Fierce Monarch (Gilded Empire Book 3)

Chapter 3 – Dominic

It was strange waking up in a place that wasn’t the Marcosa mansion. The penthouse suite at the Celestine was comfortable and cozy, but it lacked the warmth the historic mansion had. Or maybe it was just because the suite lacked Mari.

Since we’d gotten home, she’d been quiet and reserved, pulling away from everyone, including Grey and me. Could we blame her? She’d fallen in love with the enemy. The burn in my stomach rose again, and I wondered if I’d need to start carrying antacids soon. Did rage cause ulcers? I wasn’t sure. Just like I wasn’t sure rage was an appropriate term for the cataclysmic-level anger I felt on Mari’s behalf.

Nate lied. He tricked her—he tricked us. Greyson and I gave him the most precious thing in our world, and he destroyed her. Mari might be harboring some sentimentality toward him, but I didn’t, and neither did Grey. He’d earned his death fair and square. Especially knowing this was a hurt that Mari would never heal from.

Pulling on some clothes, I went straight to her door, knocking even though I knew she wouldn’t answer, just like she hadn’t any of the other times I’d tried before I attempted to crash. She’d asked for space, but it went against my nature to leave her alone to lick her wounds. I was her partner. I wanted to hold her through the worst of it, and she wouldn’t let me. Couldn’t, Grey corrected when I asked.

She has to process on her own before she can let us in again.

I was worried she was shutting us out, but Greyson assured me when she came to terms with what happened, she would come for us. I just had to be patient and hope that he was right.

For now, all I got was silence.

I pressed my forehead against the door, sagging a little, desperate to let her know that I was waiting for her with open arms. “I love you, mariposa.”

Come back to me.

After another minute, I stood back, and the frantic energy under my skin pushed me into movement. Knowing sleep wasn’t coming again, I decided to burn it off. Maybe if I exhausted myself, I’d forget why my bed was empty.

Grabbingmy keys and my phone, I left the suite, nodding to Moore and Tennessee standing guard outside our door. None of us were comfortable leaving Mari alone, even for a second. Cash had put a target on her back, not just in the city, but within the family, and if we weren’t careful, we were going to end up with a dead queen.

Taking the stairs at a quick clip, I let the descent warm up my muscles. By the time I made it to the tenth floor, I was ready to go. With a beep of the card against the lock, I whipped open the gym door, only to walk straight into Joaquin.

It took less than a heartbeat to realize he knew.

One of the only things Mari had said before she’d shut down on us in the car was that she wanted to keep things quiet, just for a few hours. Just until she wasn’t so fucking raw. We’d kept our mouths shut, but it hadn’t been enough.

I wasn’t sure how, but the glint in Joaquin’s eyes told me he understood what had happened and was using it to his advantage. Honestly, it made sense. If he was going to overthrow Mari, he would do so when she was at her most unstable, which was now.

The thought made me nauseous.

Careful to keep an eye on him, I casually grabbed a mat, laying it out near the mirror so I could stretch. With Mari in danger, I couldn’t afford even a pulled muscle. As I moved my body, falling into the routine of it, I realized Joaquin wasn’t alone. The other capos were there as well. Hmm, all of Mari’s uncles in the same place at the same time on a day that was monumental in its danger…that was totally innocent.

I may have been born at night—but not last night. I knew what they were doing.

No one spoke while I stretched or when I moved to the bench, adjusting the weight so that I could do some presses. It wasn’t until I was occupied with my warm-up that Joaquin walked over, eyes at the ready like he was spotting me.

“I’m good,” I said casually, not wanting him hovering over me. If he wanted to get to Mari, Greyson and I were a good place to start, and a well-placed drop could take me out. Death by barbell.

Fuck that.

Keeping my focus on my form and my muscles, I let the silence fester, but Joaquin stayed where he was. “What would our queen say if she found us letting you work out without a spotter in such troubling times? No. I think I’ll keep an eye on you.”

As if he hadn’t already been doing that. Feeling other eyes on me, I decided I wasn’t in the mood for subtlety. “You don’t give a fuck about what she thinks.”

For a split second, there was a tidal wave of shock, then Joaquin threw his head back and laughed. “My niece is an incredible woman. She’s smart and savvy and stronger than most people think, but she’s also weak.”

Thinking of everything Mari had endured, everything she had done and overcome to create the safety in the city that we were profiting from at this very moment inside a building she had prepared to keep her people safe, I wasn’t sure how they could ever consider her weak.

