to his aid back then.
“Mark!” yelled Domenico, trying to sieve the familiar voice out from dozens of others coming both from the holes and the cells down the corridor. His head was spinning, and the wet, earthy taste in his mouth came with a darkness he didn’t want to think about.
When a slim hand caught his ankle, he’d almost shaken it off in frustration, but when he pointed the flashlight down, there it was. Mark’s tearful face, with a bruise covering his eye and cheek and snot running down his mouth, as he was struggling for each breath.
“I’m here,” he uttered so quietly it was barely audible.
Domenico fell to his knees and grabbed Mark’s fingers over the thick bars. “I’m gonna get you,” he whispered, unable to tear his gaze away from the terrified eyes. “It’ll be okay,” he promised, even as he glanced at a fat padlock that kept the grate shut. Domenico pulled at it, but it was locked, and there was no way he could open it without equipment. “Does that guard have keys?”
Seth had stayed back before, probably not to drag Fred into the dark room, but now he had to get inside. “I’ll check,” he said and carefully walked between the holes, not to step on anyone’s hand.
Mark grabbed Dom’s fingers as hard as he could through the bars. “Please don’t leave me here…”
Domenico shook his head. “Are you fucking kidding? We came by helicopter.” He slowly looked back, without taking his hands off Mark’s skin. As illogical as it was, he couldn’t shake off the feeling that if he let go, some unknown force would pull Mark away, and they’d never see him again.
“For me?” Mark’s breath hitched, and Domenico wasn’t even going to tell him not to cry like a girl.
“I’ve got them!” Seth said and rushed over.
Domenico shook his head and reached inside, pushing his forearm between the two steel bars. His fingers slid into Mark’s matted mane, and with his thumb, he drew a small cross on the sweaty forehead. “You asked,” muttered Domenico.
Seth fiddled around with the keys until he found the right ones and pulled the grate open, only for the screams for help around them to intensify, but Domenico could only focus on one person
“I was so scared,” Mark held his arms up to him. “The people around here… Some of them were tortured so horribly… I didn’t want to listen. I thought I was all alone.”
Domenico leaned down, reaching into the concrete well only broad enough for a person to curl up in a sitting position. His heart trembled as he held Mark underneath his armpits and pulled. The tiny prison smelled nothing like Domenico’s former place of captivity. This one stunk much worse, small enough to drive a person insane, and the only water provided was in a bottle on the floor. It was like being permanently stuck in the narrow tunnel between the well and the Villani mansion. The same one that gave even grown-up Domenico the chills.
As soon as Mark was out, he clung to Dom like a frightened child much younger than he was. “They made me call you. I tried to put a message in there. I hoped Seth would understand,” he whispered into Dom’s chest.
Domenico pulled him close and rested his chin on the cushion of wavy hair. Mark felt so solid in Dom’s arms, and he wasn’t going anywhere. “You’re safe. No one’s going to hurt you now that we’re here,” he said, looking up at Seth, who smiled and just gave a nod.
Not only had they managed to save Mark, but they’d also come in time for the boy not to be hurt like Jo had been. He could have been raped and cut up into pieces within hours, yet he seemed whole, even had his clothes on. Something most of the captives didn’t have.
“I tried to think of a better way, maybe to stay with Raj, but it didn’t work out. And Dana said I was trouble to you already. I didn’t know what else to do but go to Fred.” Mark gasped for air every few words. “I’m not useless. All I need is a bit of help…”
Domenico had to bite his tongue not to explode. “Dana’s a lying bitch. And she’s staying with her new fucking boyfriend for much more than a month,” he growled, dragging Mark to his feet. “Are you good to walk?” he asked, ignoring the loud pleas coming from other cells. Bikers and the police would take care of them later.
“I am. They didn’t get to me.” Mark looked up at Dom and unglued himself to rub away the snot and tears with his T-shirt. “You were my only hope.” His big brown eyes bore into Dom with so much hunger for affection that it was hard not to rub his shoulder.
Domenico bit his lip, not knowing what to say. Instead, he glanced at Seth, who seemed so collected and impressive in his riot gear.
“Where’s the bastard?” asked Domenico, and the moment he thought of Fred, flames of fury started licking at his throat again.
Seth looked toward the exit. “Fuck. He’s gone. Come on. The entry’s locked, so he couldn’t have gone far.” He was the first to rush forward, and Domenico prayed to God for the stitches in his calf not to give.
Domenico pulled Mark closer, just in case he fainted or got scared, and followed Seth. “He’s not going anywhere. There’s no way he can open that door without using hands. Too heavy.”
“Seth?” Mark yelled, but held on to the back of Dom’s T-shirt, hidden under Domenico’s arm. “Thank you!”
Seth glanced over his shoulder, then turned the corner, and grinned. “Just no more Cheetos for alligators!”
Domenico chuckled. No amount of ammo and rabid guards could worsen his mood now. He patted Mark on the back and followed Seth, the man mountain with a riot shield. Who would have thought he’d ever be comfortable doing this? Though Dom was still sure Seth would rather go bungee jumping or surfing with medusas for the adrenaline kick than witness what he had seen here.