As if he could hear my arguments, Joaquin continued. “She let that boy into her home when she knew nothing about him, and now look at us. We’re steps away from war.”

“That wasn’t her fault.” It was Nate’s for lying. It was Moore’s for getting a false background check. It was Rafael’s for getting a doctored file on Cash, one that conveniently erased his little brother.

None of it was Mari’s.

“She’s still a liability.” Gabriele gave me a significant look, but I didn’t need him to finish. Liabilities didn’t survive our world. “You, on the other hand, have been nothing but helpful since you returned.”

I snorted, reracking the barbell and sitting up to add more weight, but Joaquin was already doing it. I watched carefully and tried not to point out the hypocrisy of Gabriele’s statement, considering he was conveniently forgetting the fact that I had disappeared for twenty years and been out of contact with Mari for the better part of ten. “You’re looking for a scapegoat.”

I saw Joaquin’s grin in the mirror as he leaned on the bar behind me, all malice and misinterpretation. “Am I, though? We both know you’re meant for something more.”

I narrowed my eyes at the not-so-subtle threat, then lay back, taking the bar again to continue my reps. The last thing I wanted was to be vulnerable, but when swimming with sharks, you had to pretend they were beneath your notice. You had to be the predator. “I’m not interested.”

“We didn’t make you an offer yet.”

Yet.Fuck, I’m going to have to tell Greyson. We knew they’d make moves, but we thought we had more time. “Is there an offer to be made, Joaquin?”

He smirked. “You know there is.”

“With everything I know about the Marcosas—and I know a lot now—taking over involves killing off the old regime. I’m not interested in killing the woman I love.” It was probably a mistake to admit that I had a weakness for Mari, but they weren’t blind. If they didn’t know it already, they were being intentionally obtuse.

Joaquin scoffed. “Of course not. Your generation is soft.”

“And yet you’re asking me for a favor.”

“Not a favor. Consider it a job offer.”

Another press. My arms were starting to burn now, but it helped me focus on the land mines we were crossing. “Not interested. I like the job I already have.”

Joaquin’s laugh was just short of a bark. “Of course you do. The job you already have lets you get your dick wet when you want.”

“Watch yourself,” I snapped. Part of me wanted to keep going until I knew exactly what he wanted from me and for Mari, all of his plans, but he didn’t get to talk about her like that. No one got to talk about her like that.

“That was disrespectful,” he said, bowing his head as if that was enough of an apology. Yet he didn’t say it was wrong.

“What’s your point, Joaquin?” The longer he talked, the less patience I had, and I was already running low on it.

“What if we come up with a plan that gets us all what we want?” Joaquin rolled his eyes like the words were hippie bullshit as he helped me rerack and add more weight. “We want you as our new leader, and you want Mari alive.”

“And do you think you can make both those things happen?”

Joaquin’s smile was all vain confidence.

“How do I know this isn’t a trick? That you won’t just kill her as soon as I agree.”

“You don’t,” he said simply. “You also don’t have a choice. It’s either take the offer, or become part of the problem. Which would you prefer?”

It’d been a while since I’d had a full-blown threat lobbed at me, but that was an almost elementary one to figure out. “How would you get Mari to agree to abdicate her throne?”

It was unheard of in the Marcosas, and I knew for a fact that my mariposa wouldn’t willingly hand over her crown. Especially not now.

“We wouldn’t, but in this family, the husband rules the roost.” Joaquin moved to grab his things, not looking for me to answer. Which was good because I didn’t know what to say to that bullshit.

A forced marriage, even to Mari, was not on my agenda, and I knew it would kill her just the same as a bullet. She deserved to choose her husband after everything. In spite of it. Even though I knew she loved me, I also knew that letting this happen would be the death of us.

“Don’t give us an answer yet. Just think about it. We’ll be in touch.” Joaquin watched carefully as I racked the bar for the last time before disappearing with his minions, leaving me alone in the gym and more confused than ever. I hadn’t had nearly enough of a workout, but I couldn’t avoid going upstairs any longer. Mari had to know what just happened.

As soon as I was sure the uncles weren’t waiting, I sprinted to the stairwell and up until I shoved onto the penthouse floor with a heave. Tennessee’s hand rested on his gun, and he sagged against the wall seeing it was me. “Christ, Dominic. Was that necessary?”