Domenico felt light and warm. Even despite the horror of this place, coming here had not been a waste. What he’d done tonight really mattered. He’d saved a young man on the brink of adulthood, and he would get to shape his life into something better.
They got to the alley of cells by the door, and as they progressed down the hall, Mark clung to Domenico a bit harder. They both watched Seth look around the empty corridor with a scowl.
“Wh—”
“There, there, he’s in the empty cell!” screamed a vicious-sounding female voice, though nobody could blame her for her need of revenge.
Seth nodded at her and pushed open the door of the cell, pointing his gun at the single person inside. “Out.” And as Fred crawled out on his knees, the woman started laughing in high-pitched shrieks, leaning against the bars with her whole body.
Domenico kicked him all the way to the floor, without letting go of Mark. “Get up,” he uttered right after Fred managed to roll back to his knees. There was a fair amount of pleasure in taunting a piece of shit like him, but time was precious, and Domenico opened the latch and then the electronic lock, pulling the heavy door open. “Out.”
Feminine voices erupted around them again, but he didn’t want to talk and followed Fred, dragging Mark with him. This would end very soon.
“J-just leave. I won’t tell anyone,” whispered Fred, hiding his face behind the sweaty hair, as if he hoped Mark somehow wouldn’t recognize the rat who sold him into being raped and tortured.
Domenico raised his leg, and just as he pulled up the denim, Fred curled into a tighter ball. Ignoring him, Domenico took out his knife and untangled himself from Mark’s arms, weighing both the blade and his Beretta in his hands.
Mark took a deep breath but finally choked up some words. “So you can… do this to others? You sick… fuck!” he whimpered, staring at Fred’s hunched form.
Fred flinched. “I was desperate... I—”
“Shut the fuck up!” Domenico kicked him so hard Fred fell over again, weakened by all the violence of the day. Served him right.
Domenico’s eyes slowly turned toward Mark. He hadn’t spoken about this to Seth, but if they were to save this lonely boy again, they couldn’t just leave him behind. Mark already knew far too much, but were they to take care of his future, he needed to prove himself, show them what his heart was made of. Was he a lion or a rabbit on the inside?
Dom extended his hands, one with the Beretta, one with the knife. “He’s yours,” he said quietly, drilling his gaze into Mark, searching for the answers he so desperately needed. If Mark chose to stay a civilian, they couldn’t take him in. They would have to work something out for him in the next month, but he wouldn’t be able to go across the border, start a life he wouldn’t truly want.
Mark’s lips parted, and he watched the weapons in Domenico’s hands, back pressed against the wall. Dom half expected Seth to say something in protest. To say that they could leave Fred to the bikers, or to the police, or that Mark shouldn’t be doing this, but nothing came from where Seth stood in a shadowy corner of the staircase.
“Kid,” Fred rasped. “You don’t need to do anything. You don’t understand my situatio—”
Mark’s face hardened, and all of a sudden, his pretty eyes weren’t frightened anymore. “You knew mine.”
“Yes, but…” Even Fred couldn’t think of anything more to back his lies on the spot.
Mark looked into Dom’s eyes before reaching for the gun.
Domenico smiled. A gun. Not cruel. Efficient. “Have you used one before?” he asked, noticing how uncertainly Mark was holding the grip, his hands trembling slightly.
Mark shook his head, accustoming himself to the weight of the weapon. Even Fred shut up, staring at the barrel with his eyes wide as saucers.
Domenico stood behind Mark and put his hands over his cool fingers, steadying them. He had a look at Fred’s curled-up form and whispered, guiding Mark to ready the gun for a clear shot. The heart or the head were the best bets to ensure the fucker died. Mark’s fingers weren’t perfectly steady, but he was nodding in acknowledgement, all the way until Domenico let him go and stepped back. This initiation was something Mark needed to go through on his own, as Dom had so many years ago. Only the man Domenico had killed was a stranger. He had owed money to the Villanis and tried to flee. He had never hurt Domenico and hadn’t even tried to protect himself once he saw the gun pointed at him. This was different.
Domenico’s eyes briefly met Seth’s, and he wondered if Seth was remembering Angelo, the man he was forced to kill for betrayal of the family. Back then, Domenico had promised Seth that he wouldn’t have to kill again, but he wasn’t sure anymore if that would be the case. He quickly focused back on the villain and his innocent victim, who was about to avenge himself and countless others. And though he’d lose his innocence in the process, it was just. He’d become a man.
Mark swallowed loudly, and just as Fred opened his mouth to plead for his life, Mark shot him twice, in the shoulder and the head. The impact sent him two steps back, and he gasped for air.
Domenico swallowed hard as the weight of the moment dawned in his chest. Mark got made. No longer an innocent, he could stay with them. “Good. Now put on the safety,” Domenico said in a cool voice.
Mark nodded and followed Dom’s instruction, even though he shivered so hard it showed in the faint light. There was tension to his shoulders, and Domenico couldn’t help but imagine Mark in a few years, grown tall and strong. Mark didn’t shy away from looking back at what he’d done either.
“He deserved it, right?” he whispered.
Domenico nodded and took his weapon. “Yes. You did the right thing, Mark. He will never hurt any other boy or girl again,” he said, squeezing Mark’s shoulder. A smile bloomed on his lips, and he pulled him close for a tight hug.
Mark clung to him again, but not with the same desperation as in the cells. He even stopped shivering, and only his heart drumming madly against Dom’s chest told Domenico that Mark wasn’t calming down just yet.
Domenico pulled away and looked into Mark’s eyes. “You’re a man now, and I will regard you as such.”
Mark didn’t even blink, nodding, even though Dom was sure he didn’t yet truly comprehend the weight of his choice.
Now Mark really was their responsibility. Dom would make a man out of him. Show him the ropes.
Domenico reached out to Seth and squeezed his hand. “Come here.”
Seth came closer, fiddling with something beneath the armor on his chest. He pulled out something Dom least expected, a Snickers bar. “I thought you might be hungry when we get to you. Sorry, it’s a bit squished.” He handed the chocolate to Mark, who slowly smiled, despite the ugly bruises on his face.
Domenico pulled Seth close and kissed the plastic guard over his eyes, touched by the gesture. This was the man he fell in love with. No matter how tough he was when necessary, his heart always kept the warmth Dom craved. “You’ve been amazing.”
Seth smiled and knocked on the plastic shield. “It gave me a level-up.”
Domenico grinned and rustled Mark’s hair, watching the kid eat, strategically turned away from the fresh body.
“I guess that seals the deal between the three of us.”
Mark looked up at Dom with those hopeful eyes. “Can I come with you? I’ll go wherever. I don’t mind. I can live in the swamp, or in the desert. I can be useful. I… I don’t want to meet another Fred.”
Domenico felt a twitch in his stomach at the thought of his very own older “friend,” still alive and well, still preying on some young man. He patted Mark on the shoulder. “You need to know we are not civilians. It might not always be safe. Are you up for this kind of life?”
Mark took a deep breath. “I don’t care about the danger. My life isn’t safe anyway. I want to be more… like you. I want to be a confident badass. I want to be a part of something.”
Domenico exhaled, holding on to Seth as hard as he could. “We’re on the run from the mafia.”
Seth cleared his throat. “Not special forces. Not witness protection.”
Mark hardly blinked, looking between the two of them intensely as he finished his chocolate. “I want to come with you.”
Relief flooded Domenico’s heart as he looked into the big eyes that were so ready to drink up anything he was willing to give. “You will go with us to Colombia. You will learn the language and train under me, so that you can deal with whatever shit the world throws at us, understood?”
Mark made a gesture that Dom suspected was meant as a salute. He didn’t have the heart to point out how bad it was. “Do I get a gun?”
Domenico laughed and leaned against the sturdiness of Seth’s body. “You will have to learn how to use it first.”
Seth was sitting at the desk and cutting up fruit for the trip for all three of them. Domenico would most probably prefer chocolate, but he ate that all the time, so Seth needed to make sure Dom was getting his vitamins as well. Were they in Italy, it would have been much easier to shop around on the way, but here, they couldn’t really predict whethe
r they’d find a place with healthy food options or some fucking deep-fried hot dogs.
Just next to him, Dom had been shouting at Dana for the past quarter of an hour, so Seth spaced out at some point, but he got back to listening when he heard a mention of tanks. He’d also been curious about the heavy artillery the club seemed to own. Not to mention the helicopter. That was pretty cool.
Apparently, Dana had told Mark that he was a burden to them, and she was the one who talked him into leaving in secret, not just given him a ride because he asked, as she had claimed before. When Dom heard that from Mark, he went mental over the extent of her insubordination.
“You will stay here not for a month. You are gonna sit on your ass for a year and gather all the fucking intel on both the Villanis and the people who armed those morons in fucking tanks and bazookas. Can you do that, or will it be too difficult for you?” hissed Domenico, looking down at Dana, who sat in a chair like a scolded teenager.
Her mouth twisted. “What about my training?”
Domenico snorted. “Training? If you ever want to train under me, you will find out good stuff for me, is that clear?”
Seth was slightly dubious about butting in, but he couldn’t help himself. “This is a bit like acting training, right? A mission to test your abilities?”
Dana sent him a deathly glare but said nothing. Domenico shook his head at her and glanced through the window at Mark, who sat at the back of their new van, rummaging through their bags. “The Villanis might be after you. Have you ever thought about a face job?”
Dana took a long breath. “Have you?”
Domenico shook his head. “No chance. But you could use one if you’re to infiltrate the Villanis after you turned your back on them.”
Seth looked up at her. “It might be a good moment for it, if you’re going to spend a year here. You could move around them, and they’d never know. You’d be a snake in the grass.” He wiggled his eyebrows, but the vision he created for her only had her sneer.
Guns n' Boys: Swamp Blood (Book 3) (gay dark mafia erotic romance) Page 35