“Sorry,” I said absently, pulling out the keycard to get into the suite. “I just—sorry.”

What else could I say when I needed to tell Mari and Greyson first?

Tennessee’s eyes, which were normally happy and laughing, were sad for the first time since I’d known him. It hit me then that Nate’s treachery wasn’t just a surprise to us. There had been far more casualties than I expected. “I’m sorry about?—”

He immediately waved me off. “Don’t worry about it. Just take care of the boss.”

“I’ll try.” I slipped inside, not quite sure I could promise that.

I beelined for Mari’s door, knocking again and again and again when she didn’t answer. “Look, I know you want to be alone, but it’s important. It’s about Joaquin.”

I heard the click of the lock and ignored how much it hurt that she was physically locking us out of her life. Then the door opened, and there she was.

Mari in the hospital bed had been heartbreaking. She’d looked so small and vulnerable that when I’d seen her, it had been like being transported back to our teen years again when she was fragile and needed protection.

This Mari, though fragile, was not the same. There was no warmth, no laughter, no love or joy. Everything about her was just full ice queen, and when she spoke, it gave me chills and not in a good way. “What do you need, Dominic?”

Her tone didn’t give a single indication that she had any feelings for me, and it made my pulse race. “I just ran into Joaquin at the gym. He’s making moves against you.”

Her face didn’t show a hint of surprise, which was understandable, but the slight tick of resignation bothered me.

“We have to stop him,” I said, trying to get her to understand, needing her to agree. The silence dragged on for one second, two, three.

Finally, she spoke. “He’s the least of our problems right now.”

Disbelief filled my whole being. “The man who lives two floors down and has access to the security of this building and you at all times is the least of our problems?”

Her flat look was enough of an answer, and I was baffled by how to proceed. Had the thing with Nate screwed up her brain so much that she wasn’t seeing what was in front of her? Did I need to call in Grey to explain things to her or take shit off her plate so she could get her head on straight? Did kingpins have therapists? “Mar?—”

“We’ll deal with it later.”

Then the door was closed, the lock clicked, and I was on the outside again.

What the fuck?

“Give her some time.” I whirled around to find Grey leaning against the wall, frowning at the handle just like I was.

I stepped closer, lowering my voice so she couldn’t hear through the door. “Obviously, she’s struggling, but this is important.”

He ran a hand through his hair, pushing it off his face, and I realized for the first time he wasn’t fully dressed. The man was in holey sweats, for fuck’s sake. He hadn’t shaved, and the slightly unkempt tilt of his collar told me he’d been pulling at it. Staring at him, I had to wonder if this was his version of a breakdown.

Where Mari isolated herself, Grey fell apart. No doubt when she opened the door for good, he’d be back on his axis soon after. The two of them were too connected for it not to happen. But what did we do in the meantime while our biggest players were out of commission?

You step up. You’re the underboss.

Fuck me running.

He jerked his eyes away eventually, turning back to me. “She needs time. We’ll deal with this on our own.”

“Is that a good idea?” I looked back at the door with more than a little reluctance. “I can’t lie to her again.”

I had already been on my last shot before Nate, but I knew if she found out I lied again—hell, if she thought I’d withheld something from her—that was it. She’d dump me faster than I could say her name, and she’d never look at me that way again. I’d have to watch her feelings wither on the vine right in front of my eyes. It sounded like torture.

“It won’t come to that. Besides, it’s not like you didn’t tell her first.” When he saw I still wasn’t convinced, he sighed. “She can’t handle anything else right now, Dominic. We’ll take care of this for her, and when she’s ready, we’ll loop her in. No lying, no cheating, no secrets. All you have to do is play double agent.”

“To what end?”

He looked at the door again before heading toward the kitchen, beckoning me to follow with a nod. “The only reason Joaquin’s still alive is the fact that he’s the next in line for the throne. If Mari killed him on our word alone, it would look worse for her.”

Taking out the competition wasn’t unheard of—again, that was what most Marcosas did to earn their throne—but in this case, it would look more like killing the opposition to prevent them from removing her than a protective move. “So we just let him think he’s won?”

“For now, yes. We want him gone, we need proof. Find it, and we’ll tell her together.”

I wasn’t so sure that would work, but Greyson knew Mari better than I did, and I had to trust that he knew best in this too.

“This better work,” I said softly. “I don’t want to lose her.”

“I don’t want that either,” Grey agreed. “She’s already lost too much.”